Washington, DC – The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc (ISRI), today highlighted new US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) figures showing that the scrap recycling industry added 10,000 jobs between the first quarter of 2010 and the first quarter of 2011. Estimates put the industry’s total number of jobs at about 113,000.
The BLS statistics follow ISRI’s recent announcement that the thriving industry has grown 40 percent since 2009 in terms of monetary value – despite the lingering effects of the global recession.
“We know that the scrap recycling industry is very healthy and poised to expand further, especially if the federal government takes a reasonable and rational regulatory approach that will create thousands of additional jobs,” ISRI President Robin Wiener said.
“These new job figures are not entirely unexpected, but they are wholly welcomed.” ISRI Chief Economist and Director of Commodities Joe Pickard added, “At a time of uneven economic recovery, the scrap recycling industry continues to distinguish itself not only as a vital link in the supply chain, but also as a key source of green job creation just when its needed most.”
Earlier this month, ISRI released new industry facts and figures showing that in 2010 alone, more than 130 million metric tons of scrap metal, paper, plastic, glass, textiles, rubber and electronics, were manufactured. Valued at more than $77 billion, these recyclable materials were manufactured into specification grade commodities by the US scrap recycling industry for sale as valuable feedstock material to industrial consumers in the United States and in more than 155 countries around the world. China, Canada, South Korea, Turkey and Taiwan were the top importers.
ISRI also detailed the volume of scrap recycling material annually processed by commodity from 2009 to 2010 (note that plastic bottle figures are 2008 to 2009):
Volume of Scrap Material Processed Annually:
Iron and Steel: Up to 74,000,000 from 70,000,000
Paper: Up to 46,800,000 from 45,400,000
Aluminum: Down to 4,600,000 from 4,700,000
Copper: Up to 1,900,000 from 1,700,000
Lead: Down to 1,200,000 from 1,300,000
Zinc: Up to 160,000 from 150,000
Plastic (bottles): Down to 654,220 (2009) from 658,390 (2008)
Electronics: Up to 3,500,000 from 1,800,000
Tires (number of tires): Up to 90,000,000 from 80,000,000