Recyling industry down.

[moneysense]

In September of this year, a ton of cardboard sold for $135, but that price has dropped to $35 a ton. A far cry from what the price was.

Plastic bottles used to sell for 25 cents a pound and now they are selling for 2 cents a pound, Aluminum cans are now selling for 40 cents a pound and scrap metal took the biggest fall of all from $525 a gross ton to right around a hundred dollars a ton.

This significant drop in prices has caused a lot of recycling centers to ask people to stock pile their recyclables at home until the prices once again rise to a level that will make it worth the recycle centers taking in more than what they already have stockpiled themselves.

Almost all of the recyclable products that are collected are sent to Asian countries that make new products from the material and then the new products are shipped back to the United States to be sold, but this is not happening as much lately and some companies that signed contracts before the prices dropped, are now trying to to delay deliveries or to cancel altogether.

A lot of the recyclables are being stockpiled to wait for a time when the prices return to a more profitable level, which may be as late as 2010.

This cut back will also cause some cutbacks in the job forces in the recycle industry, if only in the number of days worked per week.

[ClassyLady]

It is a shame the government has let things get this far. It is a wait and see game now. A game with our lives.

[pennypinch]

I noticed that as soon as the scrap prices fell, so did crime as far as those who were stealing it to make a quick buck. There were also many reports of people getting themselves badly injured or killed due to trying to steal copper wire that was live. I haven't heard any reports of that lately either. The bad part is that the folks who were scrapping legally now are not getting much for the scrap.