The numbers
The town publishes a one-page Recycled Materials/Revenue Breakdown each year. This is 2023's, with per-ton figures computed from it.
Materials sold in 2023
| Material | Tons | Revenue | Per ton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrap metal | 206 | $28,742.00 | $140 |
| Corrugated cardboard | 116 | $6,742.26 | $58 |
| Mixed paper | 103 | $2,401.05 | $23 |
| Newspaper | 20 | $1,862.00 | $93 |
| PET (#1 plastic) | 17 | $1,160.25 | $68 |
| Textiles | 12 | $1,228.50 | $102 |
| Tires | 8 | $1,969.80 | $246 |
| Food waste (composted on site) | 9 | $0.00 | $0 |
| HDPE (#2 plastic) | 0 | $0.00 | |
| Aluminum cans | 0 | $0.00 | |
| Steel cans | 0 | $0.00 | |
| Total | 491 | $44,105.86 |
Source: Town data. Per-ton is revenue divided by tons Inference. Rows with zero tons are materials the center collects but didn't ship that year.
Other revenue, 2023
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Pay-as-you-throw bag sales | $83,009.00 |
| Disposal fees | $46,015.13 |
| Permits | $6,920.00 |
| Town of Sharon | $15,955.00 |
| Total | $151,899.13 |
The tipping fee, the invisible number
Every ton the town buries costs a tipping fee at the landfill or transfer station. The dossier behind this site uses roughly $85 a ton, the Northeast's going rate and the highest in the country Background. Every ton sold or composted instead is a ton that fee isn't paid on. For 2023's 482 tons sold, that's roughly $40,970 not spent, on top of the $44,105.86 earned Inference.
Per ton, the avoided fee is usually worth more than the sale. Mixed paper earns about $23 a ton and avoids about $85. That's the math behind every "is it worth it" question on this site.
The facility
- Facility
- Peterborough Recycling Center (John Isham Recycling Center), Scott Mitchell Rd, Peterborough NH 03458 Town data
- Hours
- Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, 8:00 to 5:45 Town data
- Serves
- Peterborough and Sharon State data
- NHDES facility ID
- 3184, permit DES-SW-PN-24-007 issued 05/06/2024. Type: collection, storage, transfer. Status: operating. State data
- Storage cap
- 420 tons on site State data
- Permits
- $5 per year. 1,384 issued in 2023. Town data
- Pay as you throw
- Since Nov 1, 1999. As of April 1, 2024: ten 15-gallon bags $11.50, ten 33-gallon bags $23.00. Town data
Sources
- #2 2023 Recycled Materials/Revenue Breakdown (PDF). Town of Peterborough Town data
- #1 Recycling center page. Town of Peterborough Town data
- #4 Facility profile, facility 3184. NHDES OneStop State data