Recycling paper was one of the earliest and most important actions individuals and companies took to treat our natural world more gently. But despite great advances in paper recycling, we don’t have enough recycled paper fiber to go around.
So, if we cannot make every new product from recycled paper, which products should be made from recycled and which should use sustainably grown new fiber? A new tool is being developed to help answer that question. But first, let’s explain why we need it in the first place.
A record-high 66.8 percent of all paper used in the United States was recovered for recycling in 2015, nearly double the rate of 33.5 percent in 1990, according to the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA). This is great news, and it makes paper one of the most recycled products on the planet.
This success was achieved through a collective effort — by the environmental community and sound public and private policies — that increased recovery rates and the demand for recycled products. Together, we are building on that progress toward the goal of achieving the practical maximum paper recovery rate, which is about 80 percent a year.
Why only 80 percent? Because some paper products simply can’t go back into the paper production system. Greasy food boxes and bathroom tissue are prime examples of things that can’t be recycled for sanitary reasons. Some paper is used to create other products that can’t be recycled back into new paper, such as drywall, insulation and pet bedding. We also use some paper for a long time, such as books, birth certificates and photo paper that help us learn, record history and be entertained.
Furthermore, every time paper is recycled, its fibers break down a little. This makes it difficult to use those fibers to make the same type of paper again and again. Ultimately, paper fibers can be recycled only five to seven times before they become too short and weak to make new paper.
To read the full story, visit https://www.greenbiz.com/article/if-all-paper-cannot-be-made-100-recycled-fiber-what-should-we-use.