What do those recycling numbers mean?

The purpose of this article is not simply to point out the deficiencies in calculation methodologies for recycling programs, but also to suggest alternative methodologies that are more accurate. However, the primary point is that the solid waste management industry as a whole must adopt a more rigorous attitude toward the calculation of these types of factors and rates. If recycling is to grow, we need accurate and defensible analytical tools. In a few years, when the discrepancies between reality and some of the calculations currently used in planning recycling programs are discovered, recycling will feel a backlash of negative publicity. To avoid this backlash, we must get our analytical act together now.