The Confederation of Paper Industries' Director of Raw Materials, Simon Weston, says there have been several articles published with a focus on the increase in rejections (recovered paper) from local authority collections and the issue directly concerns members of CPI.
“Reports of higher reject rates from recycled materials partially reflects a growing impatience amongst paper mills that cannot afford to pick up the cost of contamination,” Weston explained. “Increasing energy, water, sorting and waste disposal costs have focused reprocessors on the impact of poor quality, which can increase the cost of raw material by up to three times by the time it has been processed.
“The paper industry favours a clear and consistent approach to collection, such as that being advocated by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), which would provide clarity and simplicity for councils and the public," Weston said. “It also believes that the increasing use of comingled collection has contributed to confusion because it encourages the idea that "anything goes" in the recycling bin, rather than forcing the public to focus on the specifics of what they are doing.” The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) is the leading trade association representing the UK's Paper-based Industries.
