Top Reasons To Buy Recycled Paper

By Author: Christopher Bell
Total Articles: 5
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When it comes to paper the numbers are staggering. Americans throw away 4 million tons of office paper every year. All that paper takes up 13.2 million cubic yards of landfill space, uses more than one billion pounds of sulfur, 1.5 billion pounds of limestone, trillions of gallons of water and 68 million trees. Now matter how you measure it that is a lot of stuff!


Recycling a stack of newspapers that is only 6 feet tall is enough to save one 35 foot tall tree, that’s a lot of tree for a small amount of newspaper. One ton of 30% post consumer recycled paper saves more than seven 40 foot tall trees, 2,100 gallons of water and keeps 18 pounds of air pollution out of the sky and our lungs.


Recycled paper is all around us, we use it every day from early morning to late at night, starting with the cereal box we open for breakfast which is made from recycled paper. The newspaper is recycled; most of our mail is printed on recycled paper. The money we use, $1s, $5s, $10s, all of it is 100% recycled!


Lots of people think recycled paper is not as good as “real” paper ...
... in the paper industry it’s called virgin paper but that’s just not the case. Recycled paper is every bit as good as virgin paper and because it saves valuable natural resources, uses less energy and creates less pollution it’s better for the environment too.


Technically speaking, recycled paper is identical to virgin paper which means it has the same technical specifications as virgin paper. Recycled paper even comes in acid free versions so they are good for archiving important documents. They come in a variety of colors from hot pink to pale yellow and all the different shades of white including bright white which is great for reports and business correspondence.


Despite what some people think recycled paper works just fine in almost every laser and inkjet printer on the market and that includes demanding high speed printers as well. The cost of recycled paper is even sometime less expensive than virgin paper or even in price. On those rare occasions where a specialty recycled paper costs a little more than it’s virgin cousin the difference can be made up with a little advance planning and a larger order.


All recycled papers are not the same, because the law is so loose even virgin paper mills which have always recycled clean scraps can call their product recycled. However, environmentally friendly recycled paper is sold as post consumer recycled which means it is made from paper that was printed on and used by consumers including commercial printers.


Post consumer recycled paper is graded according to the percentage of used paper that goes into its production. For example 30% post consumer paper is made from 70 % virgin paper from trees and 30% recycled paper. Whereas 100% post consumer recycled paper is made from all used paper and is the most environmentally friendly paper available.


Christopher Reilly is a freelance writer with Green Line Paper Company, dedicated solely to the sales of quality, environmentally-sound products inluding green office supplies and recycle paper. Visit the Green Line Paper Company website for more information about green office supplies.