Recycling We'd Rather Not See

The Akron Beacon Journal reported today that thieves made off with metal outdoor lighting fixtures used to light downtown's Cascade Plaza. Yet another metal theft in a city that has seen aluminum siding stripped off homes, while other thieves venture inside to loot copper pipes. Just a couple of months ago, huge sections of bleachers were stolen from Hoban High School and sold for scrap.

Scrap copper prices have doubled since 2003, fetching almost $3/lb while aluminum and other metals are highly sought by China, India and other countries.

Is it comforting to know that as the infrastructure collapses, busy little "recyclers" are making sure that nothing goes to waste? Now if only various plastics would become hot commodities for recycling.