PaperChain's Position

PaperChain Members have serious concerns that the introduction and growth of single stream (co-mingled) collection systems for recovering waste paper by Local Authorities and the Waste Management industry is unsustainable. This development is having a negative impact on the quality of recovered paper to the detriment of the UK industry, and the long term sustainability of global recovered paper markets in general.

Single stream (co-mingled) collections of mixed dry recyclables carry higher risks to recovered paper quality as the paper and board are exposed to other materials. Although material recovery facilities (MRFs) are able to segregate the material streams to a reasonable quality when they are running well, it is easy to end up with recovered paper that is not up to the standards required for reprocessing without further sorting or additional mechanical and/or chemical treatment.

Paper reprocessing is a continuous, capital intensive process and papermills cannot risk closing the machines due to raw material quality problems or rejecting manufactured products at a high economic and carbon cost. Any shutdown, reduction in process efficiency or rejected manufactured material during the papermaking process has a negative impact on the Mills carbon generation and causes increased waste levels. Recovered paper from single stream (co-mingled) collections carry higher risks than segregated material therefore UK Mills are less willing to take material from this stream. This will become the global norm when the demand and supply of recovered paper starts to equilibriate in the medium to long term.

PaperChain feels that government and local authorities must focus business and public attention on the quality aspects of the recycling process, rather than to simply continue to support increased recovery levels. It is great that the number of committed business and public recyclers has risen briskly over the last few years, but the recycling levels achieved must be sustainable with developing end markets.

Building Sustainability into Paper Recycling | Market Demand | The Current Situation