Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Recycling Markets topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Tompkins recycling revenue falls; department warns 2026 budget will be tight
Summary
The county’s recycling division reported falling commodity revenues through July, with updated projections well below assumptions used in current budgets. Department staff warned the committee that 2026 budgeting will be challenging and said they are discussing savings and reserve options.
Tompkins County recycling officials told the Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee on Aug. 11 that revenues from the sale of recyclable materials have fallen sharply and are likely to end 2025 well below earlier budget assumptions.
Committee members heard updated monthly figures and projections that show prices continuing to decline and increasing pressure on the department’s enterprise fund.
Department staff said the county budgeted $95 per ton as an expectation for 2025 but revised forecasts have fallen: the department projected a $77-per-ton expectation earlier in the year, updated to $62 per ton through June, and then to $59 per ton after incorporating July receipts. Department staff said the July price was about $45 a ton.
"June is down. We just got July's number . . . I think it was $45 a ton," said Leo, staff member, Department of Recycling and Materials Management. He and fellow staffer Kat (listed in the committee packet as Cat/Kat) described the gap between earlier budget assumptions and the more recent market reality.
The department emphasized several mitigating factors. Officials said they negotiated savings with Casella under a contract extension, and that those savings will soften the 2025 impact. They also reminded the committee that Recycling and Materials Management operates as an enterprise fund, with a budget separate from general county operations.
Committee members pressed staff on specific commodity drivers. Staff said plastics are especially volatile and tend to follow fuel-price swings, while fiber markets (sorted office paper, corrugated cardboard, mixed paper) often move together. Glass is a negative-revenue commodity: staff estimated glass reduces revenue by roughly $40 per ton because much of the glass recovered is used for landfill cover rather than sold into manufacturing.
"Glass is a . . . negative revenue commodity. That goes against the average," Kat said.
Members discussed whether the county should re-establish a reserve fund to smooth swings in year-to-year commodity revenue. Department staff said discussions with administration are underway and that the idea of a reserve to capture excess revenue in good years for use in lean years is back on the table.
Staff also reminded the committee of upcoming technical work tied to the facility permit. The department has arranged a waste-characterization study with Stony Brook University the week of Sept. 15; the study will be paid for by a state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) grant and will sort inbound materials to inform policy and any updates to the county’s Chapter 140 solid-waste law.
Annie Korman, Chair, Planning, Energy and Environmental Quality Committee, thanked staff for the update and asked members to indicate interest in viewing the September sorts.
Why it matters: commodity prices directly affect the department’s revenue forecasts and the enterprise fund that pays for operations and materials processing. The committee will consider the department’s updated projections as it reviews 2026 budget proposals.
What’s next: staff said they will continue monthly projections, keep looking for contract or operational savings, and follow up with administration about reserve options; they also invited committee members to observe the Sept. 15 waste-characterization work.
