Soapbox Monday: How much do you recycle and why?

Today I'll be covering the ceremonial opening of a sorting facility in NE  Philly for all those cans, bottles, papers and plastics that you put in your curbside recycling bin.

You DO do it, right?

The city's recycling rate has risen in recent years, but it's still not as high as officials want it to be. In anticipation of much more to come, Waste Management has built a $20 million sorting facility near the Cottman Avenue exit of I-95.

The stuff comes in as waste and goes out as resource, sold to markets worldwide.   The cans become new cans, the paper becomes new paper, the plastic bottles become pipe and clothing and carpet.

The city makes money in the bargain. It COSTS the city about $65 a ton to send waste to the landfill. When the city sends it to the Waste Management facility instead, Waste Management PAYS the city roughly $50 a ton, although the rate varies according to a formula the incorporates commodity prices.

But every time I write about recycling, I get angry emails from people who say they don't want to do it, or it's too much trouble, or ... whatever.

So we invite you all to sound off today: Why is recycling important? And how much do YOU recycle? If you don't recycle, why not?