Those bins you set out by the curb once a week, along with other recycling efforts nationwide, help to generate about 757,000 jobs, according to the EPA, which has crunched the numbers to show the value of recycling.

Consumers want more enviro-friendly products — will industrial purchasers follow?

Industrial distribution is an $825 billion industry that generates millions of jobs in the United States and Canada.

The demand for fresh water in the U.S. will exceed supply by 40 percent by 2030, says a State Department report. Global consumption, which has increased threefold in the past 50 years, and short- and long-term droughts are the main cause for the worldwide problem.

In addition to gaining access to the Canadian market, with this acquisition MSC will double the size of its sales force and expand its portfolio of inventory management solutions and other metalworking and MRO products and services.