Weld Recycling Struggles Without Funding
Demand For Recycled Materials Down
POSTED: 6:08 p.m. MST October 29, 2001
UPDATED: 6:21 p.m. MST October 29, 2001
WELD COUNTY, Colo. -- Some recycling companies in northern Colorado are finding it difficult to operate without government funding, 7NEWS reported.
Turning trash into cash is becoming more of a challenge, according to Roy Martin of Northern Colorado Recycling.
While most recycling companies in Colorado get city or county money to keep them in the black, Martin doesn't receive any support from Greeley or Weld County.
That could push his green company into the red, leaving his customers out in the cold, he said.
"What I've read in the newspaper about this facility not being able to continue because of high costs -- that bothers me," Recycles' Joellen Bailey said.
It's more expensive for companies to buy recycled stuff than it is to process the raw material, 7NEWS reported. That's partly because consumers just aren't buying products made from recycled plastics and cans. Demand is down, so business is down.
The real money-maker is recycling paper into insulation, but that's not enough to meet the bottom line for a business built on conscience, 7NEWS reported.
"I'm doing a needed community service here. I don't know if it's appreciated," Martin said.
In some areas, residents who don't recycle have to pay more for trash pick-up.
While most recycling companies in Colorado get city or county money to keep them in the black, Martin doesn't receive any support from Greeley or Weld County.
That could push his green company into the red, leaving his customers out in the cold, he said.
"What I've read in the newspaper about this facility not being able to continue because of high costs -- that bothers me," Recycles' Joellen Bailey said.
It's more expensive for companies to buy recycled stuff than it is to process the raw material, 7NEWS reported. That's partly because consumers just aren't buying products made from recycled plastics and cans. Demand is down, so business is down.
The real money-maker is recycling paper into insulation, but that's not enough to meet the bottom line for a business built on conscience, 7NEWS reported.
"I'm doing a needed community service here. I don't know if it's appreciated," Martin said.
In some areas, residents who don't recycle have to pay more for trash pick-up.
Copyright 2002 by TheDenverChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
