The Newark Group today announced that it presented its views, and those of the Paper Recycling Coalition, to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy on June 27. This Subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee is currently considering legislation aimed at improving the collection and analysis of recycling material and data. Jonathan Gold, Senior Vice President of the Newark Recovery and Recycling Division of The Newark Group spoke in support of the effort so that it can lead to more verifiable information on true sustainability and to better solutions in the recycling process and recycled end products.
"As an industry, we now collect two-thirds of all paper available for recycling and have increased the recycling rate for paper by 81% over the past 20 years," commented Gold. He added, "Despite this, there is still an enormous amount of paper that is not being collected and there remains quite a bit of misinformation in the data which suggests that more of what is collected for recycling is actually used in the creation of new products. That''s where the need for better information enters."
In commenting about the practice of single stream recycling whereby all recyclables are combined and collected for separation at a later date, Gold shared that recovered single-stream recyclables often contain materials that contaminate the usability of the paper. "The EPA does the best job they can at the moment in reporting on the tonnage of collected recyclables, but information isn''t really available to them regarding how much of that tonnage is later diverted to landfills," he said. "Better information on this could impact future decisions regarding single vs. dual stream recycling while leading to better solutions to maximize sustainability and continue the kind of economic job growth that results from new product development of recycled materials."
Speaking specifically about the House bill under consideration, Gold stated The Newark Group and PRC support the basic principles of the bill but remain adamantly opposed to any government mandates on the private sector which would inevitably distort market outcomes and efficiencies. "Sound and verifiable data would focus EPA attention on the material that is actually recovered for reuse in manufacturing and that information would have the potential to lead to better understanding and improved outcomes," said Gold. "That''s what we are seeking and that''s what will allow us and the industry to target our approaches for increasing collection and maximizing both productivity and sustainability."
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In commenting about the practice of single stream recycling whereby all recyclables are combined and collected for separation at a later date, Gold shared that recovered single-stream recyclables often contain materials that contaminate the usability of the paper. "The EPA does the best job they can at the moment in reporting on the tonnage of collected recyclables, but information isn''t really available to them regarding how much of that tonnage is later diverted to landfills," he said. "Better information on this could impact future decisions regarding single vs. dual stream recycling while leading to better solutions to maximize sustainability and continue the kind of economic job growth that results from new product development of recycled materials."
Speaking specifically about the House bill under consideration, Gold stated The Newark Group and PRC support the basic principles of the bill but remain adamantly opposed to any government mandates on the private sector which would inevitably distort market outcomes and efficiencies. "Sound and verifiable data would focus EPA attention on the material that is actually recovered for reuse in manufacturing and that information would have the potential to lead to better understanding and improved outcomes," said Gold. "That''s what we are seeking and that''s what will allow us and the industry to target our approaches for increasing collection and maximizing both productivity and sustainability."">
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