Collectively Challenging Waste, Elevating Solutions Together.

Housed at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and in collaboration with Syracuse University, the Center for Sustainable Materials Management (CSMM) is working to bring together people and organizations to innovate the way we manage materials in New York.

New York State Recycling System Needs Assessment

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New York State Recycling System Needs Assessment 〰️

The Center for SMM is conducting a New York State recycling system needs assessment and gap analysis. 

This project is evaluating the current recycling system and making recommendations for how to improve and reach New York State’s waste reduction goals by identifying the capacity, costs and needs associated with the collection, transportation, and processing of residential and commercial recyclables in New York State, with particular attention paid to economically distressed and underserved communities.

CSMM’s Phase Two report sharing the data collected through surveys is just around the corner! 

Our Mission & Vision

Find out about our mission, vision, and the people who make up our team.

What We Do

CSMM prioritizes: community engagement, outreach, policy development,

public education, research, and technical assistance.

  • Waste Reduction and Product Stewardship

    Promoting waste prevention and reduction, particularly packaging reduction and product stewardship.

  • Closed-Loop, Responsible Purchasing

    Using New York State’s purchasing power to encourage closed-loop, responsible purchasing.

  • Expanding Recycling Markets

    Developing economic markets for recyclables, fostering entrepreneurship, and helping to convert manufacturing to use more recycling feedstock.

  • Outreach, Education, and Engagement

    Deliver comprehensive community outreach, public education, and stakeholder engagement initiatives.

  • Our Research

    Identifying new methods to manage non-recyclable paper materials through the development of composting and unique conversion options.

Sustainable materials management (SMM) is a systematic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It represents a change in how our society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. Source: US EPA

What is SMM?