Can tech respect a relationship-driven industry?

If you've been in the recycling industry long enough, you've probably heard it, or maybe said it yourself: this business runs on relationships — phone calls, handshakes, and trust built over time. 

As the industry faces tighter margins, increased regulation, and a growing demand for transparency, these long-established practices are shifting. Digital tools are changing how recyclers connect, negotiate, and manage daily operations. So what happens when relationships move online?

"There's a shift where the next generation is taking over some of these operations," says Blake Gordon, general manager of digital trading at Georgia-Pacific Recycling. "They grew up with technology, and they don't like to spend time talking on the phone. That's where we're building [digital tools] so that we can serve people how they want to be served."

That thinking has shaped two digital tools that the company recently rolled out: hubbIT, its online buying platform, and GPR 365 Connect, a portal for users to schedule pickups, manage paperwork, and find freight options.

"It's a lot to take a very analog business and try to digitize it when it's been analog for a long time," says Gordon. "We definitely get pushback, but in my opinion, I think that means that we're kind of on the bleeding edge. If it were easy, we'd be too late."

What's your waste worth?

As digital platforms gain traction across the recycling industry, some tools are doing more than just streamlining transactions. They're revealing missed opportunities and gaps in education. "What we found, unforeseen and delightfully, was that hubbIT has become more of an education and activation platform for us," says Gordon. 

For some users, it's become a starting point for understanding the value of materials they might otherwise discard. Gordon notes that many businesses still pay to have recyclables hauled away or give them away for free, simply because they're unaware of the potential value. 

"People don't wake up every morning and think about what the scrap from their manufacturing process is worth," says Gordon. "That's waste to them. They have it hauled away, not knowing that there's value in it. It's often not until there's a need or it's brought to their attention that they start thinking about it, realizing, ‘there's actually probably value in some of this stuff,' but they don't know if it's five cents or $5,000."

Bringing more people to the table

As competition for traditional sources increases — especially for high-demand grades like white paper — companies are being pushed to look beyond their usual supplier base. 

"If we keep looking at the same archetype, the same type of supplier, we're going to be competing with everybody else for that same person," says Gordon. "We need to get creative in some of these sources."

In Gordon's view, the digital shift is also about expanding access, and that includes reaching out to businesses that haven't traditionally been part of the recycling system. However, entering the market isn't always straightforward. 

"We've given non-recycling people a very complex system to try and jump into," he says. "So I think simplifying things, demystifying recycling... that's one thing that I'm personally focused on." 

Making it easier for those businesses to understand the process and the value of their materials could help close that gap and bring a greater supply of materials into the stream.

AI helps, but doesn't replace people

Artificial intelligence has made its way into some of Georgia-Pacific's systems, mostly behind the scenes. It helps with calculations and automating small decisions, but it's not replacing people anytime soon. Adoption remains limited for the recycling industry in general, partly due to how unpredictable the materials themselves can be.

"We're trading commodities, but we're not trading corn, cattle, or oil," says Gordon. "It's recycled materials. Take, for instance, a truckload of corrugate. It's not all going to be used boxes. It's going to be as close as possible, but there's also going to be other stuff in there like tape, and labels, and some are going to be printed, and there might be a rat. You never know, right?"

Because of that, full automation isn't likely for quite some time. "There's this trust level that has to come with knowing who you're doing business with, and that's why relationships exist," Gordon says.

Old and new, side by side

Georgia-Pacific's digital efforts reflect broader shifts across the recycling industry as recyclers work to balance efficiency, education, and long-standing relationships. These tools are one part of that process, built to complement, not replace, the human element the industry still depends on. They're designed to support two kinds of recyclers: the veterans who still want to talk, and the next generation of operators who grew up online and prefer it that way.

Not everyone wants to do business through an app, and that's okay. Gordon says the goal is to meet suppliers where they are, whether that's online, on the phone, or somewhere in between.