September/October 1992
Old magazines are currently recovered in relatively small numbers, but demand from new deinking facilities could make magazine recycling an enticing business segment.
BY KIMBERLEY R. HARRIS
Kimberley R. Harris is associate market analyst for the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (Washington, D.C.).
People in virtually every corner of the earth are reading magazines, and they're reading them everywhere—on the airplane and the bus, on the couch and at their desks, at the health spa and in the supermarket line.
All those magazines stack up. Although estimates vary widely, there are probably about 350 million different magazine titles published annually in the United States alone, with the total number of copies published reaching well into the billions every year. To put that into perspective for recyclers, approximately 6.4 million tons of old magazines (OMG) are discarded in the United States every year, according to Andover International Associates (Danvers, Mass.).
Most of that vast quantity is clay-coated paper, which has incredible shine, reproduces vibrant colors, and comes in a variety of textures and thicknesses. But the clay coating that provides these attributes—as well as the fact that magazines often use ultraviolet-cured inks, adhesive labels, and nonsoluble binding glue—seems to have inhibitedOMG recycling. In fact, reportedly less than 10 percent of OMG is currently recovered from the U.S. waste stream.
A Future With Newspapers?
Many are predicting that that meager recycling rate could jump in the next two years, as North American paper mills augment their deinking capacity for newsprint production using an innovative process that calls on OMG as a major feedstock. In this process—known as flotation deinking—a blend of air bubbles, clay, and soaps are combined to remove inks, while leaving paper fibers more united—and, thus, some say, stronger—than the traditional washing method, which "blasts" the ink off and sometimes destroys the fiber linkage.
OMG provides two vital ingredients in this flotation recipe: clay and paper fibers. Despite this double ability, however, OMG is unlikely to be the sole secondary fiber source for many flotation deinking plants, if for no other reason than that the clay in its coating eventually finds its way into a deinking facility's sludge, which requires disposal. Most floatation deinking plants, therefore, only want as much OMG in the mix as will provide the necessary amount of clay, which is widely acknowledged to be about 30 percentOMG to 70 percent old newspapers.
Considering the growing capacity of deinking facilities that can consume clay-coated papers (see table on page XXX), that percentage could mean a lot of OMG recovery. In fact, the Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) (New York City) estimates that, based on the 30-to-70 ratio, North American deinking plants will need nearly 1.39 million tons of OMG by 1995. Furthermore, the group predicts, 60 percent of all magazines will be recycled before the turn of the century.
Hunting for Magazines
Where is all of this OMG going to come from? Today, OMG and other clay-coated papers are available through several sources. The bulk of clay-coated paper collection currently centers around magazine distributors and magazine printers, both of which generate postindustrial material. Households and businesses, on the other hand, are good targets for postconsumer material, although OMG collection from these sources is extremely limited at present.
OMG from distributors is generally the result of newsstand returns—unsold magazines from the thousands of magazine retailers around the country. Because such material is fairly homogeneous, sorting of clay-coated paper is virtually effortless, and distributors ordinarily collect, shred, and bale the OMG themselves.
Printer OMG scrap is collected in various forms from the magazine printing production line. Unlike distributors, printers rarely process their magazine scrap, instead choosing to sell it to packers loose and crudely separated.
On the postconsumer side, curbside collection of OMG is rare. The majority of curbside collection vehicles are not outfitted with a separate compartment for such paper and few commingled recyclables sorting operations are set up to accurately segregate OMG . Compounding matters, much of the general public apparently lacks knowledge of OMGrecyclability. Nevertheless, several cities and counties have targeted OMG in their recycling collection programs, and more can be expected to do so as markets conditions inspire them to take the necessary steps. In addition, scout troops, church groups, and community drop-off programs could be encouraged to collect magazines, catalogs, and other glossy printed material.
