Recycling, International Trade and the Environment: An Empirical Analysis
During the last century international trade has become indispensable for many economies. This is not only the case for trade in primary raw materials and consumer products but also for secondary (recyclable) materials. With the rapid growth of the recycli
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RECYCLING, INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS
by
PIETER J. H. VAN BEUKERING Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
~.
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
ISBN 978-90-481-5681-8 ISBN 978-94-015-9694-7 (eBook) DOI 10.1 007/978-94-015-9694-7
Printed on acid-free paper
Ali Rights Reserved © 200 1 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 200 1 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover Ist edition 2001 No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
Preface Several years ago, when I was interviewing Indian paper mill owners, I discovered to my surprise that a large share of the waste paper that was recycled in India originated from Europe and the United States. Until that time I had never realised that the old newspapers I conscientiously donated to the waste-paper container near my house travelled all the way to India to be recycled. This discovery was the beginning of a persistent fascination for international trade of recyclable materials. But it was only two years ago, after repeated encouragement from one of my supervisors, that I considered writing a Ph.D. thesis on this relatively unexplored issue. It is not my style to lock myself away for a couple of years and come out with a manuscript. I prefer to interact with other researchers from various disciplines because it adds to the depth of my research. As a result, most of the work presented in this book is the result of collaborative efforts. Therefore, I have to acknowledge the fact that I am indebted to numerous persons and institutions, without whom this book would not have been written.
To start with, I thank Harmen Verbruggen and Jeroen van den Bergh, who with their different reviewing styles, formed an ideal combination of supervisors. They taught me to separate main issues from side issues, to criticise my own writing, and to take the time to think. It was especially this last lesson that was crucial in making the switch from consultancy-type of research to the more rigorous academic approach. And last but not least, I am grateful for the flexibility and freedom they allowed me in the process of completing my thesis. I have had the pleasure of being surrounded by a group of friends who are imaginative economists and who greatly inspired me in writing this thesis. Herman Cesar meticulously read the entire manuscript and brought to notice the institutional dimension of international recycling. Marco Janssen patiently worked with me on models containing rather peculiar variables such as tyre pressure and dangerous driving. Mathijs Bouman and Hans Hoogeveen have been indispensable for coaching me in taking the first hesitant steps in
