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<br />Because prices are lower, the city won't make as much money this year from selling <br />recyclables to manufacturers, Young said. But it won't lose money either because some of <br />the contracts set floor price levels for the materials. <br /> <br />Everybody's watching <br /> <br />For Eureka Recycling, which serves St. Paul, Maplewood, Roseville, Lauderdale, Arden <br />Hills, St. Louis Park and many private companies, it now costs almost as much to collect <br />and process paper as it makes selling it. <br /> <br />As a result, said CEO Susan Hubbard, the nonprofit recycling company has met with its <br />customers in recent weeks. None plans to drop materials now being picked up, she said, <br />but all are watching the markets closely. <br /> <br />If low prices persist, some cities may dip into reserve funds that they established with $5 <br />million in profits that Eureka returned to them in recent years when commodity prices <br />were high, Hubbard said. Otherwise, they may need to raise fees, she said. <br /> <br />"We can't sustain and support recycling at any cost," said Hubbard. "It's going to take <br />everyone pulling together. " <br /> <br />The true value of recycling goes far beyond market prices, said Mark Rust, solid waste <br />planner for the MPCA. <br /> <br />Recycling contributes $3 billion to the state's economy and sustains 20,000 jobs, he said. <br />Its environmental benefits include less mining and timber harvesting, less water and <br />energy use, and fewer global-warming emissions. <br /> <br />To consider dismantling any recycling programs on the basis of a few weeks of low <br />prices would be a huge miscalculation, he said. <br /> <br />"The sky is definitely not falling," said Rust. "It's a cyclical thing and a testament to just <br />how mainstream recycling has become." <br />