Recycling Not Keeping Up, Says NRC Director

Danielle Jackson

Washington, D.C. — According to a report entitled "Recycling in the Dumps?" by Recycling Laws International, Kate Krebs, executive director for the National Recycling Coalition (NRC), said that waste has increased more than 7 million tons between 1998 and 1999, and recycling will not be able to keep up. Krebs spoke at a panel on the future of recycling at the Maryland Recyclers’ annual meeting last week. She noted that waste per capita increased 365 pounds annually in 1999, but recycling increased only 136 pounds.

Michele Raymond, publisher of Recycling Laws International, also was on the panel. She noted that 10 states have reported declines in recycling rates in 1999 or 2000, and that only 10 states currently meet their recycling goals. For more information, visit www.raymond.com.