SEPA
JOBS
THROUGH
RECYCLING
OHIO DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA530-F-99-003
April 1999
www.epa.gov/jtr
JTR Grantee Series
Ohio
Ohio was involved in a number of recycling market development activities
before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded the state a
Jobs Through Recycling (JTR) grant in 1994. In 1992, the Ohio Department
of Natural Resources (ODNR) established the "Recycle Ohio!" program to
promote state agency recycling and purchase of recycled-content products. This program
complemented the state's recycling procurement legislation and a market development
grant program for businesses. In addition, the Association of Ohio Recyclers—an active,
local nonprofit organization and state affilliate of the National Recycling Coalition—
supported market development committees designed to assist recycled product manufac-
turing enterprises. Several cities and counties focused on market development issues as
well. The city of Cincinnati, for example, conducted studies on secondary materials
manufacturing use and capacity.
With its 1994 JTR grant, the state began actively focusing on assisting recycling
businesses. To provide a focal point for recycling
market development in the state, the Ohio
Department of Development (ODOD) joined
forces with ODNR to establish a Recycling
Economic Development Advocate (REDA)
position. The REDA was hired to accomplish
the following goals:
.Grant Type: REDA
• Increase recycling processing and manufac-
turing capacity in Ohio.
• Support the expansion and attraction of
recycling and reuse businesses.
• Provide a central point of contact for the
state's recycling market development pro-
grams.
During the course of the grant, the REDA
helped coordinate the states recycling market
development activities by cultivating a rela-
tionship between ODNR and ODOD.
That relationship continues to grow today. In
addition, the REDA directed more than 60
recycling businesses to sources of financial,
technical, and business assistance, which, in
turn, created almost 100 jobs in the state.
These businesses recycle a variety of materials
generated by the residential, commercial,
and industrial sectors.
" Office Awarded:
Department of
^ Development
Project Partner:
hip Department of Natural
Resources
. •-.;'. •• - ,':-: -
Year Awarded: 1994
Funding:
75,000 in EPA funding
'$ 25,000 in state funding
1$, 100,000 in total funding
Contact Information:
Rorrnan Chagnon, Ph.D.
~Ohio's Thomas Edison
,-:. Program
77 South High Street
^Q. Box 1 GOT
^Columbus, OH 43266-0101
^hone: 614466-3887
Fax: 614644-5758 ".
> Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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JOBS THROUGH RECYCLING
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
By building on existing resources avail-
able statewide, the REDA acted as a cata-
lyst to offer immediate, focused support
to manufacturers expanding their use of
secondary materials in production. The
REDA provided assistance to businesses
In the following three specific areas:
Business Assistance and Referrals
The primary role of the REDA was to
promote existing state and local agency
programs for recycling businesses and to
link businesses with the appropriate pro-
grams. As a result, the grantee worked
with companies in all phases of the recy-
cling process (e.g., collectors, processors,
and manufacturers), handling all types of
reeyclables (e.g., glass, plastic, and paper).
The primary role of the REDA
was to promote existing state
and local agency programs
for recycling
businesses and to link
businesses with the
appropriate programs.
The REDA helped businesses navigate
through local and state permitting pro-
cesses and put companies in touch with
the right permitting officials. The grantee
also referred businesses to state and local
assistance programs, such as Ohio's
Thomas Edison center. The programs
provide technical assistance to Ohio's
manufacturers, from troubleshooting
engineering issues to conducting in-depth
research and development projects.
Financial Assistance
The REDA served as the central access
point for businesses seeking assistance
from ODOD's grant, loan, job, and
research tax credit programs. ODOD
loan programs, for example, offer financ-
ing for fixed assets projects (e.g., equip-
ment, building, construction, and land).
In addition, the REDA helped businesses
access ODNR's Recycling Market
Development Grant Program for recy-
cling manufacturers and processors.
Publicity and Promotion
The REDA developed a brochure, display
booth, and wrote articles for trade jour-
nals and periodicals. By attending confer-
ences and seminars sponsored by industry
trade associations, solid waste manage-
ment districts, local governments, cham-
bers of commerce, and economic devel-
opment organizations, die REDA formed
new partnerships and reached out to
recycling businesses. In addition, the
REDA helped develop Infocycle: Resource
Guide for Recycling Companies, a tool to
help recycling companies find the
resources they need to expand and suc-
ceed in Ohio. At least 1,000 copies of the
guide were distributed to local, regional,
and state agencies and organizations.
CHALLENGES OVERCOME
The REDA encountered and overcame
the following obstacles:
• The learning curve was mastered
quickly. Prior to the grant, the REDA
developed recycling expertise and was
familiar with state recycling grant and
loan programs. The REDA also fos-
tered relationships with other state
recycling programs and service
providers, which served as a key asset
to the program.
Educating the economic development
community proved challenging. When
the grant began, recycling was still a
nascent activity for ODOD. Part of
the REDA's challenge'resided in raising
awareness within the economic devel-
opment community. Over the course
of the grant, the REDA helped build
interest in recycling within the state
and showed the economic develop-
ment community the value of recy-
cling businesses. These efforts required
the REDA to 'do his homework' in
order to make a strong case to eco-
nomic developers.
The REDA helped build
interest in recycling
within the state and showed
the economic development
community the value of
recycling businesses.
