Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Paper by the Ton



According to the Paper Industry Association Council, in 2006 paper and paperboard consumption was at 100.2 million tons of paper in the U.S. The Paper Industry has come a long way in reforesting, but our landfills are growing. While we are recycling over 53.4% of that paper, we can do better. So let's start shredding that paper and putting it to good use a second time (or third or fourth..)

Shred your newspapers, magazines, junk mail (watch for our upcoming article on reducing the amount of junk mail you receive), unwanted receipts, printing paper, old bills, etc. Then use that shredded material.

Shipping Material - Sending off a birthday gift, care package for friend or soldier? Shredded paper makes a great cushion and fill for those items you are shipping.

Gift Baskets, Gift Bags - This is an especially great use for colored shredded paper.

Backyard Mulch - Most papers are readily biodegradable and make a perfect mulching medium. Be sure to exclude the cellophane from window envelopes and coated paper from some magazines and catalogs.

Animal Bedding - If you don't have a cat, bird, gerbil, rabbit or other small pet yourself, check with your local animal shelters and pet stores to see if they are able to use your shredded paper.

Check with your local elementary school, shredded paper comes in handy for crafts such as paper mache.

Composting - Include some paper in your composting material to give your compost a good mix.



The Envirocycle Composter

1 comment:

Usiku said...

Nice, sensible article. I'll try to do better.