Is recycling really cost-effective? How does recycling improve the environment?
Yes, recycling is cost-effective. The paper and bottles & cans collected in Baltimore County’s residential recycling program are sorted at the County’s materials recovery facility in Cockeysville. The sale of recyclables (for remanufacture into new products) has yielded more than $2 million annually in fiscal years 2004-2007 (a record $3.3 million in FY 07), helping offset the overall costs of the County’s solid waste/recycling system. These costs include $37 per ton that County taxpayers pay when trash is sent outside the County.
