Recycling paper is the process of taking waste paper, or paper that would otherwise be dumped, and remaking it in to new paper products. Paper that can be used to make recycled paper is broken down into three categories- mill broke, pre-consumer waste, and post-consumer waste. Mill broke paper is paper that becomes scrap during the manufacturing of paper and it is recycled right in the paper mill. Pre-consumer paper waste is papers that were discarded before consumer use. Post-consumer paper waste is papers that were discarded by the consumer after use. Paper that is used in recycling is called scrap paper.
What exactly is the recycling process?
You will find usually 8 steps in the act of recycling paper. The very first is called pulping, which is adding water to the paper and using machines to separate your lives the fibers. The second step is screening, where screens are used to remove contaminants which can be larger than the fibers. Next is centrifugal cleaning when the materials that are denser than fiber are released. Flotation or deinking then causes ink to collect on top of the paper. The fifth step is called kneading or dispersion. Here machines help remove any remaining contaminant particles. Nest washing helps remove any small particles by passing water through the fibers. If the paper is supposed to be white, it is now bleached. Finally, the recycled paper is clean and it’s also now made into a new paper product.
What types of paper may be recycled?
Each recycling plant accepts different kinds of paper for recycling. Some types of paper forms that are commonly accepted include:
o White and colored paper
o While and colored envelopes
o Booklets or manuals
o Fax or copy paper
o Greeting cards
o Post-it notes
o Soft covered books
o Manila folders
o Magazines
o Newspapers
o Collapsed cardboard boxes
Why recycle?
90% of paper is made from wood. Paper production uses about 43% of harvested wood. Recycling newspaper saves about 1 ton of wood and recycling print or copy paper saves about 2 tons of wood.
Energy consumption is also reduced by recycling. However , the exact energy savings is still being debated. The vitality Information Administration claims that after paper is made with recycled paper, there is a 40% lowering of energy use, but the Bureau of International Recycling says that there is a 64% reduction. Regardless of which estimate is correct, both numbers represent a significant energy savings.
In the usa, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that recycling paper causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less smog.