Recycle Paper & Paperboard

Paper and Card Recycling

The first piece of paper as we know it was produced from rags in AD 105 by Ts’ai Luin, who was part of the Eastern Han Court of the Chinese Emperor Ho Ti.

Recycled Paper Bale

Paper is made from cellulose fibre, the source of which can be pulped wood, or a variety of other materials such as rags, cotton, grasses, sugar cane, straw, waste paper, or even elephant dung! In this country, wood pulp is the most common source material for the manufacture of virgin paper, i.e. paper which has no recycled content.

  • 87 percent (268 million) of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs
  • Recovered paper accounts for approximately 37% of the fiber used to make paper in the United States
  • By 2012 the paper industry hopes to recover 60 percent of the paper Americans consume

  • Paper is separated into the following groups:

    • Magazines
    • Newspapers
    • Office paper
    • Cardboard
    • Phone directories
  • Deposit used paper at your local recycling bank.
  • Most home recycling bins, provided by your local council, usually accept paper products.
  • Only recycle gummed paper if specified, such as envelopes and stickers.
  • Reduce paper waste by cancelling unwanted deliveries, or read news online as opposed to buying newspapers.
  • Put a ?no junk mail please? sign on your letter box to reduce unwanted deliveries.
  • Reuse paper around the home as scrap paper or packing material. Envelopes can also be reused.
  • Set your printer to print on both sides of the paper.
  • Buy recycled paper whenever possible.

In 2007, an all-time high 56 percent of the paper consumed in the U.S. was recovered for recycling. The 54.3 million tons of paper recovered equal approximately 360 pounds for every man woman and child in America.

The paper industry has set a new goal of 60 percent recovery by 2012. They’ll need your help to get there.