In 2012 Americans exported almost 22.3 million tons—or roughly 40.5 percent—of the used paper and cardboard they harvested. Of that, the majority went to China in shipping containers that otherwise would have crossed the Pacific Ocean carrying nothing more than air. It was joined by millions of tons of recycled metal and plastic, all of which went—like that paper—on what amounted to the unused portion of a round-trip ticket from China to the United States, paid for by American consumers eager for Chinese-made goods. One way or another, the boat is going back to China, and the fuel to send it
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