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Reuse, recycle and reduce paper consumption!

Recycling is a series of activities that includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, and manufacturing raw materials into new products.

For recycling to work, everyone has to participate in each phase of the loop. From government and industry, to organizations, small businesses, and people at home, every American can make recycling a part of their daily routine. Below are some ways in which businesses, local governments, and citizens can get involved:

• While recycling has grown in general, recycling of specific materials has grown even more drastically: 42 percent of all paper, 40 percent of all plastic soft drink bottles, 55 percent of all aluminum beer and soft drink cans, 57 percent of all steel packaging, and 52 percent of all major appliances are now recycled.
• Twenty years ago, only one curbside recycling program existed in the United States, which collected several materials at the curb. By 1998, 9,000 curbside programs and 12,000 recyclable drop-off centers had sprouted up across the nation. As of 1999, 480 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.

The US pulp and paper industry is among the world’s leading generator of air and water pollutants, waste products and gases that cause climate change. Disposable commodities - facial tissue, napkins, paper towels and toilet paper - are either incinerated (which releases more CO2 into the air) or buried in landfills (where they release methane gas). Making new paper from recycled uses 30-50% less energy than production from trees and reduces air pollution by 95% ! It is expected by 2010, global consumption of paper will almost double. There are simple steps you can take to help save the trees and the environment. Here are the basics.

If we produce paper from recovered paper instead of new trees, more trees can be saved.

What are the environmental benefits of recycled paper?

• Recycling helps preserve forests, because it reduces demand for wood
• Recycling conserves resources and generates less pollution during manufacturing, because the fibers have already been extracted and bleached before.
• Recycling reduces solid waste, because it diverts usable paper from the waste stream.

Replace just 1 roll of toilet paper cut from ancient forests with 1 roll of recycled toilet paper!

This will save thousands and thousands of old growth trees in a year. Imagine how many trees would be saved if every tissue product we purchased was made from recycled paper. Check out Shopper’s Guide below.

Help the paper industry meet the 2012 goal of recovering 55% of paper consumed by Americans.

Many companies have become special stewards of nature. By extending this resource, Americans can make the commitment to preserve the Earth as well as help lessen the burden on the country’s landfills. Learn the facts.

Feed the Junk Mail junky.

Let your office manager know about a Recycling Bin.

Go to the source:

Check out Greenpeace Product Shoppers Guide

Paper Industry Assoc Council

Get the junk mail bin

Learn more go to:

Woody stumps for tree free paper

Whats the problem?

Want to buy recycled products?

National Recycling Conference

The Environmental Paper Network

Trade Association