Recycling and Exports: Goldmine or Minefield?, 1993 Recycling Symposium Proceedings

L. Brett Lockwood

To quote a German garbage collector following the enactment of a wide-ranging German law on packaging waste disposal, "Garbage has never been as interesting as it is today." As many of us know, this statement is all too true. Unfortunately, "garbage" is also more complicated.

The question of whether the impetus for recycling is primarily consumer-driven or legislation-driven is probably beside the point in most discussions on recycling. It is undoubtedly a function of both, and whether it is one more than the other does not matter much. What is important for participants in the paper and packaging industries to recognize is that recycling regulation is here to stay. Given this situation, paper producers should do their best to create opportunities to capitalize on the new recycling regime to the greatest extent possible. Indeed, it might even be argued that seizing these opportunities will be essential not only for market competitiveness but also for market survival. This is particularly true with respect to exports of paper and packaging products because many of these regulatory initiatives focus disproportionate attention on paper products.