Posted on 01/02/2016 11:14:25 AM PST by JeepersFreepers
In 2011, the Austin City Council hired two companies to handle materials. Austin Resource Recovery, headed by Bob Gedert, originally estimated an annual net income of $488,000 for the program. That estimate was based on projections of $5.25 million in annual revenue from the sale of recyclables against about $4.8 million in processing costs.
In the latest fiscal year, a review of city records shows Austin got a shade under $3 million for its recyclables, even as processing costs hovered around $4.8 million. The city lost $1.9 million last fiscal year and a $2.7 million in the two previous years as recyclable materials have fetched less on the open market than the cost to process them.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
When I think of the volume of material and the idea folks at these places make minimum wages it does seem odd to me that these centers can’t make money.
Yes, the bottom has dropped out of the metals markets. Doesn’t strike you as strange a $10.00 an hour employee couldn’t find enough metals to pay for his wages in a shift?
As for combustibles, it would seem enough energy could be generated to pay for a crew. We’re not talking about getting rich. We’re only talking about covering wages and a enough to pay for other overhead.
In the olden days, a recycling program meant you separated colored glass from clear glass, paper from plastic, placing each in a separate container.
Then the City would come, pick it all up and haul it all to the landfill. But think about how G O-O-O-D you felt!
“All of it.”
Figures.
FORCING people to recycle is Communism. I won’t do it. Try to enforce it with me and I’ll take my trash and burn it and dump it on the side of a road.
Not making me recycle, and I will throw it in the garbage can where it belongs.
If you can convert the waste to energy, use in our case to process our waste water then I have no problem separating cans and bottles.
In our case it is a net savings. If you don’t feel like doing it, that’s cool. You will pay more for town trash pick up.
This, in our case, is not some feel good BS. It works to keep my taxes reasonable.
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