Diversify program activities. After
experiencing, firsthand, the changes in
market conditions for recyclable mate-
rials, the REDA learned to remain
flexible. When a recovered paper
demonstration project ended due to a
downturn in the market, for example,
the REDA focused on other
commodities.
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JTR GRANTEE SERIES: OHIO
LESSONS IEARNED
The Ohio REDA offers the following
advice to new grantees:
• Prioritize business assistance. With
limited time and resources, JTR
grantees must prioritize which busi-
nesses to assist. This might mean
working with businesses with a high
likelihood of success—such as existing
companies interested in converting to
or expanding their use of recovered
materials.
• Solicit customer feedback. The
grantee conducted a survey of 65 com-
panies that received assistance through
the REDA program. The grantee used
this customer feedback to measure the
economic and environmental impacts
of the assistance provided as well as the
success of the REDA project overall.
The survey also asked companies to
forecast revenue growth, capital invest-
ment, and recovered materials capacity
and utilization.
• Secure long-term support. The REDA
learned that the creation of a sustain-
able recycling market development
program requires more than a single
ambassador. He recommends, there-
fore, that other REDAs build
partnerships with state
and local organizations
and rally companies to spearhead leg-
islative and organizational support.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The REDA's accomplishments include
the following:
• During die grant period, the REDA
helped create a link between the states
economic development and environ-
mental agencies, which continues to
grow today. ODOD, for example, is
now involved in the state's efforts to
create a recycling market development
plan.
The REDA helped create
a link between the
state's economic
development and
environmental agencies,
which continues
to grow today.
• The REDA worked with more than 60
recycling companies and organizations
and helped establish public and private
partnerships. These companies, in
turn, created 94 jobs during the grant
period. In addition, their capacity for
recyclable materials grew by 135,000
tons while the capacity utilized exceeded
120,000 tons. In 1995 and 1996, these
companies invested approximately
$6 million to expand their recycling
enterprises.
PROGRAM FUTURE
Although the state was unable to main-
tain the REDA program after the term of
the JTR grant, ODNR has internalized
recycling business assistance and both
ODNR and ODOD see potential for
progress in the future. Due to a lack of
funding, however, ODNR and ODOD
are not able to focus solely on assisting
recycling businesses. Currently, there are
no specific funding sources for market
development in the state, other than for
planning.
Total Number of Businesses Assisted: 65 organizations
Full-Time Equivalents Created:
Amount of Capital Invested:
Volume of New Capacity Created:
94 jobs
$6 million
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JOBS THROUGH RECYCLING
"The REDA was a great advocate for our reuse
organization."
DUANE JAGER
Executive Director, Reuse Industries
ReUse Industries is a nonprofit organization, located in rural south-
east Ohio, that works with two solid waste districts and numerous
individuals and businesses to salvage appliances, electronics, build-
ing materials, computers, and other reusable items. The company
then refurbishes the items and
resells them for much less than
their original price.
wm
ReUse Industries was established INDUSTRIES
in die fall of 1995 with a dual
mission: to reduce waste through refurbishing and reselling reusable items and to
provide economic development opportunities by training local low-income resi-
dents to repair and resell the items they collect. ReUse Industries is helping to
develop a sustainable local economy by reducing and reusing waste collected
locally. When a product is purchased from ReUse Industries, 100 percent of each
dollar stays in die local economy.
In 1995, ReUse Industries met with the REDA and brainstormed how the orga-
nization could overcome die many barriers that exist for reuse organizations, such
as tapping into funding sources that traditionally only support recycling activities.
The REDA served as an advocate for the organization, and reuse programs in
general, at the state and local levels. Specifically, the REDA provided ReUse
Industries widi information on available grants from ODOD and ODNR.
The REDA also helped ReUse Industries find new markets for its collected items,
including providing contact information concerning export markets for refur-
bished items that ReUse Industries could not sell locally. As a result, the
organization explored overseas markets for 200 used desks it received from
Ohio University.
All told, ReUse Industries' efforts result in the diversion of 250 tons of waste per
year from local landfills. The company continues to look for new and innovative
uses for its refurbished products.
Partners
r • Small Business Development
I Centers(SBDCs)—These centers,,,.
-_; located,,3.1:,chambers, of commerce,
universities, and other educational
. and economic development orga-
1 nizations, offer free counseling,
business planning, development,
training, and other specialized
support services to small business-
es. SBDCs worked jointly with
the REDA to provide assistance to
5 recycling businesses.
™" • Manufacturing Extension
Centers (MECs)—Striving to
increase the competitive advantage
— „.,',. ..... Lt L .„.,„.„*!. .. , ,„, '...^...J, .[..t.....!.^^,. ..
I - of Ohio's manufacturing industries,
" diese centers provide technical assis-
tance to small manufacturers and,
: technology-driven companies. The
= REDAs association with MECs
helped ODNR develop a working
' relationship with the centers.
• Solid Waste Management
Districts (SWMDs)—The state
of Ohio is divided into 52
SWMDs to manage its local solid
.... . wa'j"j£"'p'rQgj:a'mj_• These district?,
served as a key link to residential
- and commercial sources that sup-
ply recyclable materials. The
" grantee helped raise awareness
about the state's programs through
, meetings and by attending exposi-
tions and conferences.
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