Thanks to China, your TP is about to cost more—or feel a whole lot worse
Ever wonder what happens to the crisp, white office paper you use at work to print out silly pics of your co-workers’ faces Photoshopped on onto Lady Gaga’s body? Well, it used to go to North American recycling plants where it was made into pillowy-soft toilet paper. But the Chinese have recently entered the market for office wastepaper with a vengeance, carting the stuff back to the Middle Kingdom by container ship for the benefit of Sino posteriors. Which leaves us Westerners shelling out more for the soft stuff. Or resorting to lower grade paper that, at bottom, is not so nice.