(From Al Krigman -- always eager to help when people are doing the right thing) -------------------- GAO identifies ways to increase municipal recycling At the request of Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) studied reasons that the national recycling rate has barely increased since the year 2000. In particular, GAO was asked to: ▸ identify key practices cities are using to increase recycling, ▸ determine what the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Commerce are doing to improve the situation, ▸ identify federal policy options that could have a positive impact. Results of the analysis were published in December 2006 in Additional Efforts Could Increase Municipal Recycling (GAO-07-37). A survey found the most widely-cited municipal practices to be 1) making recycling easier and more convenient for residents, 2) offering financial incentives such as lower fees in areas where residents are charged for collection, and 3) public education and outreach. Also significant were broadening the range of materials collected, and extending programs to the commercial sector. With respect to federal government agencies, GAO identified several programs implemented by the EPA. These included WasteWise – which creates voluntary recycling partnerships between the Agency and various groups, and grants to support a range of projects. A problem found with such efforts is that the impact is not known because EPA has not established performance measures and does not collect appropriate data. The Commerce Department was also faulted. GAO noted that the Department is mandated to stimulate the development of markets for recycled materials under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, but is not undertaking any efforts to do so. Officials claim to be supporting international trade in recycled and recyclable materials. However, domestically, they are not working to explore possible markets, identify technical or economic barriers, or encourage the development of new uses for recovered materials. Recognizing that local governments have the primary role in operating recycling programs, GAO singled out federal policy options that municipal stakeholders believed would be helpful. These included: ▸ a nationwide education campaign, ▸ a national beverage container deposit system, ▸ requirements for manufacturers to establish recycling infrastructures for their products, ▸ means for municipalities to share “best practices,” ▸ an expanded role for the EPA in researching the economic benefits of recycling and in funding projects. For more information, contact US GAO, 441 G St NW, Rm LM, Washington DC 20548, 202-512-6000, fax 202-512-6061, _www.gao.gov_ (http://www.gao.gov) . Copies of the report are available online at _www.gao.gov/new.items/d0737.pdf_ (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0737.pdf) . <BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.
