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We'd say New York should throw out its recycling data, but we're not sure if the paper would be recycled or end up in a landfill.
Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's office found the state DEC lacks reliable information on how much material is recycled across the state. Part of the problem is recycling facilities have submitted only about two-thirds of the required annual reports from January 2021 through December 2023. The facilities that did submit reports couldn't always verify the information they did report. And, perhaps most troubling, of the reports that were submitted, nearly two-thirds were missing required information necessary to determine how much waste was actually recycled.
There's a final issue – too few inspections of the state's registered and permitted recycling facilities. More than one-third of the state's 389 recycling facilities were not inspected during the three-year audit period. And of the 33 facilities that didn't file annual reports, only three were issued violation notices.
Inspections are important because they are DEC’s primary tool for verifying the information facilities report and identifying potential compliance issues.
The audit also found enforcement actions were limited. Although 33 facilities failed to submit any annual report during the audit period, DEC issued violations to only three facilities.
“Reliable recycling data is essential to understanding how much waste is being diverted from landfills and incinerators through recycling,” DiNapoli said. “If recycling data is incomplete or inaccurate, the state can’t effectively evaluate whether recycling efforts are working or track their impact in reducing waste and its environmental impact.”
We couldn't agree more. Most people believe in the idea of recycling. It's good for all of us to reduce the amount of garbage that makes its way into landfills and even better to reuse as much material as we can. The fact that the DEC has no idea how much of the state's waste is actually recycled is ludicrous. If the state can't handle administering recycling programs, how much faith should we have in the state's ability to administer the rest of its costly environmental policies?