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processors in the state. The value received for glass was negative in 2015 as there still is only one <br />market outlet for the material. Although, the price has remained steady although lower and has <br />stopped the decline. <br />Fiber prices remained low but did not show much movement throughout the year up or down. <br />Prices for plastics and metals saw a continual decline as oil market prices continued to be low and <br />China's economy continued to not show significant growth. Aluminum (which represents about <br />1% of the tonnage from Roseville but around 20% of the material value) saw a 35% decrease for <br />the start of 2015 to the end of 2015. PET plastic saw a close to 50% drop in value over the year <br />and other plastics saw more around 15% to 20% drop in value. <br />Plastics make up around a quarter of the value of Roseville's recyclables. <br />Even with the decrease in the revenue received from the sale of recycled material to markets there <br />is still a net financial benefit for our community. Recycling the over 3,300 tons of material <br />collected in Roseville in 2015 meant that this material did not end up going to an incinerator. <br />Not burning these resources means that, as a community, we did not spend over <br />$820,000 on the healthcare costs and environmental remediation's that would have <br />been necessary were this material to have been incinerated. (see description of the <br />M EBCaIcT" model on page 12 of this report) <br />DETAILED ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ISSUES AFFECTING REVENUE <br />Slowdown in China's Economic Growth — China is the world's largest consumer of recycled <br />paper. They use it to create the packaging for all of the goods that they manufacture and then ship <br />back to consumers all over the world. As a result, if China stops buying recycled paper the supply <br />quickly jumps up and the prices fall. The stagnation and decline in revenue share in the second <br />half of the year is due in large part to the slow -down in China's economic growth, thus demand <br />from China for all that recycled paper and plastic has plummeted. Although Eureka sends nearly <br />100% of its fiber material to a local market in Saint Paul, the price is connected to global <br />commodity pricing trends. In addition, China's slowdown in construction impacted the price for <br />metals as there was increased supply in the global market and in the US. <br />Value of the Dollar <br />The value of the dollar continues to be higher than other currencies, which has impacted the <br />ability of US commodities to compete with other connnoditics on the global market thus <br />impacting supply levels in the US and putting downward pressure on commodity prices. <br />Plastics and the Price of Oil — There has been, and continues to be a great deal of volatility in <br />the plastics markets. Unlike paper, and metal recycling, which has been around for decades, plastic <br />is in many ways still an evolving market. Many new companies continue to enter the market. <br />While one company will seek a certain composition of different types of plastics; others will want <br />a different blend. Eureka Recycling continues to work with existing and new markets to ensure <br />that any plastics we send to market are made into new products and the chain of custody can be <br />followed and verified. <br />