paper

Paper is one of the easiest materials to recycle and yet in the UK we still manage to throw away millions of tonnes of it each year.

We have given you details of the ways to recycle it, the important thing to remember it is so easy to do and very worthwhile as the environmental benefit is huge. At Remarkable we ask our customers to send back their paper product to us so we can fulfil the recycling circle if they are unable to recycle them. We are also a fully accredited and audited member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and support sustainable and well managed forest.

fast facts -

  • Recycling one tonne of paper saves approximately 16 mature trees, 26 m3 of water, 2.3 m3 of landfill space, 2 barrels of oil and 4,100 kilowatt-hours (15 GJ) of electricity — enough energy to power the average home for six months.
  • Although paper is traditionally identified with reading and writing, communications has now been replaced by packaging as the single largest category of paper use at 41% of all paper used.
  • 115 billion sheets of paper are used annually for personal computers.The average web user prints 28 pages daily.
  • It is estimated that recycling half the world’s paper would avoid the harvesting of 20 million acres (81,000 km²) of forestland
  • Trees grown specifically for pulp production account for 16% of world pulp production, old growth forests 9% and second – and third – and more generation forests account for the balance.
  • Roughly 90% of paper pulp is made from wood and paper production accounts for about 35% of felled trees

How it works

Generally paper is collected from households or recycling banks by local authorities and waste management companies.

Once the paper is collected it is then:

  • Sorted, graded and delivered to a paper mill.
  • Once at the paper mill it is added to water and then turned into pulp.
  • The paper is then screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until it is suitable for papermaking.
  • It is then ready to be made into new paper products such as newsprint, cardboard, packaging, tissue and office items.

It can take just seven days for a newspaper to go through the recycling process and be transformed into recycled newsprint which is used to make the majority of Britain’s national daily newspapers.

Paper is a biodegradable material; this means that when it goes to landfill it will rot; bacteria will form and produce methane.  This is a powerful greenhouse gas that is 23 times more potent than CO2 (carbon dioxide) and contributes to climate change.  We currently recycle 66% of the paper we use.

Manufacturing virgin (brand new) paper uses more energy than making recycled paper. Lower quality paper, such as newsprint and packaging paper, require less energy to manufacture than office paper.

By simply recycling our paper we can:

  • Reduce the consumption of energy
  • Reduce the consumption of rainforest
  • Reduce the amount of paper waste going to landfill
  • Reduce the emission of gasses like methane into the atmosphere

The main issue faced by the paper re-processors is the quality of material available.  Paper is often collected from your home with other recyclable items and although they are separated at a Materials Recycling Facility, these other items sometimes affect the quality of the paper.  The main problem is when glass and paper are collected together because if shards of glass get into the paper mills it could cause extensive damage to the machinery. Drink cartons are not made from paper alone but comprise of about 75% paper, 20% plastic (polyethylene) and 5% aluminum foil (for long-life products). As they are an amalgam of materials, they are sometimes collected separately to ordinary paper.

Apart from the products we make, recycled paper is made into a wide range of everyday products including:

  • newspapers
  • magazines
  • printing paper
  • cardboard
  • tissue
  • loft insulation