A report by the New York City Independent Budge Office estimates that the cost of collecting and processing recyclables next year will be around $206 per ton, while the estimated cost to disposal of refuse generated in the city will be around $167 per ton. The report is titled "More Recycling Needed to Help Lower City’s Trash Costs."
The fairly significant difference in costs between the two methods comes despite increasing costs to ship solid waste for disposal outside New York City. However, as the cost of shipping material continues to climb, the spread between the cost of recycling and disposal will narrow.
A key reason for the disparity, according to the IBO, is the relative inefficiency of collecting smaller amounts of recyclables. However, the IBO also states that if the city is able to increase the amount of recyclables being collected, the price difference would narrow even more. If the city realized a 10 percent increase in recycling tonnage next year, the per-ton cost for collection would decrease by $11 per ton. Further, if the value of the collected paper increased by $12 per ton, the net recycling fee would decline to $38 a ton.
One final issue is the potential savings that could be made by widening the number of recyclables collected. According to the IBO, adding additional plastics and other materials to the collection could increase the recyclable share of the waste stream significantly.
To view the IBO report click on the following link – More Recycling Needed to Help Lower City’s Trash Costs.
The Independent Budget Office is a publicly funded agency that provides non-partisan budgetary, economic, and policy analysis for the residents of the city and their elected officials.