R. W. Beck, Inc. conducted the study and produced this report,
with support from David Swenson of Iowa State
University, who provided economic modeling of the
recycling and reuse industry.
Acknowledgement must also be given to the following agencies that contributed data from
contemporaneous state and regional studies to this project:
California Integrated Waste Management Board;
Florida Department of Environmental Protection;
Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs;
Indiana Department of Commerce;
Missouri Department of Natural Resources;
Nebraska Department of Economic Development;
Northeast Recycling Council, with support provided by Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont;
Ohio Department of Natural Resources;
Recycle Iowa (an initiative of the Iowa Department of Economic Development).
Pennsylvania's Steel mills produce iron and steel slabs, billets, bar, plate, and sheet from scrap and/or raw materials.
These 58 steel mills
alone account for 46 percent of employment, 56 percent of annual payroll
and
61 percent
of annual receipts of the total recycling and reuse industry in PA.
These steel mills, which rely on recycled scrap steel for 30 to 100 percent of the raw material needs, are by far the largest category of the recycling industry in PA.
Of the more than 81,000 individuals
employeed in the recycling industry in pennsylvania, the largest portion
work in the manufacturing sector. While many of these have long come
from the steel industry, a growing number are coming from a diverse background.
Graham Recycling (York, PA) and Saint
Jude Polymer (Frackville, PA) are two excellent samples of the growth of the plastic recycling industry in Pennsylvania. Despite the recent struggles of glass packaging, glass bottle manufacturing also continues to employ a significant number of Pennsylvanians.
Beyond manufacturing another 17,000 are employed in the collection, processing, and reuse industries.
