Recycling At Home - Paper
Did you know that over the Christmas period enough wrapping paper is binned to cover an area the size of Guernsey? That's a lot of paper. Did you also know that each tonne of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill space, 4000 KW of energy and 7000 gallons of water. And that rainforests are being cut down at the rate of 100 acres per minute? The paper industry is the largest recycling sector in the UK, although 5 million tonnes still go to landfill or incineration.Reasons to Recycle Paper -
The paper industry continues to import fibre to produce their product so it does not make economical or environmental sense to landfill our waste paper. A staggering 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used every year in the UK, and the average UK person ploughs through 38kg of newspapers annually.
Although paper is biodegradable it should not be landfilled, and the reason for this is that methane gas is caused in the process, and we need to reduce this to combat the greenhouse effect which contributes to global warming. The recycling of paper reduces the amount of virgin paper we use which is usually imported as pulp and wood, and recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials.
What Paper Can I Recycle?
What Paper Can I Recycle?
The range of papers which can be recycled include - newspapers, magazines, junk mail, white envelopes (without windows), office paper, holiday brochures, catalogues & white directories like phone books. A general guide is if it tears white it's suitable for recycling. Yellow Page directories are recyclable too, but these are often collected separately to other paper.
Do not include packaging such as milk or juice cartons as they have a plastic lining and this is classed as contamination.
How Do I Recycle Paper?
Do not include packaging such as milk or juice cartons as they have a plastic lining and this is classed as contamination.
How Do I Recycle Paper?
Waste paper is collected from most homes in the UK now by Local Authorities, and where it is not then aim to utilise waste paper banks which can be found everywhere these days. When you have finished with them, take your magazines to your local doctors' or dentists' surgery for the waiting room. Re-use scrap paper for writing notes and lists and re-use envelopes and jiffy bags by sticking a label over the address.
