Approximately one third of all waste in this nation’s landfills consists of paper. All the most of this is post-consumer packaging, things like newspapers, loosely and books also contribute to this problem. The normal garbage dumpster emptied weekly from behind businesses may contain up to 75% paper waste, which makes them some of the largest offenders in the recycling world.
When you consider whether it is prudent to recycle paper or not, important to understand all aspects of the lifecycle of your simple piece of paper or cardboard box. Of course, everyone knows paper starts out as trees. The trees are cut down, brought out of the forests and jungles on large trucks, sent to the processing plants where they are shredded up and turned into pulp and then sent on to paper factories where it is finally used to make paper or cardboard. This entire process takes millions of gallons of water and high amounts of coal-fueled energy.
Whether you own and operate a large corporation or simply an individual who wants to make a difference and support green living, recycling all the paper products you use every day can definitely make the difference. With the help of our trash and recycling services in the College Station and Bryan, TX area, you can reduce that waste and save a lot of energy, fresh water and trees.
Reuse All Paper You Can
At its most basic, reusing paper means that you save scraps of this and that to jot down notes or take phone messages instead of buying cute notebooks or other paper products. Reuse boxes to store things or ship to your friends and family. They also make great creative toys for kids.
Recycle the Rest of the Paper
Anywhere from 30 to 50% of the water and energy used to create paper from trees is needed to create paper from other pieces of paper. This is a considerable reduction that, when multiplied by the number of paper factories out there in the world, can make a considerable difference for landfills, green energy and the environment at large. According to various recycling sources, 1 ton of recycled paper saves over 50,000 gallons of water, 225 kilowatt hours of energy and 17 trees.
Support Businesses Who Do Paper Recycling
Because commercial consumers and businesses of all sizes are the primary cause of paper ways, it makes sense for people interested in the green movement and recycling in general to support businesses who have a recycle program in place.
In the end, money talks and who you give your money to will be able to do more beneficial things for the environment and the community. When it comes to reducing landfill waste, minimizing energy usage, maintaining the all-important natural resource of fresh water and protecting oxygen-giving trees, paper recycling is one of the most effective things we can do.
