Commodity prices can be something like a roller-coaster: What goes up comes down, goes up, comes down, and so forth. Vermonters and others who have embraced recycling may be surprised to find that they are along for the ride. When they send a cardboard box on its recycling journey, they are not just trying to do their bit for Mother Earth, they are participating in the global commodities market.
That market has dipped of late. Like many stories involving the economy, all roads — or most — lead to China, where a slowdown has depressed demand for many goods, including recycled materials. Staff writer Matt Hongoltz-Hetling recently traced the effects in this region. Casella, the biggest waste hauler in Vermont, has seen revenues from recyclable material drop by 60 percent per ton in five years. On the smaller scale, Kenny Rogers of White River Junction, who runs his own salvage business, recently drove to Sharon to pick up metal siding donated by a nonprofit. After gas, he said, he netted a $3 profit.
Even thieves aren’t immune from market forces. “People don’t have to worry about their copper being stolen. It’s not worth it anymore,” said Richard Katzman of Claremont, who used to work in the scrap metal business.
Municipalities are also feeling the effects. In Thetford, the tab to have recyclable materials hauled away rose from $12,500 to $45,750. In Lyme, “The cost of recycling seems to go up weekly,’’ said Selectwoman Susan Mackenzie.
So, has recycling been oversold? That proposition seems like heresy in the Upper Valley, where in some towns recycling center gatherings are a reminder of the era of general stores, when errands were completed and gossip shared. But those who take the virtue of recycling as an article of faith might take note of New York Times columnist John Tierney’s contrarian views. Last fall he revisited his 1996 magazine piece that challenged the economics and environmental value of much of the recycling effort. While recycling some papers and aluminum cans is a no-brainer, he said, because they pay for themselves, he said much of the rest could just as well be tossed into a hole in the ground.
In Tierney’s view, recycling “makes people feel virtuous, especially affluent people who feel guilty about their enormous environmental footprint. It is less an ethical activity than a religious ritual.” There may be some truth in what he says, although we’ve seen all sorts take satisfaction in recycling goods here in the Upper Valley. And the economics of New York and other big cities, where recycling is markedly more expensive than here, are not comparable.
At this point, we presume that recycling enjoys wide support locally, and deservedly so. It has built on old Yankee notions of frugality and more contemporary recognition that the long-term costs of waste and environmental damage are incalculable. But that doesn’t eliminate the need to monitor operating costs and realistically weigh the benefits. Local and state officials should be making this calculation regularly and sharing their findings with the public. It’s best to act on facts, not faith.
In the meantime, here’s yet another reminder that there’s no free lunch — and that includes the packaging.