Where landfill is dear and there is a demand for recycled materials, recycling can make sense.
"If I substitute raw materials from Morocco for recycled goods from Europe, it's very well for the person in Europe who might get a job out of it, but people in Africa will suffer," Rietveld said.
Packaging designed for recovery, and a significant part of the raw materials from recycled materials.
However, developing end markets for recycled materials is necessary for recycling to be successful, and the achievement of those markets depends on consumer demand for products.
Mr. Cipollina said that as the cost of shipping garbage to out-of-state landfills rises, and as the price the city can get for recycled material increases, recycling will make more sense.
Persistently low prices for recycled materials are causing the $16 billion recycling industry no end of problems.
The government is investing £40m in a programme to find alternative uses for recycled materials and so to promote recycling.
Ekocycle is among numerous efforts to create new uses for recycled materials as a way to encourage consumers to recycle, manufacturers to buy those materials and municipalities to begin or expand recycling programs.
Jakob Rindegren, recycling policy advisor for the Environmental Services Association ESAA), said: "2015 was a perfect storm for recycling, combining cuts to local authority budgets with declining commodity markets for recycled materials.
