Recycling: Supply, Economics, Environment, and Technology, 1995 Recycling Symposium Proceedings

Roundtable Moderator:

S. Abubakr

USDA Forest Service

Forest Products Laboratory

The forces behind fiber markets are changing. Once driven by a glut in recovered paper, fiber markets are now being driven more by supply and demand. With this change, market values will be determined more by marginal values of production than by waste management policies, although higher market values for recyclables will certainly stimulate increased interest in collection and sorting programs. In the long run, technology will be market-driven. These changes increase the importance of understanding supply and demand issues for cellulosic fiber - these issues will extend internationally and will also extend beyond the pulp and paper sector. Compared to the rest of the world, North America is “fiber-rich” and has potential for substantial increase in fiber product exports, particularly for paper and paperboard products. We will discuss trends and issues in wastepaper supply; differences in recycling and deinking technologies and process design among North American, European, and Pacific Rim countries; the effect of changes in wastepaper supply trends on chemical recycling and deinking technologies; and new systems for removing contaminants. Finally we will summarize the environmental impact of using recycled fiber and the technological ramifications.