Page 7 from: Country report New Zealand and much more!

INTERVIEW

7recyclinginternational.com | May/June | 2019

‘We’ve done what we could with China’

when you are far away,’ says Baxi
while he enjoys a cold beer at Spire
73 on the 73th floor of the
InterContinental Los Angeles
Downtown. It’s claimed to have the
highest open-air bar in the western
hemisphere and offers breathtaking
views over the city at night.
Baxi has just flown in from London for
the US Institute of Scrap Recycling
Industries’ (ISRI) Convention & Expo
being held in the nearby LA
Convention Center, a few blocks down
from the InterContinental. It is his last
ISRI show in his role as BIR president.
It’s early April, less than six weeks
before he hands over to successor
Tom Bird.
Ranjit Baxi has been at the helm of
the Bureau of International Recycling
for four years. Some say, being the
first Indian to lead BIR, he has given
the world recycling organisation a
more global face. One of the things
that marked his early presidency was
an announcement that BIR would
stage its first conference in India. ‘I
had set a clear goal that in my term
there would be a BIR convention in
India,’ he recalls. ‘1.3 billion popula-
tion, fast-growing middle class, huge
scrap market – let’s put it this way: it
was about time. In October 2017, the
global recycling scene gathered in
Delhi … finally. For many BIR mem-
bers and fellow recyclers, this was a
big milestone.’

Other highlights during
yOur presidency include
Bir’s 70th anniversary
celeBratiOn and, perhaps
mOre impOrtantly, the Birth

Of glOBal recycling day
(grd). What made Bir decide
tO launch this initiative?
Baxi: ‘As an industry we have a good
story to tell. However, we were not
really doing that. I found it was impor-
tant to connect the world and spread
the word of recycling. GRD was cele-
brated for the first time on 18 March
2018, and then again on 18 March this
year. Around the world, we have seen
so many initiatives pop up – small and
big. We have had at least six million
hits on social media. As a result, we
have today got the world talking
about the importance of recycling.
Many more industries and private indi-
viduals are now acutely aware of the
role they play in developing and cap-
turing the value of the planet’s sev-
enth resource.’

yOur term as Bir president
Was dOminated By ever-
stricter chinese scrap
impOrt rules. did yOu see
this cOming?
‘Clearly, China’s changing scrap
import policy did not come out of the
blue. We had seen the impact of
Green Fence, with increased quality
controls and scrap import restrictions.
All these things got worse from July
2017, when the Chinese government
launched its National Sword cam-
paign.

What Was Bir’s respOnse?
‘What we’re supposed to do: lobby.
Advocate the need for free trade,
fight for the interest of our members
and the recycling industry as a whole,
together with ISRI. Unfortunately, it

did not have the success we hoped
for. I have learned that you should
always try and never give up, not even
against big China. We have done our
best; we have done what we could
with China. At the same time, our
expectations were always realistic
and we have briefed our members
and the public accurately on that new
reality.’

hOW dO yOu lOOk Back On
yOur term?
‘People mustn’t think this is a fun job.
It’s not a ceremonial position. It is
hard work. When I was asked to
become president, I was honoured.
It’s a role of duty: to help serve and
promote our industry and share
knowledge. I have spoken at dozens
of conferences; I have given the best
of myself to help BIR move forward.
We have a more dedicated convention
team now that has added value to our
conferences. We have also managed
to widen sponsorship, so there is
more funding. I believe and hope that
I have made a difference, with great
support from others: BIR director gen-
eral Arnaud Brunet and his team in
Brussels have done a fantastic job.
Not to mention my successor Tom
Bird, who has already done so much
important work as BIR treasurer.’

What advice WOuld yOu give
tOm?
‘Every six years, at least one conven-
tion should take place in India. The
same goes for Turkey. These are big,
growing economies and are major
players in the global scrap recycling
industry. BIR cannot neglect that.’

06-07_qa-ranjitbaxidepartingbirpresident.indd 7 06-05-19 14:15