Recycling Paper

I went to Nepal a little while back and met a group of women who had a paper processing plant. I was fascinated to see how the paper was made. I had never really taken the time to think before how each piece of paper we use daily comes from a living tree. (unless it's been recycled of course)

I'd like to ask you to do one thing for me... Close your eyes and try to think about all the paper you came into contact with since you got up this morning. (hints: toilet paper, cereal box, memo, writing material for work, newspaper, Kleenex to blow your nose...)

I don't know about you but when I first did this little exercise I was really surprised to see how paper has become an integral part of our lives.

Now, think about all the trees that are used to give us this paper!!! If we don't start recycling paper, we will cause irreparable environmental damage:

• Our forests will be depleted. If too much timber is cut, the loss of shade will leave the soil to bake in the sun making it more subject to erosion.
• Because of this erosion, when there is a storm, the roots of the trees that are left have less hold in the ground and do not survive. The forest will then slowly degrade and eventually die.
• There will be more landslides caused by this soil erosion.
• This process of deforestation in various geographical regions is affecting the natural biodiversity . This is slowly destroying our wildlife.
• Trees are essential in the carbon dioxide exchange process. After the oceans, forests are the most important “sink” for atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Recycling paper can also help us save on water. A lot of water is used to produce paper but, if we use recycled paper to make the new paper instead of using shredded wood, we save up to 60% of that water.

Using recycled paper in manufacturing also reduces water pollution by 35% as well as air pollutants by 73%.

Recycled wood pulp can be used to make almost anything which can be made from virgin wood pulp: paper, boxes, tissue, cardboard, newspaper...

Click here to follow the steps used in the paper recycling process.

Make paper recycling simple. Find out tips and ideas on how to easily recycle your paper products.

Now that you know how to properly recycle your paper you must think that you are all set in helping the environment. Well, it is a first step and that is good but, there is a little more to think about here.

Recycling paper is not without its environmental issues. The process involved in changing old paper into new paper requires a significant amount of energy.

Then we have to add the transport of the recycled paper pulp to the recycling paper plant. What I am trying to say is that, even though less energy is used to transform recycled paper into new paper, a lot of fossil fuel and a significant amount of energy are used to give us this paper.

The moral of the story you ask?? We need to work together to bring down our paper consumption while at the same time, we continue recycling paper at every opportunity.

Click here to Find ways to help reduce our paper consumption