Did environmentalism kill these local jobs?

A cultural shift may be putting people out of work.

Recycling is having some economic implications that I think are worth exploring.

I’d argue that as a result of our recycling behavior, 154 people in Everett and Bothell are out of jobs.

Jaco Environmental was a company in Bothell that recycled large appliances. It served a good portion of the country.

Related: Are Seattle politicians crushing tradition?

Now Jaco Environmental is out of business. The company filed for bankruptcy protection on Nov. 18 and shut its doors recently.

We don’t have many details as to why it closed, but I think the evidence points to the fact that we’ve changed our habits. We’re recycling what we can and, in the case of big items like refrigerators, we’re buying energy efficient ones that last and give us little reason to upgrade. Businesses reliant on recycling energy guzzlers have a limited shelf-life as a company.

The Herald Business Journal points out that Jaco had a contract with Snohomish County from 2004 to 2014.

“During the first years of the contract, Jaco recycled up to 10,000 refrigerators and freezers a year for the PUD, according to spokesperson Neil Neroutsos.

“That number dwindled over the years and the PUD discontinued offering rebates for recycling those appliances last year because it felt that it had removed enough of the older, less energy efficient appliances, Neroutsos said.”

“We were able to take a lot of inefficient refrigerators and freezers off the market,” Neroutsos said.

I’m curious if people think about things in this way. We evolve and do things that are better for the environment, and ultimately we say it’s worth it because it serves a greater purpose. Activists don’t seem overly upset about the lost jobs, and yet they get mad when technology that is more efficient takes the jobs of people demanding $6 more an hour than they’re actually worth.