Several years ago I read up on the recycling program in Tucson, AZ. I’d imagine it’s about the same around the country. The numbers may be a bit off, but here’s what I recall:
Tucson was paying the recycler $2/ton to accept, sort and sell (dispose of) consumer recycled materials. Tucson charged $1/ton to dump stuff in the landfill.
Guess where the majority of the “recycling” ended up.
Another fun incident.
A peripheral acquaintance had some land and wanted to build a recycling facility. He fought for years trying to get the zoning modified. He finally gave up and sold the land. The new owner had the zoning modified and his recycling facility up and running in less than 2 years.
It must just be a coincidence. There’s no graft in Pima Co.