According to the environmental protection agency, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of garbage a day, or a total of 29 pounds per week and 1,600 pounds a year; 40% of trash is paper (Bocco). Each year 11% of it is others such as rubber, leather, wood, and miscellaneous inorganic waste is in the trash too (EPA 2008). All of those things are recyclable, reusable, and reducible. Recycling 1 ton of paper can save way more than just trees. Almost everything in the trash can be used again for many different ways.
How does paper save more than just trees by recycling? There would be 74 percent less air pollution, 5O percent less water could be saved by recycling paper rather than making paper from new materials (EPA). Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 mature trees, 7000 gallons of water, 3 cubic yards of land fills,2 barrels of oil, and 4100 kilowatts-hour of electricity –enough energy to power the average American home for five months (EPA). Just over 48% of office paper is recovered for recycling. This becomes raw materials for paperboards, tissue, printing, and write paper.
More than 400 paper mills in the United States use at least some recovered materials in their manufacturing processes (EPA, 2008). Approximately 1.5 million tons of construction products are made each year from paper, including insulation, gypsum wallboard, roofing paper, flooring, padding and sound-absorbing materials. American recycled paper can also be made into paper towels, notebook paper, envelopes, copy paper and other paper products, as well as boxes, hydro-mulch, molded packaging, compost, and even kitty litter (EPA, 2008).
There are many ways one can reuse paper. Save paper that has print on only one side. This paper can be reused in many different ways; as drawing or coloring paper for children, for home printing that doesn't need to be professional, or shred it and use it as garden mulch or packing material. Save toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls,...