Six moths ago, Waste Management could get few hundred selling a ton of recyclable office paper to a company in China for processing. Now in November 2008 they are getting almost nothing, a company spokesman said.
"The commodity market is at a standstill," said Justin Caporusso, a spokesman for Waste Management. "Worldwide we are not able to sell off those commodities as recyclables."
Caporusso said that despite the dismal market, Waste Management would continue to collect all recyclables and costs from lagging returns on materials would not be passed on to residential customers.
However, Waste Management's collection facility will pay a lower price for aluminum cans, and some commercial patrons soon will see their recycling rebates suspended and a $15 fee tacked on to commercial bills.
"The rebate is based on the market less our costs to service your containers," Waste Management and Recycle America plant manager Kevin Reilly said, adding that the fee will remain in place for "however long it takes for things to turn around."
Recyclers in Reno also is feeling the pinch from the lagging recyclables market. Following a recent sharp drop in the demand for used paper, owner James Kuykendall was forced to reduce staff and trim some salaries.
"I would lose money shipping it over there (to California or China)," Kuykendall said. "I am shipping it up north (to Washington state) and barely making minimum."
"The economy is not really chugging along really well which means that people are not buying things, foreign markets are not shipping as much, requiring less cardboard and plastic." Reilly said,
"Once the markets turn around we will go back to business as normal," Caporusso said. "This is just due to the economy and the market," he said.
After 20 years in the recycling business, Reilly said that he has seen recyclables markets similar to this before, the most recent being in 1995.
Representatives from Recycling industry, however, said that current market woes are unprecedented.
"(My boss) has been in the business for more than 35 years and he said this is unlike anything he has ever seen," said Cindy Felton.
Felton referenced newspaper articles from The Boston Herald and The San Jose Mercury News, which she is giving to customers that also claim the current market is unlike anything that has happened before.
"There isn't a recycler that I know of that this hasn't effected," Felton said.
According to Kuykendall, some buyers of recyclable materials in China would not accept shipments once they hit Chinese ports.
"It is all a matter of supply and demand," Kuykendall said. "We are the consumers. China, they are the producers now. Because we are the consumers of the world we have all the recyclables. Everything ends up in our Dumpster."
Representatives from both companies said that although they are making less money off recyclables, they encourage recycling and will continue to collect just as much as they did before. Caporusso said that if Waste Management cannot sell recyclables, they will warehouse the items before turning people away.
According to Rick Sanchez, environmental health specialist for Washoe County Health District, more than 48,574 tons of paper was collected in 2007 with 32,941 tons of that being cardboard.
Nevada has a voluntary goal to recycle 25 percent of all materials collected. Last year, the state attained a 21 percent recycling rate, Sanchez said.
"The commodity market is at a standstill," said Justin Caporusso, a spokesman for Waste Management. "Worldwide we are not able to sell off those commodities as recyclables."
Caporusso said that despite the dismal market, Waste Management would continue to collect all recyclables and costs from lagging returns on materials would not be passed on to residential customers.
However, Waste Management's collection facility will pay a lower price for aluminum cans, and some commercial patrons soon will see their recycling rebates suspended and a $15 fee tacked on to commercial bills.
"The rebate is based on the market less our costs to service your containers," Waste Management and Recycle America plant manager Kevin Reilly said, adding that the fee will remain in place for "however long it takes for things to turn around."
Recyclers in Reno also is feeling the pinch from the lagging recyclables market. Following a recent sharp drop in the demand for used paper, owner James Kuykendall was forced to reduce staff and trim some salaries.
"I would lose money shipping it over there (to California or China)," Kuykendall said. "I am shipping it up north (to Washington state) and barely making minimum."
"The economy is not really chugging along really well which means that people are not buying things, foreign markets are not shipping as much, requiring less cardboard and plastic." Reilly said,
"Once the markets turn around we will go back to business as normal," Caporusso said. "This is just due to the economy and the market," he said.
After 20 years in the recycling business, Reilly said that he has seen recyclables markets similar to this before, the most recent being in 1995.
Representatives from Recycling industry, however, said that current market woes are unprecedented.
"(My boss) has been in the business for more than 35 years and he said this is unlike anything he has ever seen," said Cindy Felton.
Felton referenced newspaper articles from The Boston Herald and The San Jose Mercury News, which she is giving to customers that also claim the current market is unlike anything that has happened before.
"There isn't a recycler that I know of that this hasn't effected," Felton said.
According to Kuykendall, some buyers of recyclable materials in China would not accept shipments once they hit Chinese ports.
"It is all a matter of supply and demand," Kuykendall said. "We are the consumers. China, they are the producers now. Because we are the consumers of the world we have all the recyclables. Everything ends up in our Dumpster."
Representatives from both companies said that although they are making less money off recyclables, they encourage recycling and will continue to collect just as much as they did before. Caporusso said that if Waste Management cannot sell recyclables, they will warehouse the items before turning people away.
According to Rick Sanchez, environmental health specialist for Washoe County Health District, more than 48,574 tons of paper was collected in 2007 with 32,941 tons of that being cardboard.
Nevada has a voluntary goal to recycle 25 percent of all materials collected. Last year, the state attained a 21 percent recycling rate, Sanchez said.
