Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up

Back at Junk Value, Recyclables Are Piling Up Jodi Hilton for The New York Times

“We never saw this coming,” said Johnny Gold, an official of the Newark Group, at the company’s plant in Salem, Mass. More Photos >

By MATT RICHTEL and KATE GALBRAITH Published: December 7, 2008

Trash has crashed.

Skip to next paragraph Multimedia Slide Show No Market for Rubbish Enlarge This Image Todd Heisler/The New York Times

Overloaded at Recycle Fibers of New Jersey. Across the country, materials like paper and cardboard are accumulating by the ton. More Photos »

The economic downturn has decimated the market for recycled materials like cardboard, plastic, newspaper and metals. Across the country, this junk is accumulating by the ton in the yards and warehouses of recycling contractors, which are unable to find buyers or are unwilling to sell at rock-bottom prices.