According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 33 percent of the municipal solid waste stream (MSW) is made up of paper and paperboard products. Paper makes up the largest portion of the municipal waste stream and is also the easiest to recycle. Recycling produces numerous direct and indirect benefits:
- Conserves resources
- Prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants
- Saves energy
- Supplies valuable raw materials to industry
- Creates jobs
- Stimulates the growth of greener technologies
- Reduces the need for new landfills and incinerators
Paper Recycling Facts
- Recycling a stack of newspapers 3 feet high saves one tree.
- Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 4,100 KWH of electricity (enough to power an average sized home up to three months), 17 trees, and 2 barrels of oil.
- Each year, Americans throw away 14.5 million tons of office paper and newspaper.
- The average college student produces 640 pounds of solid waste each year. Part of this 640 pounds includes 320 pounds of paper.
- Paper and cardboard combined make up 73% of the materials in landfills.
- The average American uses 7 trees per year in paper, wood, and other products.
- It takes 500,000 trees to make our Sunday newspapers each week.
- Pollution is reduced by 95% when used paper is made into new sheets.