Everywhere you look you see one thing: paper. From posters and notebooks to cardboard boxes and magazines, paper is part of our everyday lives. Paper takes up over 40% of our waste stream, making it the top material that we throw away. That means for every 100 pounds of trash we throw away, about 35 pounds of it is paper! If we could just recycle one morning newspaper every day, we could save 41,000 trees from being cut down and greatly reduce our carbon footprint.

What is paper recycling?

Paper recycling is the process of manufacturing old paper products and turning them into new, reusable paper products. Recycling old paper products uses 60% less energy than manufacturing it from new materials.

Making paper is a relatively easy process. Paper is made from trees, and every single part of the tree is either chopped up to make products or burned to create energy. If everyone in the U.S. reused a paper bag during their shopping trips about 60,000 trees would be saved and could be used to increase the flow

What types of paper products can be recycled?

Here are some of the most recognized recycled paper products:

• Newspaper
• Shredded paper
• Phonebooks
• Cardboard
• Magazines
• Computer paper
• Envelopes
• Junk mail
• Construction paper

When you recycle cardboard and other paper products you can create millions of new products such as:

• Egg cartons
• Paper towels
• Tissue
• Toilet paper
• Newspaper
• Phonebooks
• Paper bags
• Notebooks
• Stamps
• Business cars
• Calendars

There are so many other products that you can make with recycled paper. And the best thing about paper recycling is that it used less chemicals and bleaches, which is safer for the environment.

What are the benefits of paper recycling?

Here are some benefits of recycling paper:

• Recycling newspaper saves 14% of landfill space
• For every ton of newspaper recycled you can save enough energy to power a television for 31 hours
• Recycling one ton of paper can save 17 trees
• Reduces sulfur dioxide emissions
• Uses less fossil fuels
• Most paper can be recycled up to 8 times to create new products
• Leaves more trees for the sustainability of our environment
• Saves energy

When you recycle paper you allow more trees to thrive and supply us with healthy oxygen to breathe. To learn more about paper recycling you can visit the Treecycle Recycled Paper website.