Recycling paper helps the planet

Posted: 13.02.09  |  Created by: Do Something

Using recycled paper around the office is a good start, but we need to recycle a lot more of the office paper that we use. Turning office paper into cardboard and paper helps to save trees, water, electricity and oil. It also reduces landfill and reduces greenhouse emissions.

Did you know...how much recycling paper helps the environment?

• manufacturing paper from recycled stock instead of trees can reduce energy use by up to 64% and water use by up to 50% (1)

• by using 100% recycled paper, three cubic metres of landfill space will be saved per tonne of paper (2)

• producing one tonne of recycled paper can save up to: 31,780 litres of water; 4,100 kw/h of electricity; 13 trees; 27 kilograms of air pollutants; 4 cubic metres of landfill and 2.5 barrels of oil (3)

• every 100 reams of recycled office paper that is printed double sided will save more than one tonne of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere (4)

...recycled and recycleable paper are different things?

• recyclable only means that the paper can be recycled. It doesn't necessarily contain recycled material
• recycled paper contains previously used material

...there are different levels of recycled paper content? 

• recycled content
  made from waste materials and usually measured as a percent of the total weight
• post-consumer content 
  material that has finished its life cycle as paper and is turned into recycled fibre
• pre-consumer content 
  by-products generated after manufacturing that are turned into recycled content

References: 

(1) Techsoup
(2) ResourceSmart Victoria
(3) CSIRO
(4) Deakin University

Read some great tips on how to reduce your paper usage.

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