4 Assessing recycling costs requires an understanding of the costs of the overall system. Recycling provides a valuable public service. We don't expect the valuable public service provided by our public schools, or fire or police departments, or libraries to pay for themselves. Similarly asking recycling to pay for itself is not realistic. Recyclables are commodities and as with all commodities, prices fluctuate over time.
Demand exists for recyclable commodities.
Recycling provides manufacturing industries with raw materials that are less expensive than virgin materials. The markets for recyclables though, are not yet well defined or mature yet. The demand for scrap steel didn't then and doesn't now coincide perfectly with supply. Neither will it for recyclables. Recycled paper mills demand recycled paper because the capital costs and operating cost of recycled paper manufacturers is lower than it is for new paper mills using virgin wood.