"For a unit of measurement that carries so much weight with policymakers, press and the public, it's remarkable how little agreement there is around the best way to calculate recycling rates."

"We truly have a cornucopia and mixed bag of calculations, what counts and what doesn't count, and how they count it," said Myles Cohen, president of Pratt Recycling, during an Aug. 22 WasteCon panel. "We're not even close to having a universal measure yet."

"Cohen's MRF Summit panel, and a newly adopted SWANA technical policy, helped to further develop the framework for this ongoing discussion last week in Nashville, Tennessee."

"Did that recycling amount account for contamination? Did it include yard waste, e-waste, C&D, household hazardous waste or material sent to WTE facilities? Are cities, counties or states using the same standard measurement practices that would allow for clear comparisons? Are those numbers coming from top-down estimations or bottom-up reporting, à la the Environmental Protection Agency vs. Environmental Research & Education Foundation data discussion?"