The Environmental And Money Saving Benefits Of Recycling Paper
Thankfully, paper is not a difficult material to recycle, and there are excellent benefits for the environment when the procedure is completed. Once it has been collected (by either your local authority or a recycling company acting on their behalf), it is taken to a paper mill, who take care of the rest of the recycling process.
The first thing that happens at the paper mill is the turning of the scrap paper into pulp. Having been turned into pulp, it is then cleaned and de-inked. The final stage of the paper recycling process is for the pulp to be turned back into rolls of paper, which can then be used for newspapers, toilet rolls, etc.
Below are some of the environmental and money saving benefits of recycling paper:
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 – Recycling paper helps protect the habitats of beautiful birds, insects and a wide variety of wildlife that lives in those trees.
Less Water Consumption – 1 ton of recycled paper can save over 6500 gallons of water.
Saves Electricity – Over 400 kilowatt hours of energy are saved by recycling paper instead of making a fresh 1 ton batch, and that could be used in heating and lighting homes instead.
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 – We need to save as much space as possible in landfill sites to prevent more having to be created, and 3 cubic yards can be saved per ton of recycled paper.
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 – Recycling paper is good for communities. Someone has to actually do all that recycling which means more jobs are created. With the global recession in full swing this is a welcome side effect of recycling paper.
Sets A Precedent – Paper is probably the easiest thing to recycle, so it is a good starting point for those who do not currently recycle at all. Having gotten into the habit of recycling paper, and seeing that it really is not difficult, people are more likely to start recycling other items too.
Cheaper Paper – Everyone likes to save money and recycled paper is often cheaper than ‘new’ paper. Over the course of a life-time, you could save yourself well over a thousand dollars by opting for the recycled versions of the paper products that you regularly buy.
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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.