Study Analyzes Benefits Of Paper Recycling
In 2020, the recovery rate for all paper and pa- per-based packaging used in the United States was 65.7 percent. Corrugated boxes had a recovery rate of 88.8 percent, according to a new report from Two Sides, which collects data from the American Forest and Paper Association and the Census Bureau. According to the most recent government data avail- able(2020), paper and paper packaging is recycled more than any other material in the U.S. solid waste stream, including plastics (8.7 percent), glass (25 per- cent) and metals (34.1 percent).
Canada recycles almost 70 percent of its paper and cardboard, making Canada among the top paper re- cycling countries in the world.The national recovery rate of old corrugated boxes in Canada is estimated at 85 percent. In 2016, paper made up the largest portion of materi- al diverted from Canadian landfills (39 percent of total waste), followed by organic material (28 percent).The least diverted was plastic at 5 percent. Fifty-four percent to 56 percent of North American consumers surveyed believe only recycled paper should be used.7 However, this is not possible because fresh wood fiber from sustainably managed forests is essential to sustain a viable paper industry. Recycled fiber would not exist without harvesting fresh fiber. Overall, a maximum of 67 percent to 73 percent of fi- brous inputs used to make paper products can be sup- plied by waste paper; the rest needs to be virgin fibers. This is because at least 15 percent of paper products are permanently removed from the fiber cycle such as one-time use products (ex: tissues, sanitary products, medical supplies) and books or files that are stored for long periods of time. Every time paper is recycled, the fibers get shorter and weaker. After being recycled 5 to 7 times, the fi-
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