It is a mistake to collect materials for which you do not have a ready market! Without a market, the materials are likely to end up as waste after all your efforts. You can find recycling markets through phone book listings, local and state recycling programs, other campus recycling programs, the Internet, and contacts provided within this website.

It has already been mentioned that revenues earned from the sale of materials will probably not be sufficient to operate your recycling program. However, getting the best prices for materials can make a big difference in how much additional funding is needed.

You should be aware that recycling markets are volatile! Supply and demand and other economic influences impact prices paid for materials. In general, programs that collect a wide variety of materials are less effected by market swings, since one price might be up while the other is down. However, prices are also is impacted by location and proximity to recycling markets. Some materials may not bring revenues at all. In that case, the decision to collect and recycle the material would be based more on disposal avoidance costs and environmental impact.

Most campuses chose not to broker the recyclables themselves because it requires careful monitoring of the market and leaves no price floor (bottom price) if the value of a material drops significantly. It is more common for campuses to contract with a recycling company (or recycling cooperative) to buy all or most of the materials. Colleges and universities generate large volumes of materials, so recycling companies will want your business. It is usual practice to establish long-term (annual or two-year) contracts in which the campus is guaranteed a bottom price. By doing so, the campus is assured that some revenues will be coming in to help fund the recycling program regardless of market fluctuations.

Here are just a few of the many recycling websites that provide information on prices, market statistics, and potential buyers for materials:
King County (Washington State) provides a nationwide list of recycling and material exchange networks.
Global Recycling Network is a free-access public site dedicated to recycling-related information. It includes recycled commodity prices that are updated weekly.· Earth's 911 is a national database of recycling programs and recycling businesses. It is searchable by zip code.