How is Paper Recycled?
The process to recycle paper is similar to cardboard or newspaper. Paper is shredded, mixed with water (pulped), cleaned, screened (to remove contaminants such as plastic windows on envelopes), flattened on wire screens, and dried. Paper can normally be recycled 5-7 times before it loses strength. Paper is the #1 item we throw away in the United States (about one-third of the waste stream).
According to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA), 55 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling in 2007. This significant achievement was made possible by the millions of Americans who recycle at home, work, and school every day. In fact, if measured by weight, more paper is recovered for recycling from municipal solid waste streams than all glass, plastic and aluminum combined. Additional good news: every ton of paper recovered for recycling saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.
Paper recycling is an important way to reduce the waste stream, as paper waste is generated in huge amounts every year all over the world. The multi-step process recovers the maximum amount of reusable fiber from waste paper and converts it into new paper, cardboard, packing material, and other paper products. While paper recycling is not as stunningly efficient as glass and metal recycling, it is still an excellent way to conserve resources and help the environment. By recycling paper, you reduce the waste of trees, water, and energy in addition to reducing the number of pollutants emitted by paper making plants. It is estimated that paper recycling is 40% more efficient than making paper from scratch, and when done in an ecologically sound way, it can even have environmental benefits. Ways to make paper recycling even more ecologically sound include using non-toxic chemicals to bleach it, alternative energy to power the factory, and recovered water to process the paper, rather than f
A paper bin that is put out for recycling usually includes a number of different types of paper – possibly including old newspapers, shopping boxes and scribbling pads that you used at school. Other things mixed with the paper like staples, sticky tape, glue, plastic, metal clips and food must be taken out before the paper is recycled. Unsorted paper can be used for packaging, while using recycled paper for newspaper requires sorting into different types by hand. The better quality paper collected, the higher the quality of the recycled paper that is produced. Following sorting, recycled paper is squeezed together to form big blocks of paper and taken by truck to the paper mill. At the mill, the waste paper is mixed with water in a machine like a washing machine. Objects such as staples and plastic binders are removed and go to the rubbish tip. In this process, between 10% and 30% of the waste paper’s volume will be lost because the paper is made up fillers and other materials like cla
