ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Wednesday, Governor Cuomo announced a new partnership between the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and several schools within the SUNY system to research recycling programs in the state, seeking potential improvements.
The state's Environmental Protection Fund will distribute $11.9 million to the three SUNY schools involved, including $1.9 million to the University at Buffalo.
Researchers at UB are being tasked with two objectives. First, they will assess the current state of the plastics recycling market, focusing on issues with contamination that can reduce the value of recycled materials. Second, researchers will look at current recycling outreach and education techniques and determine whether other methods may be more effective. The research will be conducted by UB's Research and Education in Energy, Environment and Water (RENEW) Institute.
Other collaborations between SUNY and the DEC include a $5.75 million partnership with the College of Environmental Science and Forestry to establish a new Center for Sustainable Materials management, and $4.2 million for Stony Brook University to research solid waste and recyclables.
