On December 24, I began a post titled "NJ Recycling Advocates, Get Ready," this way:

• Municipal recycling programs have a way of weakening and disappearing during times like these. As a result, local recycling advocates had better stay particularly engaged with municipalities, lest they find out decisions have been made that could unwind years of progress.

The impetus to that blog post was building evidence that fallen prices for recyclable materials are making it less profitable (or even loss-generating) to pick-up and haul away recyclable materials. This is how years of progress on local recycling efforts can be quickly undone as a result of temporary yet significant economic pressure.

Now, symptoms have become more acute: The Press of Atlantic City's Michelle Lee writes that the Atlantic County Utilities Authority "recyclables pile up as demand tumbles." The Authority is really hurting, partly because "global economic troubles cut the demand and market price for the materials." The ACUA is keeping the recyclables in hopes that global market prices will rise -- but that doesn't seem likely to me given a global recession that could prove very long.

So the next choice we'll be facing is whether to pay to store recyclable materials in longer-term facilities, or dump the material in landfills. The question will come down to whether taxpayers will to pay up-front for a significant environmental benefit, and a potentially big long-run payoff when demand eventually improves. Recycling advocates will be put to the test like never before.

Another avenue is for entities like the ACUA to increase its green-prosperity efforts in other areas, outside of the recycling arena. On that subject, Michelle Lee's article paints a rosy picture. The ACUA is working on solar power proposals, has started a single-stream recycling facility (partly in hopes of reducing costs), and has installed a compressed natural gas fueling station for some of its trucks.

I spoke with Atlantic County Chief of Staff Howard Kyle today, and he explained that the county is also finalizing a broad energy audit and beginning to explore re-electrifying a dam to generate hydroelectric power. Almost two years ago, the county made motions to adopt the Kyoto Protocol guidelines on greenhouse gas.

That still leaves the recycling issues that advocates and detractors will be deciding in 2009. The lines are being drawn now, and for many people, it will come down to dollars: we be willing to pay for the chance of becoming major suppliers of raw materials when market prices eventually improve? Our environment will be caught in the balance.

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