Miller Recycling Corporation

The Cost of Recycling

Approximately 155 million tons of waste is still ending up in landfills every year.Why is this happening when there are thousands of recycling facilities in the US?

 

Mansfield, MA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 07/07/2015 --The company began in early 1940. Frank Miller & Sons, named for its original founder and young son, started by buying and selling everything from scrap metals, paper, cardboard, plastics, rags, old furniture, and other miscellaneous items. Frank became known as the local "Junk Dealer". At the time the term "recycling" had yet to be coined. Little did they know the future potential of their endeavors. Not just for them but for the development of a world wide industry.

In the early 1980's the company changed its name to "Miller Recycling Corporation", to better define the services which they provide. Fast forward to 2015, and approximately 33% of US municipal waste is now being recycled. The recycling industry has also created or expanded various other industries, including transportation and shipping, equipment manufacturing and processing, material brokerage and many others. The more recycling the more jobs are created, not just in the U.S., but worldwide. (example: Dumping 10,000 tons of waste in a landfill creates 6 jobs. Collecting, sorting, and marketing 10,000 tons of recycling creates 36 jobs!)

Approximately 155 million tons of waste is still ending up in landfills every year.Why is this happening when there are thousands of recycling facilities in the US? One of the main reasons is "cost". Consider your business, small or large, you need; office equipment, furniture, phones, employees, insurance etc... and then you have your common bills; heat, air conditioning, electric, gas and more. Now visualize a 100,000 square ft. recycling facility and the substantial capitol investment required. This includes balers, shredders, scales, sorters, trucks, trailers, compactors, collection containers, in addition to, employees, healthcare, insurance, and the list goes on.

How does a recycling facility cover this cost, assuring long term success for not only the company and stockholders, but for the employees and their families? Profits are generated thru a "margin", better described as a spread between what the material is purchased for and it's "market" value, or selling price. Substantial handling and processing costs must also be factored into this equation, which can vary depending on the type or condition of the material to be recycled. This can include sorting, baling, storage, transportation, etc. Month to month and sometimes day to day market value fluctuation must also be considered, as the supply and demand for material changes constantly. Additional factors such as world economic conditions, environmental regulations, energy costs, also affect pricing and markets. Recycling is also known as one of the most dangerous industries in the U.S., due to the number of employees, various types of equipment, and huge volume of material processed day to day. Safety of these employees and abiding by all current safety rules and regulations is the number one priority for the industry.

Unfortunately these "costs" must be priced into any competitive recycling proposals and/or contracts, in order to insure the long term viability and success of not only the recycling company, but any program put in place with municipalities, businesses, or organizations it services. All materials, if properly sorted, graded, segregated, and packaged for recycling have some value, but at what cost? If the cost to recycle is more than the value of the material, who should incur this cost? It is a question Miller Recycling Corporation addresses on a daily basis.

Interested in recycling or obtains more information for your organization? Find out how Miller Recycling can help – visit their web site at http://www.millerrecycling.com, or our blog at http://millerrecycling.com/blog/

About Miller Recycling Corporation
Operating since 1940, Miller Recycling is a fourth generation company with the experience required to assist with all your paper, plastics, metals, and e waste recycling requirements. Northeast Data Destruction, our NAID "AAA" Certified confidential shredding division, will securely process all your sensitive documents, files, media, hard drives, tapes, CD's, off spec products and storage components. Call us at 800-783-6766 for more in