An article in Saturday's Globe and Mail confirms that even our recycled goods are feeing the effects of the recession.

According to the article Singin' the blue-box blues, Toronto's recycled goods were worth $191 a tonne just this past August, and are now worth less than $50. Recycled goods such as newspaper, cardboard, cans and plastics used to fetch a pretty penny and are now rapidly declining in worth. For instance, the value of waste cardboard (which is turned into boxes that package electronics, for instance) has dropped 70 per cent since last fall.

So, instead of being reincarnated to something useful, are all these now undesirable recyclable materials heading to landfills?

Here in Ontario it's illegal to send recyclable materials to landfills, so thankfully the recycling programs will persevere during these tough times and just have to accept the lower prices they'll receive for recycled goods. We're lucky, as I've heard that some small cities in the USA have had to cancel their recycling programs.

Just something to think about ...

Recently, a reader e-mailed me and asked: When buying pop, is it more environmentally friendly to buy it in plastic bottles or aluminum cans?

In doing some research on the Internet, I found some (more...)

It's going to be a quick one today. I read in today's Globe and Mail (find the article here) that a major bottled-water company will be voluntarily implementing a 25-cent deposit on half-litre bottles in parts of Canada (B.C., Ontario and the Maritime provinces). According to the article, this secret company is responding to all the people who complain of those who litter and do not recycle the plastic bottles. This deposit will add a whopping $6 to a pack of 24 water bottles. I hope that's enough to make people stop buying bottled water in areas where the tap water is perfectly drinkable.

I must admit, I'm curious to see which "major" company is introducing the deposit.

Check out my previous post on bottles water here and here

Read more:
• 10 ways to conserve water in your home