RecyclingMonster - The City of Cincinnati will host a national effort to increase recycling called Beyond 34: Recycling and Recovery for a New Economy. 

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which runs the program, announced today it will bring Beyond 34 to the Queen City. The program uses a model relying on data and multi-partner collaboration in an effort to push America's recycling rate above 34 percent. 

“The Beyond 34 model will help Cincinnati meet its sustainability goals and drive economic growth,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Senior Vice President Marc DeCourcey said in a statement today. “Cincinnati rose to the top after our analysis of several U.S. cities using criteria important to successful recycling programs such as local policies, recycling education, and data collection. We look forward to collaborating with local leaders on the application of our Beyond 34 model.”  

The public-private partnership will include the City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County, the U.S. Chamber Foundation and the Greater Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. 

For the last decade, recycling rates in the U.S. have stayed at roughly 34 percent. The challenges involved in raising that rate include consumer education around correct recycling practices, the lack of market demand for certain recycled materials and the costs associated with building or modernizing recycling facilities. 

The program is funded by industry groups and nonprofits the Walmart Foundation, the Walgreens Boots Alliance and the Plastics Industry Association. The U.S. Chamber Foundation launched Beyond 34 in Orlando in 2007. 

Cincinnati has made ambitious commitments related to eliminating waste in its Green Cincinnati Plan. Mayor John Cranley says Beyond 34 will help the city achieve some of those goals.

“For more than 25 years, Cincinnati residents have diverted more than 350,000 tons of material from the waste stream,” Cranley said in a statement. “Beyond 34 will help our city identify the highest impact projects to build on our existing recycling efforts and get closer to our zero waste goal.”