As a veteran administrator within the United States EPA, acting assistant administrator Tom Dunne realizes that recycling in 2005 does not enjoy the same popularity it did in, say, the 1980s.
But Dunne told recycling officials gathered for the National Recycling Coalition (NRC) Annual Congress that global commodity scarcity and the ensuing need for sustainability will provide a renewed interest in recycling around the world.
While historically, “commodity prices have been a roller coaster,” noted Dunne, “lately, they have been up, up, up,” with oil prices leading the way.
“This should be good news for your industry,” Dunne told attendees, “But apparently these increases in price have not driven increases in recycling rates.”
Dunne noted that recycling rates in America for items such as aluminum used beverage containers (UBCs) and plastic packaging have been stagnant or falling at a time when global energy, metals and plastics prices are soaring. “Given the recent rise in value, that’s really astounding,” he remarked.
There may be a “disconnect” currently, said Dunne, but ultimately “recycling will be a key future component of future economic growth.”
He said the general public is not yet aware, as recyclers are, that nations such as China and India “are competing with us for the world’s resources, including scrap paper and scrap metal. We are in danger of becoming a nation of scrap exporters . . . if we can’t get better at re-processing” such materials, said Dunne.
Dunne urged recyclers to let their customers, elected officials or others they can reach know that “the efficient use of recyclable materials brings a wealth of economic, environmental . . . and national security benefits.”
He urged recyclers to work with their trade associations and with the EPA to “emphasize the civic importance of recycling,” and urged stakeholders to try to re-energize the recycling industry with “high-profile messages.”
Dunne also urged recyclers and recycling coordinators to look into how funding can be obtained from the federal government from a “long overlooked section” of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).
Regarding scrap metals and other recyclable material, Dunne proclaimed, “We’ll never be so rich [as a nation] that we can afford to discard . . . such resources.”
The NRC Annual Congress was held Aug. 29-31 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.