The days of turning recycling trash into cash for the city of Mesa have waned in recent years as the cost of disposal has outweighed commodity values. Revenue sharing, with thousands of dollars going back to the city, is no longer offered.
When there are domestic and international markets to sell recyclables to, then there’s processing fees; or the added cost to clean items collected of contaminants such as dried soda stuck to a bottle or nonfat milk left in a jug.
The city presently contracts with a business that can only accept 30% of the more than 30,000 tons a year of recyclables Mesa residents collectively place curbside in their blue barrels, with the remainder trucked to the landfill.
