© The Washington Post
Tucked in the woods 30 miles
north of Washington is a plant packed with energy-guzzling machines that
can make even an environmentalist’s heart sing — giant conveyor belts,
sorters and crushers saving a thousand tons of paper, plastic and other
recyclables from reaching landfills each day.
The 24-hour
operation is a sign that after three decades of trying, a culture of
curbside recycling has become ingrained in cities and counties across
the country. Happy Valley, however, it is not.
Once a profitable
business for cities and private employers alike, recycling in recent
years has become a money-sucking enterprise. The District, Baltimore and
many counties in between are contributing millions annually to prop up
one of the nation’s busiest facilities here in Elkridge, Md. — but it is
still losing money. In fact, almost every facility like it in the
country is running in the red. And Waste Management and other recyclers
say that more than 2,000 municipalities nationwide are paying to dispose
of their recyclables instead of the other way around.
The Washington Post
Aaron C. Davis
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