In 2018, China banned the purchase of U.S. recyclables after years of warning there was too much garbage interspersed with the recycling. The recycling industry collapsed, having relied heavily on the sale of materials to offset expenses.
The effects have reached Portage County, where the Solid Waste Recycling District — which had once received an annual rebate of $315,000 from the sale of materials — needed a new way to cover its bills.
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