NERC in the News
2014
January
Reduced recycling in Berks tied to two factors. Before the recession, the Berks County Recycling Center (Pennsylvania) had extra employees on hand at Christmas to handle the bombardment of cardboard boxes and plastic packaging. Not so much anymore, said Jane Meeks, executive director of the Berks County Solid Waste Authority. "People aren't buying in cardboard, especially the pricey items," she said. "And if they are, the boxes may not be as big because things like big screen TVs are in thin boxes now." Experts said consumer hesitancy to buy combined with a waning interest in recycling likely have contributed to a decrease in Berks County recycling rates. Recyclables collected in the county decreased 15 percent from 2008 to 2012, according to a report by the Berks County Conservancy. Only 41 percent of the county's total waste was recycled in 2012, compared with 56 percent in 2008. Consumer trends often influence recycling rates, said Athena Bradley, projects manager for the Northeast Recycling Council. "Any time there's an economic downturn, recycling goes down at least a few percentages. People are consuming less," she said. "There's less packaging because people aren't buying all the electronics they used to. Trash goes down, too."
