As it turns out, this recession is doing some good things for our planet and some bad (or good, depending on how you look at it) things for landfills. According to an article from the Associated Press, landfills are seeing far less trash coming in as consumers tighten their belts. As a result, many are laying off workers, reducing hours of operation, and raising fees...
NEWS: Landfills Hurting During Recession
The Associated Press 4.28.09
Of course, less trash going to landfills is always good news. So it's interesting to read that the recession is having such a drastic effect on our consumption. According to a lanfdfill manager in Ohio, the amount of trash arriving at his facility has plummeted 30 percent from last year.
Apparently we're buying less, and we're getting rid of less.
From the article: Louis Johnston, an economist at the College of St. Benedict in Collegeville, Minn., said that during good economic times people spend about 1 percent of their consumption budget on repairs. During recessions, that jumps to 5 percent.
Interesting stuff ...
Image via Flickr member D'arcy Norman licensed under Creative Commons
Comments (3)
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On the other hand, the price per pound for recycled materials has plummeted. For a while last spring, the local sheltered workshop paid out $.64 a pound for aluminum cans. Now, they are paying out $.15 a pound.
At that price, people who want to get a little cash by recycling aren't getting enough to make it worth their while. The sheltered workshop's recycling center used to be open five days a week. It is now open one day a week because business is so poor.
view Aldyth's profile
I was hoping it's because people are creating less trash and recycling more....
I am a bit conflicted when thinking about "the economy" and greening... I mean, greening is about consuming less, being more sustainable yet the economy calls to spend more...
personally, I've been greening for many many years, am frugal and try to spend wisely.... does that make me part of the problem rather than part of the solution ?
view VeryDelishVeg's profile
Aldyth brings up a good point.
Another thing to think about is that if trash moving companies are taking less trash to the dump, they are feeling the pinch as well.
Possible way to compensate for this? Mix recyclables with trash. They will get more money for trash than they will for recyclables.
Pretty sad but I'm sure a lot of people take the "desperate times call for desperate measures" approach to survival.
@VeryDelishVeg,
These are the thoughts that keep me typing on my iphone notepad during idle moments...Right now, it's all questions and no answers.
view art's profile