A combination of Chinese response to U.S. tariffs and consumer error is about to make for noticeable changes in local recycling programs.
As a result of increasing costs to recycling businesses and other “market forces,” Ambrose Disposal ended curbside recycling pickup in Mathews on Sept. 1 and residents in both counties will see shifts in recycling practices.
Lawrence Ambrose cited a five-fold increase in costs to his business related to recycling from Jan. 1 to April 1 of this year alone.
“The fact of the matter is there’s no market to take it,” he added.
A letter from Vince Jamison of Waste Management to Ambrose Disposal described that “single stream recyclables generated outside of Gloucester” will no longer be accepted because of “dramatic fluctuations in the overall recycling markets and the required higher standards in the quality of all recyclables that are accepted.”
Residents of Mathews and Gloucester are still free ...
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