Recycling Industry Facing ‘Nationwide Crisis,’ Waste Management CEO Says

recycling

by | Jun 23, 2015

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recyclingThe recycling industry in the US is facing a “nationwide crisis” as recycling facilities increasingly lose money and demand plummets for recyclables, Waste Management CEO David Steiner told the Washington Post.

The company’s recycling division posted a loss of nearly $16 million in the first quarter of the year, the newspaper reports. It has also shuttered almost 1 in 10 of its largest recycling facilities and Steiner says it may be forced to close even more in the next year.

Falling oil prices, a strong dollar and China’s slumping economy are to blame, as is an increasingly contaminated recycling stream caused, in part, by single-bin recycling programs.

Photo Credit: recycling facility via Shutterstock

 

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