TABLE 2 Examples of Price Changes in Municipal
Wastes*
Price per ton, $
Last year Current year
Newspapers 60 150
Corrugated cardboard 18 150
Plastic jugs, bottles 125 600
Copper wire and pipe 9060 1200
*Based on typical city wastes.
this reason, they are not normally included in estimates of municipal wastes for a given
locality.
For the four categories of wastes listed above, the percentage price increases in one
year for an Eastern city in the United States were as follows: Category 1—newspaper:
Percentage price increase = 100(current price, $ - last year's price, $)/last year's price, $.
Or 100(150 - 60)760 = 150 percent. Category 2: Percentage price increase = 100(150 -
18)718 = 733 percent. Category 3: Percentage price increase = 100(600 - 125)7125 = 380
percent. Category 4: Percentage price increase = 100(1200 - 960)7960 = 25 percent.
- Determine the profit potential of the wastes considered
Profit potential is a function of collection costs and landfill savings. When collection of
several wastes can be combined to use a single truck or other transport means, the profit
potential can be much higher than when more than one collection method must be used.
Let's assume that a city can collect Category 1, newspapers, and Category 3, plastic, in
one vehicle. The profit potential, P, will be: P = (sales price of the materials to be recy-
cled, $ per ton - cost per ton to collect the materials for recycling, $). With a cost of $80
per ton for collection, the profit for collecting 75 tons of Category 1 wastes would be P =
75($150 - $80) = $5250. For collecting 90 tons of Category 3 wastes, the profit would be
P = 90($600-80) = $46,800.
Where landfill space is saved by recycling waste, the dollar saving can be added to the
profit. Thus, assume that landfill space and handling costs are valued at $30 per ton. The
profit on Category 1 waste would rise by 75($3O) = $2250, while the profit on Category 3
wastes would rise by 90($30) = $2700. When collection is included in the price paid for
municipal wastes, the savings can be larger because the city or town does not have to use
its equipment or personnel to collect the wastes. Hence, if collection can be included in a
waste recycling contract the profits to the municipality can be significant. However, even
when the municipality performs the collection chore, the profit from selling waste for re-
cycling can still be high. In some cities the price of used newspapers is so high that gangs
steal the bundles of papers from sidewalks before they are collected by the city trucks.
Related Calculations. Recyclers are working on ways to reuse almost all the
ordinary waste generated by residents of urban areas. Thus, telephone books, magazines,
color-printed advertisements, waxed milk jars, etc. are now being recycled and converted
into useful products. The environmental impact of these activities is positive throughout.
Thus, landfill space is saved because the recycled products do not enter landfill; instead
they are remanufactured into other useful products. Indeed, in many cases, the energy re-
quired to reuse waste is less than the energy needed to produce another product for use in
place of the waste.
Some products are better recycled in other ways. Thus, the United States discards, ac-
