USA importance of industry innovation in handling waste as a resource from which value can be extracted . Kneiss was also challenged to create greater value for the membership and to build both the image of the industry and a stronger capability on legislative and regulatory programs at the federal level .
One of the key aspects of the Association ’ s work is its efforts at the state chapter level . NWRA recently added three states to its Chapter network and now serves 28 chapters in 30 states , addressing critical issues at the state and local levels . For instance , the Association was instrumental in passing legislation in states such as Florida , West Virginia and Wisconsin to protect trash truck workers by requiring motorists to slow down to safely get around the workers . The Slow Down to Get Around campaign remains a cornerstone of NWRA ’ s legislative agenda . Positioning Waste as a Valued Resource Central to the Association ’ s efforts is positioning America ’ s waste as a resource from which to extract value . Sustained innovation in the waste and recycling industry over several decades has led to more methods for extracting value from waste than ever , including the most effective recycling system the country has seen in its history . By streamlining recycling with improved curbside collection and cutting edge Materials Recovery Facilities , or MRFs , we are recycling more than one-third of our waste , finding new purposes for recycled materials .
Through state-of-the-art landfill facilities — which are critical components in the country ’ s spectrum of waste management infrastructure — America ’ s private waste industry is also producing increasingly valuable renewable energy through landfill gas collection . Highly regulated , highly engineered landfills serve as systems that regenerate some of our natural resources including the capture of methane gas emissions which are processed and repurposed as energy to power and heat homes and facilities . In the last year , the industry produced
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