Even though recycling has a long way to go when it comes to plastics and other materials, we’ve practically mastered the art of reusing and repurposing paper products.
Due to how easy it is to destroy and keep away from landfills, a surprising number of everyday products are made from recycled paper, and the fact that it doesn’t exactly pollute the environment is also helping.
In fact, paper is as biodegradable as materials come, and it’s even used for compost, meaning that what little of it doesn’t get recycled, gets used by the plants anyways.
We’ve put together a comprehensive list of all the most effective ways you can recycle paper, and if you keep reading you’ll be able to learn what you can do to contribute to the preservation of this planet that was lent to us.
It’s not ours, we’re just holding onto it for safekeeping.
The recycling process
It’s not uncommon for the average American to be unfamiliar with how recycling works, as it’s practically only recently become a global trend.
From plastic to metals, anything can get recycled or repurposed, giving it a new life and preventing it from contributing to the pollution of our environment.
Most of the time, paper is ground up into a pulp, after which it is repurposed into hundreds of different products we use in our everyday lives, ranging from paper cups and straws to the paper we write on.
However, you may also find that products made from recycled paper tend to cost just as much as the standard ones, meaning it doesn’t cost you anything to help save mother nature.
This contributes to limiting waste and gives others an example to buy recycled products as well, driving positive change in terms of pollution and waste awareness.
Office paper
It’s estimated that a single American office worker can go through 10k sheets of paper a year, and if you account for the millions of Americans working office jobs, this adds up to a lot.
If it were not for recycling and the active planting of new trees, we’d have long since gone through the earth’s wood reserves, as every sheet of paper comes from a tree that had to be cut down.
In recent years, offices have increased the usage of recycled paper, and while the difference is definitely noticeable, the quality is the same and it doesn’t affect the print quality either.
On top of this, recycled paper also has no limitations in terms of sheet size or color, and you could easily mistake it for regular paper at a glance.
If you’re in charge of getting supplies for your company, negotiate the idea of switching over to recycled paper with your higher-ups.
Greetings/birthday cards
From the moment a celebration is over, a huge mess is made to be cleaned up, and the majority of this waste ends up in a landfill, mainly due to how prevalent plastic plates and cutlery are for events like this.
However, greeting cards have really taken it to the next level, with a great majority of them being made from recycled paper, allowing you to wish someone the best while also doing the best you can to save this planet.
You can find information about the card’s origin on the back, and when purchasing one you should always look to buy those made from recycled paper, as they’re also an incredible gift or part of a gift for anyone who’s part of this great cause themselves.
Even if your card isn’t made from recycled paper, you can include a note telling the recipient to dispose of it accordingly, and if they do, it may just be reborn as a greeting card once again.
Newspapers
Contrary to popular belief, the majority of paper-printed media these days are printed on recycled paper, and if you’re not too sure, you can always contact your local newspaper just to verify.
That being said, we all have loads and loads of old magazines lying around, most of them way past their use, and there’s no harm in getting them recycled.
The old paper gets to serve a new purpose and you clear some clutter from your home.
In a way, everyone wins, and you can rest easy knowing you made your contribution to making this planet just a tiny bit cleaner.
Every piece of paper that gets recycled is another tree that won’t get cut down, and if that’s all it takes, then there’s no good reason not to recycle paper.
Bottom line
Starting from your own home, you can begin recycling paper.
Anything from napkins to old newspapers is recyclable and likely won’t be used again once you’re done with it.
However, by choosing to recycle your paper waste, you can ensure that paper demand will not go up, and if it does, you’ll know that you never contributed to it.