The city has approved a commercial bulk cardboard rate of $25 per ton.
Solid Waste Superintendent Dale Fortin says last month the market price for bulk cardboard was only $15 a ton. He says the cost of processing the same amount of cardboard is about $25. The city has not charged commercial accounts and other cities in the past but given the drop in market prices, Fortin says that no longer makes sense.
Fortin says this the lowest he has ever seen the market price.
Fortin says he hopes the market rebounds in a year or two. If that happens the rate will be reviewed. He says before the drop, the average market price for bulk cardboard was around $125. The lack of mills is a big reason for the drop in value.