When colleague Dave Newcorn called recently for my recollections of the days when returnable, refillable packaging was more commonplace, I was struck that the examination of both primary and secondary material markets can show how precarious they can be in this dynamic packaging business. This is especially true for the recycling markets.
Although I stop short of describing myself as an “environmentalist” because it conjures up nuances I don’t embrace, I admit that waste makes my skin crawl. And I’ve been that way ever since growing up with parents who regularly reminded me what it was like to survive the Depression years, plus WWII with its ration coupons when, believe it or not, I was actually quite young. One fond memory was learning from my grandfather how to tie bundles of newspapers with string and then taking a carload to sell to a nearby scrap dealer.
