CAN RECYCLING BE MADE COST-EFFECTIVE?
If recycling is expensive it is partly, advocates say, because the city has not done enough to make the program cost effective. It admittedly faces a sharp challenge in the marketplace, where the value of most metals, most glass and many plastics is low. “The markets are not real strong for these commodities,” said Allan Gerlat, editor of Waste News, a biweekly newspaper. “It’s a nationwide thing. There’s just more supply than demand.” But New York City could boost those markets by using its clout as a consumer to buy more products made from recycled materials. The city does buy some plastic bags, carpeting and garbage cans with recycled content, but other items, such as snow cones, park benches, playground equipment made from recycled materials, are often more expensive than those made from virgin materials. And the city could do a much better job in retrieving those materials that are valuable, such as clear glass used for glass bottles and jars and certain plastics used in carpeting
