Paper recycling, an example of durability

Waste paper is not waste. It is a valuable raw material for the paper industry. Recycling of waste paper brings new live to wood fibre.

Simple recycling
Over 600 years recycling has been a key element in producing paper. For many hundreds of years, rags have been used. Only in the 19th century wood became the most important raw material. In the meantime half of the finished paper is made from waste, recovered, paper.

Recycling of waste paper is relatively easy. Little energy is used and the other materials used are environmental friendly. Waste from the production process can be used again in other products.

Stable quality
Wood has strong fibre. High quality paper can be produced from wood. Especially soft grades of wood are used like deal, birch, cedar or pine. In general more forests are planted than cut down.

Wood from tropical forest is useless for the production of paper.

Besides wood, also cotton and straw can be used to produce paper. However wood is more interesting as it is available all year round and by mixing different fibres the quality can be kept stable.

Complete cycle
Paper can be used six times, eventually in a mix with virgin fibre. After being used six times the fibre becomes too weak. By incinerating the low value waste from the production process, energy is being produced. This incineration creates carbon dioxide which is inhaled by trees and other plants. This makes the cycle complete.

What can be recycled?
Almost all grades of paper are recyclable like old newspaper and magazines, corrugated packaging, brochures, letters and wrapping paper. It is important to separate at source.

Separation after collection increases the costs. Polluted paper in general cannot be used.

First step after collection of waste paper is sorting and upgrading. Then it is pulped. In the paper pulper contaminates like plastic and non paper substances are separated from the fibre to be cleaned, filtered and sifted thereafter to eliminate staples and glass and other small items.

In some cases, for production of printing and writing paper, it is necessary to separate the ink from the fibre. This is called de-inking.

Some grades of paper like newsprint paper or packaging paper and board are produced from 100% recycled fibre. For other grades, virgin fibres from wood are supplemented to the pulp.

Unfortunately some grades of paper cannot be recovered for recycling. Cigarette paper is burned, books and files are kept, wallpaper covers walls for many years and hygienic paper like towels, handkerchiefs, napkins and nappies go to incineration where toilet paper is flushed. Some paper is laminated with other fabrics like textile or plastics.

What can / cannot be put in the waste paper bin
To recycle waste paper as efficient as possible a good separation at source is necessary.

What can be put in the waste paper bin and what cannot ?

Yes:	No:
Newspapers	polycoated, laminated paper
Magazines	file folders with steel
Books	liquid packaging (milk and juice cartons, packaging for washing liquid etc)
Publicity folders (without the plastic cover)	Hygienic paper (napkins, nappies, toilet paper)
Telephone books	carbon paper
Writing and drawing paper	photographs
Computer print outs	polystyrene
Envelopes	plastic carrier bags
Paper shavings	polluted paper (coffee filters, teabags, papernapkins, paper in between cut meat)
Wrapping paper from presents	wallpaper
Paper bags	deepfreeze packaging
Corrugated and paper packaging	labels and stickers

Contact
Do you want to know more about the paper cycle ? Please contact CVB EcoLogistics B.V.

The paper cycle
New paper and board are produced from durable grown wood and recovered (waste) paper. Paper that cannot be reused goes into incineration to produce energy which creates carbon dioxide that is inhaled by trees and plants.