It boggles the mind that trash is being sent 8,000 miles, but this happens because profits are made at each stage of the process. Local waste collectors are pai

It boggles the mind that trash is being sent 8,000 miles, but this happens because profits are made at each stage of the process. Local waste collectors are paid by cities and counties to collect recycling. They sort and sell the valuable materials to whoever will buy them. Everything else is exported, because this is cheaper than sending it to local landfills or trying to process it domestically. Brokers and exporters profit by buying this waste cheaply and selling it at a markup to buyers in developing countries. Shipping companies make money by filling empty containers on return trips from the U.S., earning extra revenue with little additional cost. Overseas, small companies sort through the waste to extract and sell the small percentage that’s actually recyclable, often dumping or burning the rest.