The American Institute for Packaging and the Environment and the consulting group Resource Recycling Systems have released a paper called Best Practices for State Recycling Market Development Centers.
The report can be used as a tool to assist state governments and related stakeholders in establishing or improving local recycling market development centers, according to a news release.
A state recycling market development center is an agency-led or third-party-led program usually established and funded by state governments focused on encouraging growth within the recycling industry through market development activities, according to the paper.
“The concept of recycling market development centers is not new,” Bryce Hesterman, consultant for RRS, said in the release.
“In the early 1990s, state-led programs existed in North and South Carolina, Minnesota, New York and Washington. Now, with restricted export markets, advancement in related technology, expanding requirements for recycled content, and increasing focus on creating domestic circular economies, there is a renewed interest in developing more of these centers.”
According to the release, the best practices guide expands on four primary topics of focus for those looking to develop a state recycling market development center:
- Establishment: the formal framework for the center;
- Funding: sources for operating and implementing the center;
- Operations: how the center is directed, staffed, and governed; and
- Programming: center’s activities and the supportive tools and resources
“AMERIPEN was established on the premise of supporting sustainable solutions for the packaging value chain, including driving a circular economy,” Dan Felton, executive director for AMERIPEN, said in the release.
“With an increasing number of companies setting voluntary recycling and recycled content goals, ensuring we have the systems in place to support these goals is essential to our success. Developing recycling end markets is key to that effort. Our goal for the best practices guide is to assist governments and other stakeholders to advance the discussion and take action toward developing recycling market development centers that benefit the economy, communities, and the environment.”
Several existing recycling market development programs in the U.S. provided insights toward the development of the report that is available for free download on the AMERIPEN website: https://www.ameripen.org/page/state-market-development
