Paper Recycling – An Eco-Friendly Act
Paper recycling is the process that converts waste paper into reusable paper and other paper products. It’s a very important process simply because paper occupies a very important place in our lives, and constitutes a majority of the waste produced in our offices and households. According to one survey, 35% of waste produced is comprised of paper of one kind or another. We can reduce one-third of the stress on our environment if we start recycling all of the waste that can be recycled. For this reason, recycling should be encouraged at our workplaces and in our houses. We can also contribute a lot if we use recycled waste to manufacture products instead of fresh or raw-materials.
Paper manufacturing places a huge burden on our environment. A large number of trees are cut down each year to make paper – an estimated 90% of the wood obtained from cutting down trees is used to make paper. The remaining 10 % is used to make furniture and other products. Paper making also involves the use of harmful chemical compounds, such as limestone, bleach and sulfur. The process of manufacturing paper is accompanied with the formation of the toxic byproducts of these chemicals. The paper making process also results in the wastage of large quantities of water and energy.
Recycling paper is an environmentally-friendly alternative to manufacturing paper from virgin pulp. To a large extent, this process reduces the burden on our environment. Some of the important statistics that underline the importance of paper recycling include:
• Each ton of recycled paper saves almost 17 trees from being cut down for wood pulp, which is used to make fresh paper.
• Each ton of recycled paper saves the environment around 275 pounds of sulfur deposits and 375 pounds of limestone.
• It saves approximately 60,000 litres of water.
• It saves around 225 kilowatt hours of energy.
• It saves around 3.3 cubic yards (3 cubic meters) of landfill space.
• When paper waste decomposes in landfills, it releases methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas responsible for inducing climate change. By recycling paper, we can greatly reduce the amount of methane released into our atmosphere.
• Recycling paper prevents air and water pollution.
• It also protects wildlife habitat which is destructed when trees are cut down to manufacture paper. Every year, many wild species are becoming extinct because of the clearing of forests to obtain wood to make paper.
For these reasons, and more, recycling paper is clearly greatly beneficial to our environment.
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