A study of Central Ohio’s recycling industry, commissioned by a local waste management company, shows it's created thousands of jobs and generated more than a billion dollars in annual revenue.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio commissioned this first-ever study on the local recycling industry, finding at least 372 recycling businesses employ more than 5,000 workers.
That amounts to a yearly payroll of $235 million and almost $1.3 billion in annual revenue.
When looking at other businesses supported by the recycling industry, the study shows the workforce rises to 10,000 and payroll expands to $2.5 billion.
The study suggests that if Franklin County residents and businesses diverted 35 percent more of the material that is currently going to the landfill, it would create 400 more jobs.
