Ecology reports Washington recycling more, generating less waste

OLYMPIA - Washington residents are recycling more than ever, pushing the recycling rate to 45 percent in 2008, the highest state level achieved to date. At the same time, state residents and businesses sent 6 percent less waste to landfills in 2008 than the previous year, according to new data just released by the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology). “It’s clear that even during a year when the economic recession began, the recycling industry held steady and folks in Washington continued to be responsible about recycling and reducing their waste,” said Laurie Davies, manager of Ecology’s Waste 2 Resources Program. Besides an increasing number of municipal recycling programs making recycling convenient for many by “commingling” materials, other significant trends contributed to the positive recycling rates. Ecology’s data showed that recycling rates increased for organic materials, electronics, fluorescent light bulbs, and source-separated materials from construction sites, such as gypsum and wood. Other materials that were increasingly “diverted” from landfills for recycling or re-use included carpet and paint. Organic materials such as wood debris and crop residues accounted for more than 100,000 tons of the increase over 2007 numbers. “We were pleased to see more organic materials recycled since our program has been increasingly focused on keeping these materials out of landfills,” Davies said. “It may reflect improving composting practices in the state.” The overall amount of materials collected for both recycling and disposal from the construction and demolition sector declined in 2008. The overall drop in this sector was more than 700,000 tons. “The drop in collected amounts of construction and demolition debris is not surprising,” said Davies. “We saw less of this material in 2008 due to the slowdown in construction in general. On the other hand, materials that can be separated at the source, such as construction sites, can bring a higher value, and therefore the collection amounts in some cases stayed steady despite the economic slowdown.” A 1989 Washington state law established a statewide recycling goal of 50 percent. The national average was 33 percent in 2007. “Washington is making great progress in recycling and waste reduction,” said Davies. “With continued emphasis, education and innovative solutions, we can push forward to reaching the next 50 percent.”