Recycling could disappear in Nashville

by Rod Williams, April 26, 2020 -The Tennessean reports today that recycling in Nashville could be coming to an end. According to the article, the reason is budgetary and the fact that instead of saving the city money, recycling cost the city money. At one time the income from the recycled material combined with the saving of diverting material from the landfill made money for the city.  A little over a year ago however, China which was the world's largest purchaser of recycled material, stopped accepting and the prices paid for recyclables has plummeted.

Previously, there were plans to expand recycling to twice a month instead of the current once a month. That plan had already been shelved due to budgetary restraints. With the city facing a projected $300 million revenue shortfall this year due to the Corona-19 virus, the city is taking a hard look at expenditures.

“I’m certainly not against recycling but I think we just have to make these really tough decisions on what truly is essential for Metro to continue operating,” Metro Council member Zach Young is quoted as saying during last Tuesday’s council meeting.

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