Experts say wastepaper prices are rising in the United States. However, they note that this is due to a supply shortage rather than an increase in demand. In the US, used cardboard and paper, including print paper cuttings, are actively recycled. Much of this recycled material is used in packaging production. It appears, however, that packaging manufacturers are not receiving as much recycled material as they would like. This supply deficit has driven up the cost of the recovered materials sold to these manufacturers.
While the United States takes the proper disposal and recycling of waste materials very seriously, current price trends clearly indicate that the country faces significant challenges in this area. A supply shortage implies that the volume of paper being collected is insufficient—certainly not because there is less paper waste; such waste is generated in massive quantities in every country today. Consequently, it is reasonable to conclude that issues with the collection process are contributing to the shortage of waste paper—a resource that packaging manufacturers require to maintain full-scale, successful production operations.
