Municipal, IC&I

US Chamber of Commerce Foundation expands recycling initiative

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Washington, has announced the expansion of its Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy initiative. The expansion includes applying the Beyond 34 model in a second region and developing a suite of online tools to allow any community to implement the model.

Beyond 34, first implemented in Orlando, Florida, was developed to increase the current 34 percent recycling rate in the United States. The Orlando pilot invested more than $100,000 to implement projects designed to improve local recycling.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation says the expansion involves applying a refined version of the Beyond 34 model in a second region based on findings from the Orlando pilot. The foundation says it will choose the second region in early 2019 and the expansion will continue through early 2021.

“The Beyond 34 model brings together a community’s private and public sectors and equips them with solutions to increase and improve recycling,” states Marc DeCourcey, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

The Rob and Melani Walton Sustainability Solutions Service at Arizona State University (ASU) will provide analysis and develop tools to help communities improve their recycling efforts.

The expansion is possible with support from the Walmart Foundation, Walgreens Boots Alliance and the Plastics Industry Association.