Dive Brief:

• As workers continue to strike over a disputed labor contract, mountains of recyclables at ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, CA, are creating headaches for recyclers in the region.
• Recycling companies in the Greater Los Angeles area are searching for places to store the growing volumes of materials waiting to be exported onto ships that aren’t able to dock.
• Recycling firms have been playing the waiting game, holding onto stockpiled recyclables until the strike ends. However, many smaller companies may be forced to shutter their businesses if the labor conflict doesn’t end soon. 

Dive Insight:

Brett Jones, president of the Association of California Recycling Industries, said: “China consumes the developed world’s scrap and raw commodities. If you can’t get to the world’s largest consumer, then it becomes a problem.” He added that many recyclers have been forced to stretch their budgets during the strike, resorting to renting out extra space for the extra material and cutting employee hours.