[P2assist] Biggest enviornmental issue

[Ron Townley]

That is why the economics must work for recycling to succeed.  People will
not look past the price tag in the U.S. unless there is a significant
quality difference that make the more expensive product a better value.  We
have a policy here at our office to buy recycled and we will pay up to 5%
over the cost of virgin.  This rarely happens with paper because there is
always some great deal/sale on virgin paper that probably has timber price
supports in the background somewhere, never mind the shear volume.  

ON the other side of the coin, numerous products containing recycled
content do not post it on the package because they know it does not impact
sales and their goal is to purchase the cheapest feed-stock available,
whether virgin or whatever, so long as it meets spec.  This is why overall
collection, processing, transport, and other program efficiencies are so
important.  We have to compete.  To do so the industry also needs a level
playing field which, in my opinion, involves full cost accounting for the
goods we consume.  These issues, of course, point us to increased gvt.
involvement in policy, which "interfere" with our supposedly free market
system.  Now take into account the new "global economy."  Hmmm, looks like
the circle of recycling is more complex than I could have ever imagined
when I also got started in the 80's.  I would love to here more comment
from private sector industry folks using recycled content feed-stock on
these issues.
Ron
LOSRC
CRA-BOD

At 10:04 AM 8/9/01 -0400, Susan Newman wrote:
>I agree with the comments made yesterday concerning the recycling issues,
>and would simply like to add that the consumer seems to think that if one is
>recycling their milk jugs and soda bottles, they are doing their part. I ask
>anyone that gives me the opportunity if, when they go to K-Mart,
>WalMart,etc...if they ever look for recycled content in the products they
>buy. Typically the answer is an embarrassed "no".  How can we expect
>manufacturers to use recycled material in their products if there is no
>demand from the consumer? Especially in a soft market like today, when
>off-spec virgin resins are being sold as cheap as re-pelletized plastic?
>Where is the manufacturer's motivation? It's certainly much easier to use
>virgin than deal with the potential contamination issues with recycled
>plastic, especially regrind.
>
>As a business owner, people not in this industry are forever telling me I
>must have a goldmine, and on the contrary, since opening in '98, I've eaten
>more hotdogs that I care to think about. I've been in this industry since
>the mid 80's and EVERY company I've worked for, and there have been several,
>have filed bankruptcy. There have certainly been other contributing factors
>than the recycling industrie's woes, but I have to remind folks that we're
>not in Europe, where recycling is so strong, but in America, where we are
>given a choice and this industry is still in the "toddler" stages. I have to
>challenge consumers to talk to managers at the department stores and demand
>more products with recycled content, be it plastic, paper, glass, and so on.
>
>I'll pose this question to those of you out there in this industry...When
>you go shopping, are YOU making it a point to look for products that have
>recycled content? See, most of us are guilty of this lack of effort, even if
>we are in this industry.
>
>Susan Newman-President
>New Life Plastic Recycling, Inc.
>
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Ron Townley				Ph: (828) 251-6622
Land-of-Sky Regional Council		Fax: (828) 251-6353
25 Heritage Drive			ron@landofsky.org
Asheville, NC 28806			www.landofsky.org