Recycling
Background
Recycling is one of our country’s greatest environmental success stories. As of 2009, we recovered for recycling more than 60 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. - an average of 325 pounds for each man, woman, and child in America.
We have attained this success thanks to industry leadership and the on-going commitment of the millions of Americans who recycling at home, school, and work every day. Even with the success of surpassing our 60 percent recovery goal three years ahead of schedule, the industry remains committed to increasing recovery to continue to meet global demand.
Policy
AF&PA's goal is to ensure a continuing, expanding domestic recovered fiber supply to help meet global demand.
Paper recycling reuses a renewable resource that sequesters carbon and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gas reductions result from avoided methane emissions. In addition, recovering paper extends the fiber supply. In a mandatory cap and trade system, recycling projects should be recognized as eligible carbon offset project types.
Paper recovery is an environmental success story. Recovered fiber markets are complex, efficient, and dynamic and are not served by regulations or prescriptive approaches to specify the use of recycled fibers or dictate what type of recovered fiber is used in products. AF&PA opposes recycled content mandates and should seek to defeat or amend legislation to ensure the focus remains on increasing paper recovery, not content mandates. AF&PA opposes flow control mandates.
The distinction between pre- and post- consumer content is not meaningful and should not be used in government policies.
We support allowing our companies to, once again, issue tax-exempt bonds to finance recycling facilities.