From Waste to Jobs: What Achieving 75 Percent Recycling Means for California

To increase California’s recycling rate from about 50 percent in 2012 to 75 percent by 2020, CalRecycle estimates that about 23 million tons of material that is currently being disposed must be recycled or composted. This report examines the job creation potential of recycling, and outlines the research process undertaken. Results show that achieving a 75 percent recycling rate in California by 2020 has the potential to create at least 110,000 additional recycling jobs.