I visited Casella’s recycling center in Charlestown, MA to see firsthand what happens to the waste we put in the recycling bin. I was also curious to learn how the changes China made last year to its rules about what post-consumer material it will import are impacting our local waste management systems. Spoiler alert: it’s not all sunshine and cute green triangles of arrows pointing at each other.

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Since recycling programs began in the U.S., they have been run as a business. Rather than a charitable activity to protect the earth, recycling programs have made money for towns and cities by selling recycled materials to people who want to make new stuff from them. As with all ventures under capitalism, when market conditions change, the business can go under — and our beloved recycling is no exception.

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