NERC reports blended MRF values increase in late 2020

From October to December 2020, the blended value of a ton of materials marketed at material recovery facilities (MRFs) in the Northeast increased compared with the July to September 2020 period, according to data from the Northeast Recycling Council’s (NERC’s) latest MRF Blended Commodity Values report. NERC, which is based in Brattleboro, Vermont, says the reported values are a weighted average of all responses.

According to the report, the average value per ton with the expense of handling residuals was at $53.96, up 29 percent compared with the previous quarter. The average value per ton without factoring in residuals was $60.46, up 23 percent from the previous quarter.

Processing costs in the region also declined. NERC says the average processing cost per ton was $80, down 5 percent compared with the previous quarter.

According to NERC, this is the seventh of its MRF Blended Commodity Values report published to date. Twelve states are represented in the most recent report: Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. NERC says the survey results reflect the different laws and collection options in participating states, including single-stream, dual-stream and source-separated programs.

NERC says it plans to produce another survey for the first quarter of 2021. The study is made possible through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency Region 3.