More on recycling

So, to follow-up on my post below, today I went to our local recycling center.  (OK, so not 100% in the name of intrepid reportage.  Our returnables were piling up.)  And, while things seem dandy for now, I wonder what the long-term picture will look like.  

The place is festooned with signs admonishing users to separate correctly to maximize revenue for the city.  However, the guy from Portland who was there to schlep the stuff to where it will get processed basically said there's no money in recycled material now.  He didn't give any indication that we'll see any changes at our local center any time soon, but I wonder if the center really does generate income for the city.  I imagine most people view recycling as an environmental activity, and don't really think of the fiscal implications.  I'm curious to know how much our city is willing to pay to subsidize our center if there's no financial benefit and it's mainly there to prop up our sense of ourselves as good environmentalists.

But we're (provably) the most liberal city in Maine!  We have to recycle!