Millions of European and American householders spend some time every week sifting their old newspapers from the rest of their waste and putting them aside for recycling. At some point a truck comes by, picks up the paper and moves on. What happens to it after that is a lot less clear – some people care, some do not. They have done what they are supposed to do as environmentally conscious citizens and are left to hope it is recycled in some way.

There are targets for paper recycling. To meet the requirements of the European commission, the European paper industry is aiming to recycle 66% of all paper products by 2010, and Europe reached 64.5% in 2007. The US paper industry has set a goal to recover for recycling 55% of all paper used by 2012.

But where is the recycling happening? What most people do not realise is that vast amounts of European and US waste paper go straight to the docks and are then shipped to China. At the other end someone such as Thijs Cox, one of the founders of Ciparo, a recycling company based in China, picks it up for recycling and sale to countless Chinese manufacturers. Most products you buy from China involve some paper in them – wrapping, packaging, instructions – and often that is your morning newspaper coming back to you. Cox, originally from the Netherlands, runs Ciparo, one of the largest firms shipping Europe’s waste paper to China for recycling.

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