In message , Andrew Gabriel
writes
Interesting consequence of the credit crunch...

We mentioned a few weeks back how price for scrap copper and lead
had plumetted. Same thing has happened for the recyclable rubbish.
Councils suddenly can't get rid of the recycled rubbish they collect.
Some items such as the plastics have dropped to very low prices.
Some items such as paper/cardboard only have any value from those
councils which take only paper and insist you tear out things like
transparent windows from envelopes so the end result is high quality.
Even this is expected to come to an end as postal advertising stops.
Chorus (formerly British Steel) have stopped taking all recyclable
steel [tins] (steel production has dropped to the point where they can
meet it entirely from their long term iron ore contracts, which they
can't get out of).

Councils are looking for somewhere to stockpile the recyclables until
the recession ends, and have asked if they can use military bases.


and the vast quantity of paper and cardboard which has been sent to
china has ground to a halt, as the cardboard boxes that it is converted
into to send produce back to us are no longer needed in such quantities

--
geoff