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Position Opposes Bans and Fees on Valuable Resource

(Washington, DC) – Paper bags are a highly recyclable resource that is sought after for its fiber strength and is used in the manufacture of many products such as corrugated boxes, cereal boxes, wallboard, and new paper bags. Recycled paper bags are a valuable contributor to the U.S. trade balance, with a third of recovered paper exported. In support of paper bags as a recyclable and valuable resource, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) adopted the following:

It is the position of the ReMA that:

• Promotes a free and fair, competitive, market-based system for the trade of recyclable materials such as paper bags.
• Supports a competitive marketplace that does not restrict, direct, or interfere with the free flow of recyclable materials.
• Opposes bans and fees on paper that are being manufactured into useful commodity grade materials and sold into viable, commercial markets without subsidies or noncompetitive, fixed pricing.
• Promotes the proper recycling and economic opportunities associated with the collection, processing, and reuse in finished products such as paper bags.
• Encourages the addition of paper bags to curbside collection programs.
• Strongly support the use of recycled content to the maximum percentage that is mechanically and commercially viable.

The position was developed in response to several high-profile municipalities either banning or placing fees on paper bags, which reduces the amount of paper bags recycled, thus negatively impacting the amount recovered. This position provides stakeholders, including governments, with valuable information on where ReMA stands on these issues.

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The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, Inc. (ISRI) is the "Voice of the Recycling Industry™." ReMA represents 1,300 companies in 20 chapters in the U.S. and more than 40 countries that process, broker, and consume scrap commodities, including metals, paper, plastics, glass, rubber, electronics, and textiles. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the Institute provides education, advocacy, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycling plays in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development. Generating nearly $110 billion annually in U.S. economic activity, the scrap recycling industry provides more than 500,000 Americans with good jobs.