The Chinese government implemented a rule that led to a major upheaval to the paper recycling industry. Governments are representatives of billion dollar (sometimes trillion dollar) markets. When they try to change the rules, many things can happen and more often than not, unintended consequences affect industries and communities far outside of the scope or intent of those new rules. There’s a lot of information out there but there’s also a lot of uncertainty. We’ve been trying to address it in our recent programming and we encourage all of your to meet with us at the 2019 ISRI Convention & Exposition where we will be addressing the effects on the municipal collection stream.
International trade and transportation logistics may have characterized 2018, but 2019 looks to have a more local feel to it. ISRI’s government relations staff have already identified 135 bills in state legislatures all over the U.S. that relate directly on the use of auxiliary containers such as paper and plastic bags, food service containers, and other packaging materials. There were only 106 in the 48 months that preceded 2019. It’s a harrowing landscape and ISRI will keep us updated on this trend, but don’t hesitate to contact ISRI staff to get specific information that could be affecting you where you do business.
We hope to see you in Los Angeles for the ISRI Convention. We can discuss these EPR regulations as well as learn more about how the market is changing. We had a preview of an e-commerce study by Moore & Associates at the PSI Winter Event in Austin. At the Convention, however we will have the full study and all the important details. There will be several other speakers such as Dennis Colley of the Fibre Box Association and Tom Day of the U.S. Postal Service to discuss efforts on improving OCC recovery from households and federal sustainability programs.
Let’s shake off the winter chill and move into spring with renewed energy and the tools and connections we need to make things happen. PSI and the Paper Division will be right there with you!
Linda Leone, ISRI Paper Division Chair
Leonard Zeid, PSI Chapter President