NERC reports recycled commodities price plunge in Northeast

Recycled commodities prices have fallen in the Northeast, according to a report published by the Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)., Brattleboro, Vermont.

While the prices for recycled commodities plummeted from the second quarter to the third quarter, processing costs have risen, reports the Brattleboro, Vermont, organization, which covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Prices for recycled materials with no residuals have fallen 61 percent to $109.94 per ton since NERC’s second quarter report when the price was $180.73 per ton.

NERC also reports a 41 percent decline in prices for materials including residuals. The average price during the third quarter was $100.07 per ton, down from $169.75 per ton during the second quarter.

Meanwhile, processing costs—the cost to sort and prepare commodities for sale—have increased 9 percent from the second quarter, says NERC. The cost rose to an average of $93 per ton from $85 per during the second quarter.

The processing costs seem to shift significantly from quarter to quarter, NERC adds.

NERC’s report includes survey results from 12 material recovery facilities (MRFs) across eight states.

Among the respondents to NERC’s survey that serves as a basis for the report are single-stream, dual stream and source-separated MRFs. These survey results reflect differing laws and collection options in the participating states. Five of the states have beverage container deposit laws. As a result, fewer glass bottles, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and aluminum cans are processed in MRFs in those states. Those MRFs are also likely to have less revenue from those recyclables. 

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify the Northeast Recycling Council's coverage area.