Your trash is no longer worth very much cash

[jpak]

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=222022&ac=PHnws

Your trash is not worth what it used to be.

The market for recycled waste has collapsed during the past few weeks, slashing the revenue that helps cover municipal trash budgets and forcing regional waste handlers to stockpile old newspapers and other castaways.

"It started with newsprint, then it went to cardboard, then it went to steel cans, then it went to plastics," said Kevin Roche, general manager of ecomaine, a waste disposal and recycling cooperative owned by 21 Greater Portland communities.

The market got so bad for old newsprint, in fact, that ecomaine couldn't give it away. It has filled a warehouse and part of a parking lot with bales that used to be worth $162 a ton, Roche said. Ecomaine started sending the paper off for recycling again this week, but it now has to pay to get rid of it.

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[kestrel91316]

1. I think this is temporary. Gas is gonna go back up soon, and

with it the cost of virgin materials.

[Billy Burnett]

2. The trash bubble has burst.

[jwirr]

3. This will hopefully be part of the green economy that is encouraged by Obama.

[CurtEastPoint]

4. Noticed in Germany last month....recycling bins EVERYWHERE...

why don't we do this? Even in roadside pullovers, recycling bins. Airport, train station, etc. And Germany was SO CLEAN! We can do this here.

[Mojorabbit]

5. I was in Germany last year

and it is the cleanest country I have ever been in.

[Brazenly Liberal]

6. Aluminum is way down around here. From 75 to 30 cents/lb.

Locally, there was an aluminum can drive to get money for the Cops for Kids program. It's a nice program - they make sure the poorest kids in the county have something for Christmas. They used to collect toys, but then decided it would be better to allow the kids to make requests, so cash is now preferred.

When the can drive was started, aluminum was bringing 75 cents/lb from the local recycler. All of a sudden two weeks ago, it went down to 30 cents.

[wtmusic]

7. Metal dump went from over $200/ton to $15/ton

The problem is mostly lack of foreign demand. China doesn't want your steel anymore.