Study: NYC Recycling Will Save Taxpayer Money
Recycling will become cheaper and more cost-effective than trash disposal in New York City within the next six years, according to a study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The findings support Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2004 action to reverse an earlier decision that had limited the amount of recyclables accepted in the curbside program. Critics of the restoration argue that recycling such items is not cost-effective, but the NRDC study shows that recycling will prove to be a benefit to the city.
According to NYC.gov, recycling began in New York City as a voluntary program in 1986. In July 1989, with the passage of Local Law 19, recycling became mandatory. Photo: Gothamgazette.com
“This study confirms that Mayor Bloomberg’s and the City Council’s decision to restore full recycling in 2004 was not only good for the environment, but also good for the city’s bottom line,” said Eric A. Goldstein of NRDC.
“This report also shows that as trash export fees continue to escalate, expanded recycling here will further lower the city’s skyrocketing sanitation costs.”
Currently, there is only a slight difference in costs between the city’s curbside recycling and curbside trash collection. However, as export costs continue to rise and worldwide recycling markets continue to strengthen, recycling will become less expensive than trash disposal.
Also, recycling costs will drop even more as residents participate in the recycling program and collection rates increase. Today, sanitation crews collect fewer recyclables per shift than trash, resulting in a marginally higher cost per ton for collecting recyclables.
The costs of processing the city’s recyclables is significantly less than the cost of processing trash. Additional transportation and high fees for out-of-state incineration and landfilling create higher costs.
The study also shows that recycling significantly reduces the city’s global warming pollution, making it an important contributor to Bloomberg’s PlaNYC 2030 goal of reducing global warming pollution by 30 percent. Recycling has reduced the city’s global warming emissions by 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide in 2005 alone – the equivalent of taking 338,000 passenger cars off the road each year.
“Recycling solves more than just our trash problem – it combats global warming, saves money and recovers valuable materials that would otherwise have to be mined, logged or drilled,” said Mark Izeman, Senior Attorney at NRDC, who coordinated the study.
