<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br><div><img src="cid:ii_l94dgn0e1" alt="image.png" width="196" height="75" style="margin-right: 0px;"><br></div><div>The  Market Update speaker at OKRA's 2022 Annual Recycling Conference forewarned us that the markets were headed in a downward trend.  Here is the latest from Resource Recycling.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><b><font color="#38761d"><br></font></b></div><div><b><font color="#38761d">_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________</font></b></div><div><br></div><div><img src="cid:ii_l94dfjht0" alt="image.png" width="470" height="137"><br></div><div><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/10/10/autumn-brings-accelerated-decline-in-fiber-markets/" title="Permalink to Autumn brings accelerated decline in fiber markets" rel="bookmark" style="background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial;font-size:24px;box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(7,127,76);text-decoration-line:none;background-repeat:repeat">Autumn brings accelerated decline in fiber markets</a><br></div><div><div class="gmail-rwh_article" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:14px;font-family:"open sans",arial;color:rgb(179,179,179)"><div class="gmail-postedon" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span class="gmail-meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Published: October 10, 2022<br style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Updated: </span>October 10, 2022<br style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span class="gmail-meta" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">by </span><span class="gmail-author gmail-vcard" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;float:none;max-width:74px"><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/10/10/autumn-brings-accelerated-decline-in-fiber-markets/" title="View all posts by RecyclingMarkets.net Staff" class="gmail-url gmail-fn gmail-n" rel="author" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;vertical-align:middle">RecyclingMarkets.net Staff</a></span></div><div class="gmail-postcontent entry-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;background:padding-box padding-box transparent;border-radius:0px;border:0px solid rgb(0,0,0)"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><img alt="Market graph icon" width="150" height="150" class="gmail-alignright gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-5261 gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2017/05/RR_graph.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; height: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; border: 0px solid transparent; float: right; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 400ms ease 0ms; border-radius: 0px; box-shadow: none;">Recovered fiber prices have crumbled this month, with OCC values cut in half and mixed paper dropping into negative territory for the first time in over two years. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span id="gmail-more-24721" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">The national average price for </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">corrugated containers (PS 11) </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">has plummeted from $78 per ton </span><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/09/13/more-price-drops-for-recycled-paper-and-plastic/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">last month</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"> to a current average of $40 per ton, compared to $169 per ton this time last year. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">OCC, one of the most important commodities in the curbside mix, has been falling since July, when the price was $131 per ton. Since then, each month has brought worse and worse news for MRFs. The price dropped 13%, 32% and 49% in August, September and October, respectively. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/video/2022/09/16/containerboard-market-serves-as-a-proxy-for-economic-health-says-jefferies-philip-ng.html" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Some analysts see</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"> cardboard box demand, which affects the value of recovered fiber, as a rough gauge of overall economic conditions. Prices for OCC </span><a href="https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2022/10/03/editors-analysis-are-bale-prices-foreshadowing-recession/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">also collapsed in the runup</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"> to the 2007-09 Great Recession. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Another important grade given its large percentage in the curbside mix, </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">mixed paper (PS 54)</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">, is feeling even worse pain and is now a cost for MRFs, not a revenue source. Mixed paper</span> <span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">has dropped from $18 per ton to negative $1 per ton. This compares with $95 per ton this time last year. The last time mixed paper had a negative value was in April 2020 – at that point, it had been negative for over a year. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Again, as is the case with OCC, the mixed paper decline has been remarkably swift. As recently as July, it was $69 per ton. Then the price dropped 36%, 59% and 106% in August, September and October, respectively. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Sorted residential papers (PS 56) </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">are also down dramatically, from $82 to $35 per ton. This compares with $116 per ton one year ago. Like OCC and mixed paper, sorted residential papers have been on a steep decline since July. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Sorted office papers (PS 37) </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">remain steady, at $241 per ton, compared to an average $165 one year ago.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">UBCs have also dropped over the past month. The national average price for sorted, baled </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">aluminum cans </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">is now 67.75 cents per pound, compared with 73.31 cents last month. This material was trading at an average 81.13 cents per pound this time last year.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Sorted, baled </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">steel cans </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">remained steady month-to-month, at an average $188 per ton. The price was $249 per ton one year ago.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">There was a little bit of good news in plastics. The price of </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">PET beverage bottles and jars </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">came up this month by about 13% percent. PET is now averaging 8.50 cents per pound, compared with 7.53 cents per pound this time last month. Some regions are still trading as high as 12.00 cents per pound, with most offering as low as 7.00 cents. PET was trading at 22.78 cents one year ago.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">The national average price of post-consumer </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">natural high-density polyethylene (HDPE) </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">is also up, now at an average 44.56 cents per pound. This compares with 39.50 cents last month. The price was 104.25 cents this time last year.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Color HDPE </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">is up marginally, now trading at 6.41 cents per pound, compared to 6.16 cents this time last month. It averaged 54.00 cents one year ago.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Polypropylene (PP) </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">prices have dropped quite a bit over the past month, however. PP is trading at 5.38 cents per pound, down from 8.31 cents last month, or a drop of 35%. PP was 32.69 cents one year ago.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">The national average price of </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Grade A film </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">is also down, now at 19.50 cents per pound, compared to 20.75 last month and 20.63 cents one year ago. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Grade B film </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">is 6.94 cents, compared to 7.00 last month. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder">Grade C film </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">remains firm at 0.94 cents per pound.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">These prices are as reported on the Secondary Materials Pricing (SMP) Index. This pricing represents what is being paid for post-consumer recyclable materials in a sorted, baled format, picked up at most major recycling centers.</span></i><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-weight:bolder"><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"> </i></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">For a free trial to SMP’s Online Post-Consumer Pricing Index, visit the </span></i><a href="http://www.recyclingmarkets.net/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Recycling Markets website</span></i></a><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">. You can also contact Christina </span></i><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">Boulanger-Bosley </span></i><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">at </span></i><a href="mailto:cmb@recyclingmarkets.net" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px">cmb@recyclingmarkets.net</span></i></a><i style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px"> or 330-956-8911.</span></i></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"> </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:10px 0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Open Sans",Arial;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:1.42;background:padding-box padding-box rgba(255,255,255,0)"><a href="https://shred-tech.com/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(40,130,50);background-color:transparent;font-family:"open sans",arial"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></a></p></div></div></div></div></div>