oday, the National League of Cities (NLC) released a new report, “Rethinking Recycling: How Cities Can Adapt to Evolving Markets,” which analyzes how city leaders can develop resilient local waste management systems in response to China’s stringent new regulations. The report, which marks the beginning of a larger effort to examine sustainability in solid waste management, is the first piece of literature to highlight how municipalities can effectively respond to – and benefit from – China’s upcoming ban. “In the face of adversity, city leaders have historically been our nation’s problem-solvers,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of NLC. “China’s [...]

With support from JPMorgan Chase and Co., the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families has launched a two-year initiative that will help cities assess and address the negative impacts of municipal fines and fees on residents' financial health.  Cities Addressing Fines and Fee Equitably Technical Assistance Project NLC’s two-year project on municipal fines and fees will focus on a six-city cohort, which will receive grants and technical assistance to assess their use of local fines and fees and develop collections strategies that incorporate financial empowerment interventions. NLC will draw lessons from its LIFT-UP program model to help these cities [...]

In 2015, Americans generated more than 262 million tons of waste, or nearly 4.5 pounds per person, per day. To handle this load, nearly every U.S. city has developed a solid waste management program that includes recycling. These initiatives have overall proved successful. The recycling rate has tripled in the last 30 years to approximately 25.8 percent in 2015, or nearly 68 million tons. The industry is both environmentally beneficial and economically significant. In 2007, the U.S. recycling and reuse industry accounted for 757,000 stable jobs, $36.6 billion in wages, and $6.7 billion in state, local and federal tax revenues.  But today, [...]