PORTLAND — A protracted slump in the markets for recyclable materials may be reversing course, according to ecomaine, the Portland-based nonprofit processor of single-sort recyclables. Following more than three years of turbulence in global and domestic business for post-consumer scrap materials, pricing is increasing significantly with each passing month, said ecomaine, in a news release.  

Following China’s “National Sword” policy prohibiting most imports of recyclable material, global markets saw significant challenges, particularly in the demand for post-consumer paper.  Since then, investments in North American capabilities to accept and manufacture with recyclable fiber and plastic have created a significant uptick in demand for residential recycling. 

“We have been watching these investments since 2017 with some optimism,” said ecomaine CEO Kevin Roche.  “These new mills coming online combined with demand generated throughout the pandemic have led to steady movement of ecomaine’s materials at increasingly good price points.  We’re cautiously optimistic at these developments.” 

• From July 2020 to July 2021, mixed paper pricing has increased from negative $27/ton to $56/ton, or 307 %.
• During the same period, cardboard prices have gone from $51/ton to $146/ton.
• Metal’s value has increased, as well; aluminum from $722/ton to nearly $1,200/ton, and steel and tin from $73/ton to $318/ton
• And plastics have seen a significant upturn across all four categories of plastics processed by ecomaine (see charts for more details)

Added Roche, “This is welcome news for Maine’s recycling sector, and ecomaine’s communities who are benefitting from taking a long-term view during a challenging period in the markets,” said Roche. “We remain optimistic, but we will continue to plan for the future, as we have weathered recessions and global challenges before – and we will again.”

About ecomaine

ecomaine, located in Portland, Maine, is the member-owned, nonprofit, recycling and waste-to-energy operation that serves a third of the state’s population in more than 65 member communities.  ecomaine provides comprehensive long-term solid waste solutions in a safe, environmentally responsible, economically sound manner, and is a leader in raising public awareness of sustainable waste management strategies.