NERC has published the sixth in its series of quarterly reports on the blended value of a ton of materials marketed at MRFs in the Northeast. This report covers the period July – September 2020. Eleven states are represented in this report, including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia and West Virginia. The reported values are a weighted average of all responses.
These survey results reflect the differing laws and collection options in the participating states. Four of the states have beverage container deposit laws. As a result, fewer glass bottles, PET bottles and aluminum cans are processed in MRFs in those states. Those MRFs are also likely to have less revenue from those recyclables. In addition, the report reflects a mix of single-stream, dual-stream and source separation to collect recyclables with single-stream being the most common approach. The type of collection used will have an impact on MRF design and operation. Thus, the data from this report reflects the unique blend of facilities and statewide laws in the reporting states.
Overall, declining values were seen as compared to the previous quarter.
- Average commodity value per ton with the expense of handling residuals: $40.19
- Average commodity value per ton without residuals: $83
These values are down significantly from the previous quarter (April – June 2020).
- Change in average commodity value per ton with residuals from the previous quarter -21.6%
- Change in average commodity value per ton without residuals: -21.4%
The average processing cost per was $84/ton. This quarter represents a decrease of -12% over the previous period, and an increase of + 1% since the survey began.
The survey will be repeated for the quarter October – December 2020 and a report published of the results.
The study was made possible with a grant from EPA Region 3.