The sad fact is that the energy budget of many recyclable materials is impacted by the fact that the market for recycled materials is global. As such, cheap oil has made it cheaper, in many cases, to send recycled goods to other countries rather than invest in the infrastructure to recycle and re-manufacture them domestically. Not only is this a problem for transport energy balances, but when these materials are transported, a small percentage of these items seems to inevitably fall into the ocean during the trip.
The easiest way to encourage recycling industries to remain at home is to educate and encourage consumers to preferentially support home-grown recycled products. By purchasing such items, consumers can support the construction of the requisite facilities to handle recyclables at a competitive price.
One may also lobby their legislators to encourage public investment in recycling facilities as well as the industries that use recycled products.
