The current economic downturn has meant a drop in commodity prices, including for recycled materials. Now Toronto is facing the prospect of warehousing their collected recycleables until the market improves.
"Toronto could end up stockpiling tonnes of unwanted plastic, paper or glass collected in the city's blue bins, waste officials warn, if the economic crisis forces recycling plants that buy the material to close.
Geoff Rathbone, the city's general manager of solid waste, said his department is drawing up contingency plans as a lack of demand for the products made from recyclables and the stunning drop in oil, pulp and metals prices puts some of the recycling plants the city deals with 'under significant stress.'
Sinking prices will likely also eat into the annual $28-million the city makes from selling recyclables and scrap metal: Its price for once-lucrative aluminum cans is down nearly 50 per cent from September to $1,100 a tonne.
But Mr. Rathbone said the real concern is that if the crisis continues for much longer, plants could shut down and leave Toronto with a growing inventory of recyclables that it is forced to rent expensive warehouse space to store."
FULL STORY: Economic crisis puts Toronto in recycling crunch
Is Riding Transit Necessarily Better For The Environment Than Driving?
In the third of a 5-part "Rethinking Green" series, the National Post casts doubt on public transit's ability to reduce global warming while praising driving; applying similar scrutiny to recycling and aquaculture in the first and second installments
From Brownfields to Community Assets: A Conference on Land Revitalization
The 2025 California Land Recycling Conference (CALRC) will convene experts in Carson, CA, from September 16-18 to discuss brownfield redevelopment, sustainability, and equitable land reuse, with session proposals open until March 31, 2025.
Recycling’s Real Impact: Challenges, Misconceptions, and the Path Forward
Recycling offers modest environmental benefits but faces significant challenges in effectiveness and scalability, requiring systemic changes like reducing plastic production and exploring alternative waste reduction strategies.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
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Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service