New data from California shows the state's recycling rate is actually declining as a monumental reuse goal looms in the not-to-distant future. The state has a recycling goal of 75 percent by 2020, but saw its recycling rate drop to 47 percent last year, according to new data from the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery. That's a decrease of 3 percent from both 2014 and 2013. Californians Against Waste, a non-profit group, is calling for more state action to reverse the trend, saying the state's recycling future at a "crossroads." This is the first time since 2010 that the state's recycling rate fell below 50 percent, the group said. The state's recycling rate is different that its diversion rate, which stood at 63 percent for 2015, CalRecycle said. While the recycling rate involves materials that are source-reduced, recycled or composted, a broader diversion rate also credits materials used for fuel, landfill cover and roads to be counted in that percentage. And while the recycling rate is a goal, California has a law requiring a 50-percent diversion rate.
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