Paper Recycling Hitting Record High

Paper Recycling Hitting Record High

May 2008 - An all-time high of 56 percent 
of paper consumed in the United States was recovered for recycling in 
2007, achieving an industry goal five years ahead of schedule, the 
national trade association of the forest, paper, and wood products 
industry announced today at the 131st Annual Paper Week conference.
 
The 54.3 million tons of paper recovered in 2007 add up to more than 360 
pounds for every man, woman, and child in America. Each percentage point 
is the equivalent of approximately one million additional tons of 
recovered paper - enough to fill more than 14,000 railroad cars. 

Announcing the achievement, the American Forest & Paper Association, or 
AF&PA, set a new goal of 60 percent recovery by 2012.
 
"Industry is demonstrating a real commitment to environmental 
sustainability by continuing to set and achieve aggressive paper recovery 
goals," said AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman. "Whether at home, 
school, or work, paper recovery is something we can all do to make a 
difference." 

In 2007, the United States recycled over 25 million tons more paper than 
was recycled in 1990. This increase in paper recycling reduced emissions 
by more than 97 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, 
comparable to the annual emissions of nearly 18 million cars."
 
"While the upward trend in recovery rates is most encouraging, getting to 
60 percent is an important challenge for all of us. Everyone has a role to 
play in our effort to sustain and grow the country's recycling programs 
and recover more paper," said Patrick J. Moore, chairman and chief 
executive of the Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation.
 
Smurfit-Stone is a longstanding AF&PA member and is one of the world's 
largest paper recyclers. The company collected more than seven million 
tons of recyclable material in 2007. 

Matthew McKenna, president and chief executive of the national nonprofit 
Keep America Beautiful, a partner of AF&PA on projects to promote paper 
recycling in schools, praised the association and its members for their 
efforts.
 
"True environmental progress, like what we celebrate today, comes when 
industries work together with communities, organizations, and dedicated 
individuals to make things happen," McKenna said.
 
When winners were announced at the conference, the Boise, Inc. papermill 
of Jackson, Alabama came out on top in the business leadership category. 
The mill has its own recycling facility where it processes 120,000 tons of 
recovered paper each year. The mill operates a Recycling Road Show, where 
employees go into local schools for hands-on demonstrations. The company 
also funds in-school recycling programs in two local counties.
 
The award to a community for recycling paper went to Brevard County, 
Florida; while the college and university recycling award was carried off 
by the Georgia Institute of Technology. Last year, the school recovered 
more than 376 tons of paper products for recycling.
 
The district that earned the recycling award for schools is Pasco County, 
Florida. In 2007, Pasco County schools collected 1,267 tons of paper 
products for recycling, helping the county save more than $135,000 in 
solid waste disposal costs.
 
The AF&PA says the forest products industry accounts for six percent of 
the total U.S. manufacturing output, employs more than one million people, 
and ranks among the top 10 manufacturing employers in 42 states with an 
estimated payroll exceeding $50 billion.
 
Recovered fiber accounts for about 37 percent of the raw product used by 
U.S. paper mills.

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