The environment benefits greatly from paper being recycled and, fortunately, it is not at all difficult to do. Once paper is collected by your local authority or recycling management company, it is then taken to a paper mill, a factory devoted to creating sheets of paper from ingredients such as old magazines, newspapers, used envelopes etc.
The first thing that happens at the paper mill is the turning of the scrap paper into pulp. The recycled paper is then screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until it is found suitable for papermaking. It is then ready to be made into new products such as newspapers, toilet rolls and other paper based items commonly found in the home and office.
So, now that you know how simple the recycling process for paper is, lets look at benefits that it brings…
Saves Trees – The less brand new (referred to as ‘virgin’˜) paper that is needed, the less trees have to be cut down. Vast areas have already been ruined as a direct of deforesting for paper, and this needs to stop as by doing so we are unbalancing eco-systems and the atmosphere.
Wildlife Preservation – More often than not, the wildlife that lives in the trees that are cut down to make ‘new’ paper, die quickly because they cannot adapt to living anywhere else. Recycling paper means that they can die natural deaths instead of forced ones.
Less Water Consumption – 1 ton of recycled paper can save over 6500 gallons of water.
Saves Electricity – Producing electricity seriously damages the environment, but more than 400 kilowatt hours are saved by recycling 1 ton of paper.
Reduces Oil Dependence – Recycling paper reduces our dependence on oil. For every ton of paper that is recycled, approximately 2 barrels of oil are saved.
Saves Space – Recycling paper reduces space in landfills. 1 ton of recycled paper made from scraps can save 3 cubic yards.
Less Pollution – Burning paper in waste incinerators pumps masses of pollution into the air. That means that we are unnecessarily causing the air that we all breathe to be of a lower quality.
Creates Jobs – Think about all the people who work within the paper recycling industry. Collectors, sorters and machine operators being just a few of them. The more that we recycle, the more of these jobs there will be created.
Paper Logs – Many people are now turning to paper logs as a supplementary fuel source. Consisting of tightly compressed briquettes of paper, these logs can be thrown on a fire or used in a wood burner to provide heat for free.
Cheaper Paper – Recycled paper is often cheap to purchase. Buying cheaper, recycled goods encourages more recycled goods to be manufactured, sustaining the recycling industry.
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http://www.paperlogmaker.org.uk is a website dedicated to the recycling of paper. At their site you can find out what a paper log maker is and how it can help you recycle paper.
Tags: environment, environmental, recycle, recycling, recycling paper