Latest numbers: recycling saves money for Haverhill

In the Eagle Tribune story Haverhill: Recycling expansion has saved big bucks, Shawn Regan writes:

In anticipation of more savings, the mayor has proposed spending reductions of an additional $131,354 in next year’s solid waste/recycling budget. That will be on top of the $109,000 saved this year.

There you have it. If we were not recycling we would be spending more money to do more environmental harm. Recycling only makes sense. But the article reinforces that we could be doing more:

“It’s one of our great successes,” the mayor said, noting that Haverhill’s recycling participation rate has increased from 10 to 15 percent in the last year, but still lags well behind the state average of 36 percent.

The truth is, some households are recycling as much as possible, other have yet to get on board, and some might benefit from pointers about what is and is not recyclable. But Haverhill is making progress and the combined efforts of the city Recycling Coordinator and Team Haverhill will help residents reach and hopefully exceed the state average.