Should those of us on the left coast not already have a swelled head, this story in the New York Times will put the topper on it. Apparently, we are leading the nation in recycling and related green efforts. And we're making money at it too.
The larger picture is that the West Coast is a recycling bellwether, given the emphasis placed on it in Washington, Oregon and California. That includes legislation in California that requires 50 percent of waste statewide to be recycled.
“People are just a little greener on the West Coast,” Mr. Croll said.
But there is a more practical reason for recycling’s success in the West. Seattle and the rest of the West Coast have Pacific Rim ports at their disposal, and freighters plying routes to Asia have found a profitable cargo in recycled paper, particularly for the Chinese market. Waste paper is now commanding about $90 a ton throughout the United States, which makes it possible to turn a profit by loading it onto ships instead of dumping it into landfills.

Bookmark Now: Writing in Unreaderly Times edited by Kevin Smokler
The Customer Is Always Wrong: The Retail Chronicles edited and compiled by Jeff Martin. Essay by me on page 45.