McClatchy Washington Bureau

McClatchy Washington Bureau 12/26/2008 Economic crunch hits market for recyclable materials Don't be surprised if your city's recycling program is put on hold temporarily. The global economic crunch has reduced the demand for consumer goods, which in turn has reduced the need for recyclable materials. Many cities received hefty payments for the recyclable goods we placed in curbside bins and bags, however some processors are refusing to accept any more of these goods, reducing that income stream for already tight city budgets. What we need is a modern day George Washington Carver to invent 400 ways to use recyclables. Until then, we need to focus our efforts on reducing our consumption of products with excess packaging, purchase heavily used items in bulk and practice reusing as much as we can.