Offices—because they receive many magazines, catalogs, directories, trade journals, and equipment brochures—represent another potential source of OMG . Many businesses and public agencies throughout the country are already participating in the recycling age by collecting office paper, newspapers, and other recyclables, and conceivably could incorporate one more commodity into their programs with a minimum of hassle.
Producing Quality
Like other secondary paper mills, the flotation deinking plants that are primed to consume OMG are sensitive to the quality of their feedstock and require that packers supply a quality product. (See "New Specs on the Way," on page XXX.) And as with any other type of recyclable, OMG quality often has a strong correlation to the type of source, with postindustrial sources generally providing less contaminated materials than their postconsumer counterparts. In addition, magazine distributors and printers are likely to offer OMG recyclers preferred packaging.
Nevertheless, diversity of sources for recovered material is invariably a good direction for most recyclers to take in their overall strategic purchasing plans. "The Magazine Wastepaper Stream: Addressing the Challenge," a report released by the MPA, reinforces that assertion. According to the report, "the supply of [newsstand] returns is expected to be inadequate by the mid-1990s and further growth of recycling will require collection of old magazines and other coated papers from consumers." Although OMG generated by these postconsumer sources can mean higher processing costs, as demand for clay-coated paper grows, so too should scrap prices, as well as more efficient sorting capabilities.
When sorting OMG , all clay-coated materials should be grouped together, and should not be mixed with any other type of paper unless otherwise agreed upon by the buyer and seller. Once sorting is accurate and complete, the shredding process begins. Packers report that an average piece of shredded (or hogged) OMG is approximately 8 inches by 3 1/2 inches—about a one-third size reduction from that of an average magazine. Because shredding can reveal contaminants that may have been overlooked in the initial sorting line, further sorting may be necessary, though this can be very difficult, time consuming, and costly. The final processing stop is the baler, where the standard-size OMGproduct reportedly can weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
OMG's Direction
For paper packers, the bottom-line question remains: Can the addition of OMG to an existing recycling business increase profits? Anything is possible, and many industry executives say that OMG recycling can be economically worthwhile. Of course, a key to this is higher prices for OMG , which have dipped into negative values in some areas of the country, packers report. As new deinking plants are opened across North America, demand for OMG will undoubtedly soar, bringing with it more favorable material values. How high they could go, however, no one is willing to predict.
What some are willing to forecast is how OMG for recycling is likely move through the United States . According to Resource Information Systems Inc. (LOCATION), as new deinking facilities come on-line, two primary OMG trade routes will develop: from California to the Pacific Northwest, where OMG will eventually surface as a major player in the scrap paper supply market, and from the Midwest and Northeast to Southern newsprint mills.
In the meantime, if deinking mill demand for OMG expands as expected, a major material shortfall could be in the offing unless collection increases dramatically. Thus, for those who take the chance and gear up for the potential demand, and even for those who choose to wait out the storm and participate later, OMG recycling offers promise.
After all, there are billions of old magazines out there just waiting for recyclers. It won't be inexpensive and without risks, but the recycling industry has a long history of perseverance through many tough situations. And OMG will be no exception.
New Specs on the Way
"Scrap Specifications Circular 1991," the most current spec guide from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) (Washington, D.C.), designates old magazines as specialty grade class 27-S. As such, the guide does not outline specific specifications for the material, instead calling on buyers and sellers to determine quality standards amongst themselves.
Nevertheless, it is generally agreed within the paper industry that clay-coated paper and uncoated paper must be separated before baling occurs. This general information is always subject to the buyer's and seller's criterion.
A detailed specification for OMG is on the way. The standards and practices committee of ReMA's Paper Stock Institute chapter is developing a comprehensive OMG spec, that will be discussed at the chapter's November convention. If approved by the chapter, the spec will be brought before ReMA's board of directors for consideration. Assuming board support, the updated OMG specification will be printed for public use by early 1993. —K.H.
Old magazines are currently recovered in relatively small numbers, but demand from new deinking facilities could make magazine recycling an enticing business segment.