Environment and Conservation Partnering for a Symposium on Recycling and the Economy

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation is partnering with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Southeast Recycling Development Council (SERDC) and the Tennessee Recycling Coalition to host a Symposium on Recycling and the Economy. The event will be held Oct. 26-27 at the Memphis Downtown Marriott and will feature discussions on how recycling impacts local, state and regional economies, jobs and tax revenues.

 

“We’re pleased to partner in an event aimed at growing jobs and increasing revenues in our state and region in a way that also benefits the environment and our natural resources,” said Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau. “Recycling is an example of how we can do well in business by doing good.”

 

A 2010 study by the Southeast Recycling Development Council found that more than 30 manufacturers in Tennessee rely heavily on recycling content feedstock. These companies generate more than $4.3 billion in sales annually and support more than 6,500 manufacturing jobs. Another study by the College of Charleston found that recycling creates 1.6 jobs and more than $3,600 in tax revenue for every 1,000 tons recycled. 

 

The symposium will explore ways to further these trends and grow the region’s economy by providing a forum for industry, policy makers, state recycling organizations and government officials to discuss the economics of recycling – to include job creation, the effects of idle capacity, tax base growth and the economics of secondary market materials compared to virgin resources. 

 

The keynote speaker for the Symposium on Recycling and the Economy is Jerry Powell, executive editor of Resource Recycling, E-Scrap News and Plastics Recycling Update, all nationally distributed recycling industry magazines. Other speakers include representatives from Proctor and Gamble, Sonoco Recycling, Alcoa, ConAgra Foods, Canaccord Genuity investment banking, SERDC, the Association of Postconsumer Plastics Recyclers, ReCommunity, and state and regional environment and economic development officials.

 

EPA will also recognize the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation at the symposium for its induction into the WasteWise Hall of Fame. Environment and Conservation organizes recycling programs across state government, resulting in this recognition.

 

The symposium is open to the public, and is geared toward policy makers and industry officials across the supply chain. For more details about symposium programs, and to register, please visit www.serdc.org/symposium.

 

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