Editor's Focus

Editors of trade magazines most often want to write about the positive aspects of the industry they cover. Within the recycling industry that is not a difficult task, as both established and developing segments continue to provide profitable recycling options for scrap metals, paper, wood and other materials.

Despite these successes, it would be incorrect to present the world of recycling as one where unbridled optimism reigns. There is some unease in the air, in virtually every segment of the industry.

Two of recycling’s highest volume and most established commodities - ferrous scrap and old corrugated containers (OCC)- are facing market troughs at the same time. Much like last summer, economic forecasters must hope that the declining fortunes of ferrous scrap, in particular, are not a leading indicator of broader economic conditions to come.

Some less established commodities, meanwhile, face a challenge that starts with the collection process. North Americans are willing to recycle, and a significant percentage of them sort their metal, paper and plastic recyclables into a curbside recycling bin or drop them off at a recycling center. They do this in good faith, trusting that the municipal solid waste department or its chosen contractor will then deliver the recyclables to a consuming destination.

But this established system has a variety of flaws that can leave parties throughout the recycling transaction frustrated and ill-served. Municipal officials must cost-justify the programs to taxpayers who may have been oversold on the promise of recycling profitability. They must also secure the cooperation of haulers, many of whom have a background in landfilling, to make sure that the “recyclables going to the landfill” story on the local news does not depict the fate of curbside recyclables in their community.

Recyclers and end consumers have their own positions to defend, including a demand for a steady volume of high-quality (uncontaminated) shipments. While collectors have found the commingled stream easier to collect, some consumers are still facing quality challenges because of the shift to commingled collection.

The fast-changing nature of plastics packaging also presents new challenges every year. The once reliable stream of clear HDPE milk jugs that had become an established commodity is now facing market erosion at the expense of yellow and other colored plastics.

Single-serve PET soft drink bottles, meanwhile, would present a steady recyclable stream if only more of the products were consumed at home rather than at parks, stadiums and beaches, where trash cans are far more present than recycling bins.

Additionally, recycling advocates contend that U.S. government policies relating to support for mining, timber harvesting and waste disposal and incineration continue to put recyclers at an unfair disadvantage.

The cliché holding that “every cloud has a silver lining” might be appropriate at this point, as it should be noted that established down markets are bound to bounce back, and (cliché number two) problems are often opportunities in disguise.

Having pointed out many of the challenges facing recycling in a 64-page report, the GrassRoots Recycling Network (GRRN), Athens, Ga., and the Institute of Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), Washington, also pointed to examples where new recycling methods are working in cities that are achieving impressive recycling rates and cost savings.

“We have only scratched the surface of recycling’s potential in the United States,” said consultant Joan Edwards at a news conference introducing the report. “Every day another city achieves cost-effective diversion rates well above the national average, and new markets, programs and processing strategies demonstrate success.”

Those achievements, and the ability to spread the news about them, is why a recycling trade magazine editor can’t be pessimistic for too long.