Myopia

“My goal is just to survive,” said Luo Guoliang, an executive at the Yang Xin Long Fu Company in Shandong province, which makes polyester and polypropylene filaments for fabric and rugs, all of it recycled material (NY Times, March 11, 2009).

The plastic scrap market has gone down the tubes for one reason: we bet it all on China. Recycling, in America, works like this: you buy stuff, you use stuff, you throw some stuff away, and sometimes you send stuff for recycling. What you probably don’t know is that China was buying all of your crap, just so they could sell it back to you:

> Plastic bottles (PET) are made into polarfleece (as well as some other types of cloth).

> White paper is usually made into toilet paper.

> Cans are melted down and made into roofing sheets or nails or other goods.

My contention with recession-era recycling is that Africa still needs these materials and is still able to recycle them. Many African nations would love to get cheap or free raw materials, yet, because the Chinese have such a strong infrastructure and massive market share, it makes it impossible for smaller players–with their small budgets and lack of influence–to penetrate.

It’s time to recognize the other players.