Dive Brief:

• ​​As reported yesterday, the state of Rhode Island dispersed recycling profits to its municipalities which had accumulated throughout the fiscal year via recycling efforts.
• The profits collected were noticeably lower than the year prior: $1,944,000 in September of 2012 dropped to $740,000 in 2013, even though the volume of recyclables had grown by 5% this fiscal year.
• The difference in profits are multi-faceted: China's "green fence" policy was the main contributing factor as was the price of oil and fluctuations in the open market which dictated profits for the communities' recyclables.

Dive Insight:

To figure out the amount each municipality received, Resource Recovery determined the average value of recyclables collected: this round, the waste amounted to $15 per ton. Half of the money is given to Resource Recovery while the other half goes into the community fund to be distributed according to each town's recycling volume.