An article in last week's Sun Star gave the impression that recycling is always costly in Fairbanks, and that's all there is to it. This is a very narrow view and is based on several assumptions that are not beyond question.

First of all, there are many materials that are profitable to recycle in Fairbanks even in the present circumstances. This includes all non-ferrous metals, such as aluminum, copper, tin, nickel, and bronze.

The ASUAF Recycling Program collects aluminum cans from all over campus and sells them to C & R Pipe and Steel, which is one of many businesses in town that make money off metals recycling. Metals are shipped out of state for recycling, and with a value of more than $1,000 per ton, they more than cover the cost of shipping and handling. Printer ink and toner cartridges are another material that has a value greater than the cost of shipping. ASUAF's recycling program collects several tons of them from campus annually.

Without actually stating it, last week's article focused solely on the option of shipping paper, plastic, and glass out of state for recycling. Although market prices vary, common plastics and office paper have a value of $100-260 per ton, well above the $70 per ton cost of shipping to Seattle.

Processing and capital costs may reduce that margin substantially, but the shipping cost alone does not prohibit recycling these materials. The assumption that materials will always need to be shipped out of state to be recycled is faulty as well. Anchorage has a business that turns the city's used newspapers into cellulose insulation, which is sold across the state as a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly building material.

According to calculations I did last year, there is more than adequate demand for such insulation in Fairbanks to support the same kind of business here. This would mean that a large portion of our paper waste could be diverted from the landfill and provide resources for a profitable local business, recycling both money and materials back into our local economy.

The main obstacle to starting such a business right now is that there is no steady stream of separated paper of the appropriate types for such a business to draw on. Until the borough starts a comprehensive recycling program there will be no local market for recyclables. You can't have a market when nothing is available to buy, so of course the nearest market now is Seattle, where they do recycle. This is something the borough funded Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation should look into. Fostering sustainable local business is preferable to attracting big box stores, which take money out of the Fairbanks economy.

Above all, what is needed in Fairbanks is education and networking (community building). There are currently dozens of opportunities for small scale recycling and reuse in Fairbanks, but few people are aware of them. Recycling in Fairbanks may take innovation and some initial investment, but it is investment in our community.

Eli Sonafrank is the ASUAF recycling director.