Recycling Tip 9: Where do my recyclables go?

NOVEMBER 23, 2013 BY ANDY

We’ve heard it time and time again: I don’t recycle because I know it all goes to the landfill.  RUBBISH! (pun intended)

Riddle me this: recyclables such as aluminum and cardboard are hot commodities, taking in about $2 a pound right now. Loads that go to the landfill cost about $15 a truckload. So if recyclables are worth money, do you still think they’re lining the landfill? Not likely.

So if that’s the case then, where do they go?

Some streams, like Plastics 3-7, paper, and glass aren’t as valuable as aluminum and cardboard, and may very well sit in the yard until their value goes up – thus creating the rumor above.  But typically, recyclables get sorted and bailed by type in Steamboat and then make the trek to Denver where they enter the re-use stream – some products quicker than others.  For instance aluminum cans turn back into aluminum cans in just 60 days!

(Please ignore the “don’t take coffee cups, and see Tip 4 for that recent change.)

WM processes 10 million tons of recycling annually and aims for 20 million tons by 2020. WOW.

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