India: Waste paper shipment is garbage

India: Waste paper shipment is garbage The Indian press is reporting that shipments of waste paper from New York to the Port of Kochi had various sorts of trash mixed in with them.
   The Hindu newspaper reported that the Kerala State Pollution Control Board last week said plastic, glass, metal, photocopier cartridges and food were mixed with paper waste in three containers. The board has recommended the containers be returned.
   The reports said containers contained 10 percent to 40 percent “prohibited municipal garbage,” not waste paper.
   The Hindu reports officials asked for Customs authorities to return the containers and initiate legal proceedings against the company that had imported the paper.
   Last year, the leading export from the Port of New York and New Jersey was “wood pulp,” most of which is waste paper. The port shipped 2.8 million tons of wood pulp in 2006, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
   The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries said that in 2006 the United States recycled 53.5 million tons of paper, exporting 16 million tons.