Studies have shown that communities with waste-to-energy facilities are likely to have higher recycling rates than the national average. Far from competing with recycling, waste-to-energy is part of an integrated approach to solid waste management that includes recycling as a core component.

The average recycling rate for waste-to-energy communities across the United States is 33.3%, while the national recycling rate according to the BioCycle/Columbia University data is 28.5%. The excellent recycling record of communities can be attributed to several factors, including onsite recycling efforts at waste-to-energy plants, the importance a community places on recycling as part of a comprehensive solid waste management plan, and the economics of recycling.

Waste-to-energy plants facilitate the recycling of a number of materials. Many facilities provide drop-off locations for recyclable materials, including computers, white goods, and other unwanted products. In addition, many waste-to-energy plants employ metal recovery programs onsite to remove ferrous from the ash. More and more waste-to-energy facilities are also beginning to implement non-ferrous metal recovery systems for recycling.

Resources:
A Compatibility Study: Recycling and Waste-to-Energy Work in Concert