The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has released a study on the Economic Impacts of Recycling showing that the overall impact of recycling municipal solid waste (MSW) on the Texas economy exceeded $3.3 billion in 2015. The study also found that the recycling of MSW generates economic benefits for the Texas job market, with more than 17,000 person years of direct, indirect, and induced employment supported in that year.
According to the study, approximately 9.2 million tons of MSW designated material were recycled in Texas in 2015. Typical recyclables (paper, plastics, metal, and glass), organics (yard trimmings, brush, green waste, and food and beverage materials), and construction and demolition materials accounted for 8.7 million tons, or 94.4 percent of the total tons of recycled materials in Texas.
