Once we have done our part recycling in our homes and businesses, many of us do not give another thought to what happens next to our recyclable materials and even what people do at a recycling center. That is not meant to be a criticism; it is just that we tend to focus on the benefits we see and hear the most. For example, everywhere we turn, the battle cry is to minimize pollution and preserve our natural resources. By reusing materials in existing products—cardboard, paper, metals, etc.—we are bettering our environment. Basically, let’s all do our part in protecting the planet, right?

Protecting the environment isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. As awareness of climate change, air quality, and sustainability becomes mainstream, employees and consumers are seeking greener workplaces and products. Meanwhile, corporations are responding by seeking more ways to enter the commercial recycling space and become greener, more sustainable, and more environmentally conscious.

Here are examples of larger companies going green and doing more for commercial recycling efforts.

The current recycling system has lingering challenges to address if we hope to improve the future of recycling and, in turn, help our community and environment by reducing the number of recyclable materials needlessly ending up in landfills worldwide. Unfortunately, many municipal recycling programs are being discontinued due to an oversupply of recyclables and the costs of processing them for municipalities. This is true even as societal awareness to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle grows by leaps and bounds.

Whether your preference is to relax on a tropical beach with a Pina Colada, explore out-of-the-way treasures, navigate museums in the world’s greatest cities, or travel to visit friends and family for the holidays, traveling is an adventure that many of us love to experience. That said, we live in a time when we are more conscientious of the impact our actions have on the environment—so how can we travel green? In other words, how to we continue traveling the way we want to while at the same time reducing our carbon footprint?

Anyone who knows recycling will tell you that metal is a valuable resource. Not only can metal recyclables be reused over and over again for raw materials needed in manufacturing, construction, and other areas of commerce—thus preserving the environment by reducing waste, over-mining, excess energy expenses, and pollution—but they can be used like “virgin metals.” As a result, they maintain superior value despite constant fluctuations in the market.

But how and why do prices for metal recyclables fluctuate like they do?