News | December 2, 2009

Recycled Paper, The Environmentally Preferable Paper

Paper production is not an easy process as it requires ninety eight tons of wood and other materials to produce one ton of paper.

Paper production is not an easy process as it requires ninety eight tons of wood and other materials to produce one ton of paper. Statistical records unveil the fact that about 90% of paper is made out of wood and almost half of the world's harvested wood thus goes to the paper industry to produce papers. The hard fact is, it takes seconds to waste papers and years to grow the trees! Reusing or recycling paper hence is the buzzword of the era that stems out from the global necessity for forest reservation.

Recycling of paper aids not only in preserving the environment but also supports in the growth of the economy and thus helps you in saving money. Environmentally friendly recycled paper is made from the waste papers. When the recovered waste papers are re-made into new paper then it is known as the recycled paper.

Delve into the details of the manifold benefits of using the recycled papers:

Using the recycled paper saves natural resources: The idea of using recycled paper is to save natural resources like trees and water. To make a ton of recycled feedstock saves atleast 17 trees and 50 percent less water than the process of manufacturing the virgin paper.

Using the recycled paper saves energy: Statistical reports suggest that the process of recycling paper involves 65% less energy than the process of virgin paper manufacturing which is done by cutting down new trees and by making the paper pulp from the trees. Significant amount of fossil fuels and energy are used in making a ton of virgin paper.

Using the recycled paper saves environment: Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas which escapes from the buried paper in the landfills. On the other hand, recycling paper process significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions hence helps in slowing down the global climatic change.

Using recycled paper helps in decreasing pollution: Let us face the fact that the paper industry is one of the largest contributors towards air and water pollution in the world. The EPA has pointed out that recycling of paper helps to achieve 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution. Furthermore, the earth-friendly bleaching processes that the recycling mills tend to use ensure a striking reduction in the pollution level. The traditional virgin paper manufacturing mill uses chlorine as a whitening agent. The chlorine bleaching compounds however, release furans and dioxins, which are harmful for both humans and wildlife.

Using recycled papers supports in cutting down the waste: Recycled papers use the waste paper to remake new papers. Converting the waste papers into reusable papers thus supports in cutting down the waste.

The recycled paper laced with its numerous benefits is a great contributor in the eternal quest for a better environment and for a better tomorrow.

SOURCE: Ecopaper