Driving Forces and Inhibitors of Secondary Stock Extraction

Abstract

Even though it’s well known that our common resources are limited and that recycling is key for a sustainable future; in reality we see few examples of true recycling where virgin raw material is substituted by waste. There are endless numbers of examples where waste is utilized to some extent without solving the core issue: reducing the need of extracting virgin raw materials. This article analyses some of the driving forces and inhibitors of secondary stock extraction to explore why it’s so difficult establish large scale secondary stock extraction although suitable technologies are available. The authors discuss and suggest possible ways for reducing some of the main barriers presented.