You would think that since recycling is so beneficial to the environment, it would always be free. In fact, many people still think of recycling as something you can do to make a little bit of extra cash when you take aluminum cans or glass bottles to a particular facility. However, many times, recycling isn’t free, and you have to search for free recycling programs in your area. Wondering why recycling isn’t always free? Here are a few facts to consider:
Image by Teerapun
How Much Recycling Costs Cities
On a municipal level, residents often pay more for recycling programs than they do for regular trash pickup. For instance, in New York, the city pays about $240 per ton to recycle metal, plastic, and glass. According to an ABC news article, this is about twice what it costs for New Yorkers to throw away a comparable amount of recyclable materials. Although it’s more expensive for New York to recycle than for other cities to do the same – partially because of its high population density – recycling programs in American cities worldwide can certainly cost the city, and thus the taxpayers, extra money.
However, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling is still more economically and environmentally friendly than throwing away items. Many times, says the EPA, residents are picking up recycling costs for a while because citywide recycling programs are relatively new, and governments already use tax money to pay for trash collection, making regular trash collection “cheaper” for residents than recycling. However, eventually lots of trash generation means cities have to open new landfills or take trash to other cities, counties, or even states to throw it away, so overall, throwing things away is more expensive than recycling them.
Recycling Costs for Businesses
Although many businesses are starting to go green by taking advantage of free recycling programs for basic paper, plastic, and metal waste, they are finding that recycling appliances and electronics can be costly. The main reason for this, though, is that recycling these items is a rather expensive process. Also, businesses in states like California that have electronics and appliance recycling laws end up having to pay recycling companies for certification that their goods were properly and legally recycled.
These recycling costs are well worth it to be a greener business, which attracts more customers these days, and to keep from getting into legal trouble with governments who have strict recycling laws. However, businesses can save money with recycling programs through companies like Recycle San Diego, who offer basic recycling pick up and certification at a low cost.
Free Recycling Events for Consumers
Luckily, there are programs out there that offer free recycling of electronics and eWaste for consumers – look no further than Recycle San Diego’s Free eWaste Recycling Events.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that recycling isn’t always free because it costs money to make a recycling program work. However, if you do care about the environment at all, it’s important to consider the savings – in energy, environmental impact, and quality of life – that you get from recycling as opposed to simply throwing things in the trash. Free recycling isn’t always a possibility, but it’s certainly worth your while to pay a little bit of money to save the world from a major overload of trash.
If you’re in the San Diego area, check out Recycle San Diego for programs that you can use to recycle electronics from your home or business. Otherwise, check out Earth911.org, where you can figure out how to take advantage of low-cost or free recycling in your area whenever it’s available.
