Magazine recycling volumes down, recovered paper prices high

Magazine recycling volumes down, recovered paper prices high

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

A leading paper industry research firm predicts that the amount of magazine paper available for recycling will decline 4.6 percent annually for the coming years and global demand for recyclable fibers will remain robust.

According to RISI, domestic magazine paper production reached a record high of 3.5 million tons in 2007. The recession that began the following year led to a quick reduction in paper use. Production then rebounded slightly in 2010 to 3.0 million tons, but has been in decline since.

As a result of rising global demand for recyclable fibers, especially in India and China, prices for recovered paper should remain high through 2016, say market analysts at RISI [1]. Also helping support high prices is an expected decline in bale supplies from Europe and North America due to continued reductions in graphic paper consumption. RISI has issued a full report outlining key trends in paper recycling for the next half-decade.

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