Low Oil Prices Hurt Recycling Industry

Published April 7, 2015 at 1:33 PM EDT

A former World War II bomber hangar in Binbrook, U.K., is used by CK Group to house materials for recycling. (Georgi Kantchev/The Wall Street Journal)

Low oil prices are starting to have an impact on an industry that might surprise people – recycling.

As The Wall Street Journal reports, “Plastic is often derived from oil, and there used to be money in recycled scrap. Not anymore. The fall in oil prices has dragged down the price of virgin plastic, erasing the recyclers’ advantage.”

Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson speaks to Georgi Kantchev of The Wall Street Journal about the impact of oil prices on recycling.

Wall Street Journal: Recycling Becomes a Tougher Sell as Oil Prices Drop

Guest

Georgi Kantchev, reporter at The Wall Street Journal based in London. He tweets @georgikantchev.

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