Representatives of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP), Armstrong World Industries, and the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) will deliver brief remarks about the new recycling economic impact study developed by the Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center in cooperation with John Dunham Associates. Many people in the Commonwealth rely on your act of recycling as a means of their job, livelihood, and payroll. Your individual act supports the well-being of another citizen every day. It is also important to realize that the act of recycling has not taken place until the item placed for recycling has become part of a new product or new use rather than being discarded. Learn how the Pennsylvania economy is influenced. Q&A session for media will follow.

● Jessica Shirley – Secretary, PA DEP

● Amy A. Costello, P.E., LEED AP, WELL AP, Armstrong World Industries

● Robert J. Bylone Jr. – CEO, President, Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center

April 08, 2026
1:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. (program run time)

Armstrong World Industries

2500 Columbia Avenue

Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603

Building 402 - known as "The Avenue"

Security Required RSVP by 8p Tuesday 07 April to MEichner@PennRMC.org

The Recycling Economic Impact Study aims to increase the understanding of the economic impacts of material reuse and recycling in Pennsylvania. Recycling is a critical part of the U.S. and state economy – contributing to jobs, wages and government tax revenue. Recycling has been an important component of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decadeslong efforts to implement the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and its more recent efforts to pursue a Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) approach, which aims to reduce the environmental impacts of materials across their lifecycle. Recycling also conserves resources and protects the environment. Environmental benefits include reducing  the amount of waste sent to disposal facilities; conserving natural resources, such as timber, water and minerals; and preventing pollution by reducing the need to collect new raw materials. Economic and community benefits include increasing economic security by tapping a domestic source of materials, supporting American manufacturing and creating jobs in the recycling and manufacturing industries.

ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION:

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the state agency responsible for protecting air, land, and water from pollution and protecting public health. It manages environmental regulations, permitting, and compliance, including the SPEED program for faster permit reviews, and handles emergency responses to environmental incidents.

ABOUT ARMSTRONG WORLD INDUSTRIES:

Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) is an Americas leader in the design and manufacture of innovative interior and exterior architectural applications including ceilings, specialty walls and exterior metal solutions. For more than 165 years, Armstrong has delivered products and capabilities that enable architects, designers and contractors to transform building design and construction with elevated aesthetics, acoustics and sustainable attributes. The company launched the industry’s first ceiling tile recycling program in 1999 and has since then diverted over 332 million square feet of discarded ceiling material from landfills. With $1.6 billion in revenue in 2025, AWI has approximately 4,000 employees and a manufacturing network of 24 facilities, plus seven facilities dedicated to its WAVE joint venture.

ABOUT THE PENNSYLVANIA RECYCLING MARKETS CENTER:

The Pennsylvania Recycling Markets Center (RMC) is a non-profit corporation with mission to reduce or eliminate barriers that lead to expanded end-use of Pennsylvania’s recycling. As the only Pennsylvania organization with this uniquely circular mission, the RMC team brings economic development and environmental guidance; recycling industry outreach and research; and manufacturing assistance to various stakeholders. With funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the RMC has an affiliation with Penn State and is headquartered at Penn State Harrisburg with an office in Pittsburgh. Serving the entire state, RMC assistance includes manufacturing recycled supply feedstock connectivity; applied research and commercialization assistance in the use of recycled materials; technology and equipment comparisons; and expert curation of technical and business growth knowledge. The Recycling Markets Center is the keystone of circular economy in Pennsylvania.