PaperChain Pull Plug on Support

Campaigner group PaperChain has announced it will not be supporting the 2007 Recycle Now Week initiative this year.

With growing concerns about the lack of focus on promoting good quality recycled paper and cardboard, alongside the need to increase recycling, PaperChain have decided that the campaign does not go far enough in advancing sustainable paper recycling in it's entirety. PaperChain Chairman Martin Green explains: " PaperChain has been an active supporter of the 'Recycle Now' campaign but feels the "2007 Recycle Now Week" should be used to focus public sector attention on quality and sustainability, rather than to simply continue to promote increased collection levels."

PaperChain has supported the campaign, previously called the Big Recycle, since it began in 2004. Their work together has increased awareness of recycling and helped increase the number of committed recyclers in the UK. However, PaperChain are now concerned that with the growing popularity of single stream (co-mingled) recycling collections, particularly among local authorities, paper and board are becoming contaminated by other recyclables at the point of collection, which is having a negative impact on the quality and quantity of paper being produced.

Martin Green added: " It has been great that the number of committed recyclers has risen significantly through the initial years of the campaign, but the recycling levels achieved, and increases going forward, must be sustainable with developing end markets, and this can only be achieved through effective quality management. The fantastic success in promoting recycling in initial years of the campaign will count for nothing if the material collected does not meet the needs of the re-processor and customer."

Polluted paper often needs to be cleaned and resorted before processing, which makes the procedure less time efficient and more labour intensive. This can result not only in lower quality paper, but increased carbon emissions from mills due to slower production. These drawbacks negate the positive impact of recycling in the first place. Mills can even shut down completely if the material is contaminated severely enough. Green reiterates the problem: " UK paper reprocessors are seeing some very poor quality recovered paper coming onto the market, and are unwilling to take the risk of using this material because of the negative impacts on the paper making process. The bottom line is that a paper mill cannot recycle tin cans, food, and plastics into new paper products.  Poor quality is not sustainable recycling; it is unnecessary and avoidable waste.  PaperChain have serious doubts as to the long term sustainability of recycling in the UK if the lack of focus on quality continues."

It is hoped that the impetus of the campaign will be altered next year to encompass PaperChain's concerns and they will return to supporting Recycle Now Week in 2008.