Some people still hold the mistaken belief that economic expansion and jobs must come at the expense of the environment. But here in Pennsylvania, we're proving that notion wrong. And the proof is sitting at the curb. Just two short years ago, Pennsylvania made sweeping changes in the way it handled its trash by developing a statewide recycling program for our larger cities and towns. Today, more than seven million Pennsylvanians are served by curbside recycling programs and thousands of others participate by taking their recyclables to more than 300 recycling centers.
Recycling is simple and it feels good.
In fact, we Pennsylvanians have embraced recycling with such gusto that our state program is the largest in the nation. About 20 percent of the country's community-based recycling programs are right here in the commonwealth. Next week, the Casey administration will be represented in New Orleans to accept an award at the national League of Cities Conference for developing the best recycling program in the nation. But that's just half the story. You see, recycling doesn't end at the curb, it begins there.