California Public Recycling, piles of junk are starting to build up. Just a few months ago, the mounds of computer motherboards, airplane wings, sprinkler nozzles and copper wire were worth some serious cash. But the sinking economy has claimed another victim - recycled goods – and the value of the old metal parts at the Oxnard recycling yard often doesn’t cover the cost of handling them.

“There is a wholesale collapse of the metal market,” said Marc Keenberg, CPR manager. “I’ve seen ups and downs but never anything like this.”

Products such as iron are at 30 percent of their value, copper is worth half its previous value and aluminum is down a third, he said. Places that used to pay for paper products are now charging customers to take it.

Some fear that with little incentive to recycle scrap metal and paper, the products may end up in the landfill instead of being recycled. The situation has become so dire the state recently started looking into how it can solve the problem.

“California’s environment may face a potential setback as the depressed global economy and an excess in global inventory have reduced prices being paid for recycled newspapers, old corrugated cardboard and plastics around the world,” according to a recent statement from the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

The depressed commodity market that largely dictates the value of recycled materials has affected scrap materials more severely than the bottles and cans that are recycled.

Read more here: Plunging prices for recyclables are hurting businesses