As a recycling company, Pacific has as one of its goals simply to make the world a better place. We even use the phrase “passion for the world around us” as one of the five key passions or driving forces we use to guide our actions. So, we try to promote environmentally and economically sound recycling practices. We hope that all companies and people interested in recycling will keep that in mind.

With that in mind, we encourage some rethinking from the general public. Upon deciding you no longer need an item, a good thing to do before even recycling it in the traditional way is to think if it still has any useful life to any other person. In our search to simplify our lives by making things easier, sometimes we give in to the easiest way to dispose of something, rather that taking the time and energy to investigate other methods of disposal. So think before you toss that item into the garbage or recycling bin – does it have any other use first?

Also, as you recycle, look for opportunities to help those who are less fortunate. Pacific always accepts your desire to have the proceeds from your recyclables donated to your favorite charity. Sometimes, we even work with organizations to hold a drive specifically to raise money for that organization, frequently matching all funds collected through the recycling effort.

It’s also good to see other companies involved in recycling reaching out to help others. One in particular is the Institution Recycling Network, a cooperative recycling organization that works with colleges and universities, hospitals, K-12 schools and private companies to improve the performance and economics of recycling. Their recent assistance sent to the people in Haiti is worthy of admiration and attempts to duplicate. Wherever you are, remember that there are so many who have so much less than you do – reading this on a computer is undeniable proof. So find a way to make the world a little better today.

Could California’s model beverage container recycling program be in jeopardy of collapsing? According to a lawsuit brought by several local recycling companies, that’s exactly what will happen if the state doesn’t repay into the fund money previously borrowed for other expenses. This just shows the difficulty of recycling plastic economically when a state with the volume of plastic like California struggles to make it work.

If a government is going to commit to back the recycling of plastic, they better stay in the game. Without the local recyclers and the redemption fund as a subsidy, where will all that plastic go? Outside companies aren’t going to want to be involved because they would already face higher transportation costs and the prospect of not getting their money from the state. Arnold better think carefully about this issue or he could become really unpopular very fast.

I wrote an article earlier about convenience being an important factor to determine a recycling program’s effectiveness. I’d also like to add getting some sort of financial benefit. Successful recycling operations will provide both. And in case you think that there are a lot of people willing to “do the right thing” by recycling no matter what, here is another article that says otherwise. The scary thing with this one is the finding that people under 40 are less likely to recycle old cell phones unless there is an incentive – I thought it would be the other way around.

I recently wrote an article about why the price of scrap has risen when the demand for steel continues to languish. I offered my take on it and asked others to offer theirs. Well, it seems World Steel Dynamics has responded (ok, so they were probably just responding to a multitude of people asking the same question so shoot me) by asserting most of what I stated and adding additional insight.  We may have to take a closer look at how we go after scrap.

According to this article, the US is exporting steel at levels comparable to the peak of 2008. And yet the overall level of scrap has declined dramatically. Obviously, that would mean the percentage of exported material from the total available in the US has increased significantly.

That, of course is also reflected in the lower steel production rates from US mills. Since they are producing less material, they don’t need as much scrap to feed their production. On top of that, we have seen large inventories of scrap at several steel mills, which seems to indicate they are well stocked for the lower production rates.

Given that scenario, it seemed strange that US steel mills across the country that use scrap recently raised the price they were willing to pay for scrap. The article referenced above might just hold the key to understanding why.

The shortage of scrap iron in the US is only going to be exasperated by the higher rate of scrap exports. The weak dollar not only makes US scrap more attractive, it also makes steel more attractive. So if US steel mills continue to find good export markets for their steel and things start to loosen up in the US, the mills could find themselves short material and having to buy at a huge premium. Keeping more of the flow to themselves now might seem much more attractive than what could come later. They also make it even more expensive for their foreign competitors to import steel into the US.

That’s my take on it – does anybody have another theory about the rise in scrap prices just at a time when we normally see them soften up due to seasonal slowdowns?