There are numerous reasons to recycling paper, and a typical piece of office paper can be recycled five to seven times before the fibers become too short to be used again!
Recycling paper helps preserve natural resources:
In 2007, the Metro regional area recycled 457,000 tons of paper, which:
- saved 3.6 million trees
- reduced air emissions by 566,884 tons (equivalent of 68,000 cars for one year)
- saved 1 billion gallons of water
- prevented the release of 2,100 tons of waste into the wastewater system
- requires 40% less energy than making paper from virgin wood products
- releases 38% fewer green-house gases
Paper recycling saves space in landfills (although that is not currently an issue in the PNW), protects forests, saves energy, and is cost effective. In addition, reducing paper usage to begin with, and buying paper with high post-consumer recycled content further helps preserve our natural resources.
Tomorrow I'll discuss alternatives to the paper that we use on a daily basis.
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