<B>CEPI Reports Slowing Collection Rates</B>

The Confederation of European Paper Industries has amassed statistics reflecting a continued increase in paper and board collection and usage rate last year.

However the trend is not entirely encouraging, as CEPI reports that: 'some European countries have registered such high collection rates that further increases are becoming very difficult and are even brought into question'.

'There is an optimal level for collection, which cannot even in theory reach 100%, CEPI continues. Given this, policy and legislative actions should be targeted to further increase collection and recovery rates- rather than introducing additional restrictions and regulations.

In 1999, more than 28 million metric tons of recovered paper and board were used as a raw material by the industry in Western Europe for the production of new paper and board. Paper recycling increased by 4.2 per cent compared to 1998 and by roughly 65 per cent since early last decade.