Paper recycling is not a new concept but its importance has grown in recent years. Excess of pollution and global warming are the factors that have brought even more attention and importance to the concept of paper recycling.
The process of paper recycling
Along with the benefits, you must know how paper recycling takes place, so that you can start it on your own level. Used papers are sorted into different grades depending upon their quality, as newspaper is a lower grade and paper used in a printer is a high-grade paper.
The number of times a paper has been recycled, the fiber length are some factors that help determine what grade a paper belongs to. A paper cannot be recycled more than five to six times, as it requires virgin materials to mix with it and then carry out the recycling process. Then the piles of paper go into the recycling plants for the final treatment.
Importance of paper recycling
Paper recycling has a direct relation with the environment, as in the more the paper recycling is the better will be the environment around. Here are the major benefits of paper recycling:
Reduces Wastewater Production
One way is to produce paper with recycled pulp that is an eco-friendly way, as it requires much less amount of water to make it and no trees are cut for it. On the contrary is the production of paper from virgin materials that come from freshly cut trees and massive water is used in this type of production.
Freshwater ecosystems are literally exploited for paper production, which is not a good or a healthy sign. Recycling paper helps lessen this footprint; it cannot completely stop it but reduce the water usage and the cutting down of trees.
Reduces landfill sites
Despite the widespread usage of electronic media in offices, even today massive amount of paper is used every day, and schools, shops, and hospitals being the other places where paper usage is much. All the paper used goes in the trash, and to the landfill sites. If the same paper is recycled, it can be reused and if this cycle continues, paper will never end up in landfill sites and will never pollute the environment.
Paper recycling prevents methane emissions
Methane as you know is a greenhouse gas, and when paper decomposes in a landfill site, it releases this gas in the atmosphere. Methane is even more dangerous than carbon dioxide, as it has 21 times more power to trap heat. In order to prevent methane emissions from the landfill sites, paper recycling on a large scale should be done.
Curbs deforestation
To produced recycled paper it does not require cutting trees but to produce fresh paper, massive number of tress are cut every year. Cutting a tree takes just a day but it takes several years for a tree to grow. Trees pull out carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen, which keeps the life going.
Global warming is one of the most pressing environmental concerns and reckless deforestation across the world is increasing the problem. Paper production using virgin materials should be banned for some time and only recycled paper should be in circulation. This can reduce global warming and other environmental problems.
If no such step is taken, as it is the level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the environment are increasing, and if they continue to increase at the same pace, it is not far when our planet will no longer be able to support life.
Every nation should swear to use majority of recycled paper, which will have a positive impact on our environment because it is a powerful weapon to fight global warming.