Executing a recycling needs assessment for packaging and paper products in a state the size of New York is a substantial undertaking. As a first step toward such an assessment, the New York State Center for Sustainable Materials Management contracted with RRS to develop a detailed scope of work for the needs assessment, and determine what data is currently available, and what would need to be gathered by the team executing the needs assessment. This report offers a comprehensive inventory of the data available for the existing recycling systems in New York State as well as an analysis of gaps between current available data and data needed to execute the assessment. RRS's recommendations for closing those gaps are intended to inform the complete needs assessment which will define specific actions needed to ensure the recycling systems in New York State are maximizing the capture of recyclable materials to advance the circular economy. As part of the initial phase of the Recycling Services and Infrastructure Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis in New York State, RRS examined available information for recycling program, facility, and processing data for towns, villages, hamlets, counties authorities, Recyclables Handling and Recovery Facilities (RHRFs), and waste collectors throughout New York State. Data sources included the 2023 New York State Solid Waste Management Plan, preliminary waste and recycling characterization data from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, preliminary recyclables composition data from the Center for Sustainable Community Solutions at Syracuse University, and a variety of other data sets related to the State’s solid waste system obtained by the Center for Sustainable Materials Management (CSMM) at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Key research findings include: • The majority of municipal solid waste (MSW) materials going to landfills and municipal waste combustors in New York State are recoverable. That is, 85 percent of the waste disposal stream is made up of recyclables that can be sorted and marketed by recyclables handling and recovery facilities (RHRFs), including unredeemed deposit containers, or organics that can be composted or anaerobically digested. Only 15 percent of the current MSW disposal stream is represented by materials that cannot be readily recovered in today’s economy. • Nearly 40 percent of the material currently disposed of in landfills and municipal waste combustors is recoverable through RHRFs (also commonly known as municipal recycling facilities or MRFs) and could be included in an extended producer responsibility program for packaging and paper products. • Paper makes up an average of 65 percent of the materials handled in municipal recycling programs, followed by plastic at 15 percent, glass at nine percent, and metals at seven percent of the non-organic fraction of the MSW stream. Any state programs or policies seeking to provide sustainable financing for recycling must include packaging and paper products. • There are significant gaps in data routinely gathered or reported, particularly related to recycling program performance and the recycling service provided, to multi-family residences, commercial generators, and institutional generators.