Tariffs and Recycling

The potential for tariffs on Canadian, Mexican, and Chinese products is about to dramatically change our region’s supply of many products, including clothing and some building materials like lumber.

A tariff on building materials would be harmful to Massachusetts, especially with the high demand for new and affordable housing that we face. One way to cope with this possible cost pressure is to scale up a recycled building materials supply chain. More old houses will need to be repaired and improved rather than bulldozed and rebuilt. And when buildings do need to be torn down, salvaging the old wood and other materials to be reused to repair or build more units will be critical.

Small construction companies and individuals with trucks and ambition can build a new revenue stream by collecting, sorting, and reselling not only framing materials but also hardwood flooring, windows, and case goods. With a functional supply chain, larger developers will likely adapt new ways to plan their work to include lower-cost recycled material. Community waste haulers like Mello and Waste Management will want to find new ways to sort and sell these now more valuable building materials. In addition, old teardown houses may have usable appliances that might find a home as a vintage summer cottage replacement.

With kudos to Newburyport and some neighboring towns for well-established and effective waste reduction and recycling systems, the consequences of new tariffs will present new challenges, requiring determination, creativity, and collaboration from all of us. As this impacts all citizens and involves all aspects of our communities, perhaps a public-private task force could be established. It could outline the questions and challenges that are impacted by the uncertainties facing us and need to be addressed. From this evaluation could come strategic and collaborative answers and approaches to cope with any onerous tariffs.

Relative to clothing, inexpensive copies of new styles known as "Fast Fashion" have led to excessive consumption by some people. And in a few months or years, those clothes will be discarded into landfills or stored in the back of people’s closets. The system is harmful to us and to the planet, as those supply chains often involve waste, pollution, and sometimes worker exploitation. Changing that Fast Fashion system would be good for the environment.

We really don’t know how shop owners will react if proposed tariffs hit. Maybe as new clothing becomes more expensive, more items may be thrifted—essentially recycled—as consignment and used vintage clothing become popular. So as tariffs loom and prices for clothing and building materials surely rise, isn’t it time to buy less but better, buy locally but wisely from vintage and consignment shops, and buy environmentally by using reused building materials of all types? We will need to get creative to cope with rising costs and supply shocks, but certainly, reusing and recycling will be an important strategy for that effort.

Future tariffs will cause major shocks to many local family budgets, and we will all need to respond to help—maybe with more yard sales and donations to thrift shops and swap meets for children’s clothing that they outgrow so quickly. Let us know your suggestions, and we will keep sharing ideas with the community at large. Meanwhile, let’s all be kind to each other and to Mother Earth.

ACES believes we can make a BIG difference together. Team members invite you to stay updated on environmental matters by subscribing to our monthly newsletter via the “Join Our List” link on this page. Please consider joining our community of stewards who are committed to Make Every Day Earth Day by contacting acesnewburyport@gmail.com.

This educational column first appeared in The Daily News of Newburyport on January 7, 2025.