Recycling in the credit crunch

A collapse in the market for recyclable waste has seen paper and plastics stockpiled instead of being sold to China. From east to west, a chain collapses. Millions to lose their jobs as China,world's largest importer of waste hit by collapse in demand for packaging.

There are about 160,000 collectors in Beijing who make a living from the detritus of urban life - plastic sheeting, office printouts, bottles, radiators and scraps of cardboard. Recycling has become a global industry and China is the largest importer of the world's waste materials, taking in as much as a third of Britain's recyclables for example. Then came the slump, decimating the Chinese recycling industry and leaving Britain, the US and others grappling with growing volumes of recycled waste and nowhere to send it.

Before the downturn, the entire [US] west coast paper market was sent to China and most of it was sent south. It was processed and made into packaging for products that then shipped back to the US ... But when US consumer demand dropped off, that broke the cycle.

Normally, recycled materials are sold to factories and they recycle them into plastic chips, packaging, bicycle handlebars etc. The decrease in demand for packaging material and the drop in prices of plastic chips resulted in a toll on the recycling industry. 

Isnt it scary to see the spill over effects in various industries and ultimately on the lifes of others especially when we are sitting comfortably in our own comfort zone, pretty oblivious of what is exactly going on around us? 

Well, I guess there is nothing much that we can do. This makes me feel very tiny. Powerless. Insignificant.

Here's the link to the actual artical: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jan/09/recycling-global-recession-china

Thanks Hans for sharing!