PAPER RECYCLING Status and Trends Paper is one of the major manufactured materials consumed in the United States and the largest single component-35 to 45 percent by weight-of municipal waste collected. In 1969, the Nation consumed 58.5 million tons of paper, and by 1980 this is projected to increase to about 85.0 million tons (Figure A-1). Paper, paperboard, and construction paper and board are the three major paper categories and accounted for 51.5, 40.8, 7.7 percent respectively of the 1969 paper consumption. Only 17.8 percent (10.4 million tons) of the paper consumed in 1969 was recovered for recycling compared with 23.1 percent in 1960 and 27.4 percent in 1950.1 Most of the remainder was discarded as waste (put in landfills, or dumps, incinerated, or littered) and a portion was diverted, obscured, or retained in other products. Trends for disposal and recycling (Figure A-1), show that the percent recycled to consumption has been steadily decreasing. This downward trend in recovery ratio coupled with an increase in consumption has resulted in an accelerated rate of waste paper disposal. Between 1956 and 1967 waste paper disposal increased nearly 60 percent from 22 million tons/year to 35 million tons/ year.2 Sources of Waste Waste paper can be classified into four major grades: mixed, news, corrugated, and high grades accounting for 27.4, 19.8, 32.6, and 20.2 percent respectively of the waste paper recovered in 1967. This waste paper comes from residential, commerical, and conversion sources accounting for 16.6, 43.6, and 39.8 percent respectively of the 1967 paper recovery. Table A-1 shows the relationships between the waste grades and sources. The recovery pattern of paper wastes follows directly from the characteristics of each waste paper source. Waste paper generated in conversion operations, where paper and board are made into consumer products, is almost all recovered It is easily accessible, generally uncontaminated, and almost half of such waste consists of the desirable high grades. This waste is often baled on site by the converter and never enters the waste stream. Quite the opposite, paper waste from residential sources is widely dispersed and highly contaminated with adhesives and coatings and also with other materials in the waste stream. It is costly and difficult to remove by paper mills. Thus, almost none of the mixed paper in residential waste is recovered. |