Recycling profits down in Springfield, Pennsylvania

According to the Springfield (Pennsylvania) Sun, falling prices for recyclables are affecting Springfield’s recycling program.

“There’s no longer a market for it,” Commissioner Peter D. Wilson said at a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. “There’s a glut of recyclable materials, and prices have gone down. Collectively speaking, we’re a victim of our own success.” 

Local recycling centers have reduced prices by one-third while raising sorting and handling costs, officials told the newspaper. Despite this, Springfield still has the highest recycling rate in Montgomery County at roughly 80 percent, with one of the most successful recycling programs in Pennsylvania, the article says.