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How Does the 纸 回收 Process Work

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A stack of mixed paper bales. The text says about 80% of U.S. paper mills use some recycled paper

You put 你r recycling in the bin. You drop it at the curb or take it to 你r local drop-off. 然后你会想, is my paper actually getting recycled?

是的! 回收d paper is used to make new products such as paper bags, toilet paper and all different kinds of boxes. 例如, the box 你r cereal or toothpaste came in, bakery boxes for donuts and the trusty cardboard box arriving at 你r door.  

In fact, about 80% of U.S. paper mills use some recycled paper to make new and innovative products.

Here’s how the process works:

  • It begins at any number of locations, including community curbside programs, 下降中心, 学校或办公室. 这就是 fill the recycling bin with accepted materials.
     
  • After paper is collected, it goes to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).  这是 loaded on a conveyor belt and contaminants are removed. 
     
  • Next, recovered paper is separated and baled. 这是 transported to a paper mill where the recycling process really begins.
     
  • 在造纸厂, the paper bale is loaded into a pulper, which looks like a giant blender. The paper is mixed with water and other ingredients, then it’s churned and broken down. Things like tape, labels and staples are screened out.
     
  • From there, this slurry of fibers is screened for further cleaning. As it dries, it is formed into rolls of paper — newly recycled paper.
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A man in a flannel shirt putting a box in a recycling bin. Text says watch how the paper recycling process works.

Watch How 纸 回收 Works

Follow along as industry experts walk 你 through the recycling process and explain where 你r paper products might end up.
 

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A person putting a cardboard box in a small recycling bin with a newspaper. The text says see what paper products are recyclable.

Find Out What 纸 Products are Recyclable

You can keep the recycling process going. Keep 你r paper products dry and clean. And remember, don’t wishcycle.

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A pizza box and cardboard box in a recycling bin at the curb. The text says download the 2021 十大菠菜软件 Access to 回收 Study

下载2021 十大菠菜软件 Access to 回收 Study

This comprehensive national report tracks and measures the growth of community paper recycling access in the U.S.
 

PAPER INDUSTRY'S COMMITMENT TO IMPROVING PAPER RECYCLING

近70%

近70%

更多纸张回收
比起1990年

$7B

$7B

在工厂投资方面
(2019-2025)

100 +磁流变液

100 +磁流变液

所有人
造纸工业

Investing in and improving paper recycling has been an industry priority for decades. 十大菠菜软件 members are working to advance the circular value chain.

Our industry first set a goal to help improve paper recycling in the 1990s. The recycling rate has doubled since that time.  

现在,电子竞技赌注的软件已经 set a goal to increase the use of secondary materials like recycled paper in new paper products to 50% by 2030.

This means the industry will use even more recycled paper in manufacturing! This goal is part of our Better Practices, Better Planet 2030: Sustainable Products for a Sustainable Future initiative.

We have an ownership stake in the recycling system. 十大菠菜软件 members own and operate more than 100 materials recovery facilities nationwide. That’s where 你r recyclables are sorted and processed.

Our industry is investing in manufacturing infrastructure. Nearly $7 billion in investments, planned or announced (2019-2025), will use more than 9 million tons of recycled fiber. 

Investments go further than our mills. We’re also working with stakeholders on paper recycling education.

Dive Deeper Into the Industry’s Investment:

可持续发展目标

Sustainable practices are the foundation of the paper and wood products industry.

学习 more about the industry’s goal to “Advance a Circular Value Chain Through the Production of Renewable and Recyclable Products.” 

ADVANCEMENTS IN PAPER RECYCLING AND RECYCLING EDUCATION

Our industry is continuously working to innovate and improve technology, especially when it comes to recycling. 回收d paper products are a key component of our circular value chain. 

The paper recycling rate has met or exceeded 63% since 2009. Still, about 23% of municipal solid waste is paper and paperboard, according to the EPA. Our members are committed to keeping their products out of landfills.

Our industry is working to capture even more paper from the waste stream for recycling.  研究, outreach and new technologies are helping ensure the products the industry makes can be recycled. 

深入了解十大菠菜软件 可持续性 Award winning member projects aimed at improving recycling technology and using more recycled fiber.

Innovating Products From 回收d 纸 and 回收 Technology

Georgia-Pacific is developing innovations across the recycling supply chain, including paper cups. 

The innovative Juno Technology is helping to turn trash into treasure. Juno was born from the desire to capture more paper for recycling. 

A small team of innovators developed the idea for the technology behind Juno and saw an opportunity with commercial waste from places like airports, stadiums and office buildings.

These places have a lot of paper-based waste that typically isn't recycled because of food contamination.

学习 more about this exciting, award-winning project and how it is helping to increase paper recycling. 而且, take a look inside Juno

Georgia-Pacific also developed: 

  • A 基于纸张的梅勒 that is 100% curbside recyclable through collaboration with a major online retailer.
  • 美国第一 热杯 made from 100% recycled fiber.

Georgia-Pacific is also working to increase paper cup recycling by investing in recycling infrastructure and partnering with municipalities to increase the acceptance of paper cups in curbside recycling programs.

Adding Technology to Process More 回收d Fiber 

New-Indy improved repulping systems at its Ontario, California mill. Repulping is the step in the recycling process where 你r old cardboard boxes, mail and paper bags get tossed in a giant blender so they can get turned into something new. 

New-Indy added technology to help further screen out contaminants. The improvements led to:

  • Consuming mixed paper in all products without sacrificing quality
  • 5,500 tons less waste leaving the mill
  • 10,000 tons of mixed paper that would have otherwise gone to a landfill being repulped

学习 how their investment in additional technology helped improve their ability to process more recycled fiber.

Partnering to Amplify that Pizza Boxes Are Recyclable and 纸 Mills Want Pizza Boxes

WestRock teamed up with Domino’s Pizza and other industry partners to share the good news that pizza boxes are recyclable. 

The project took a four-prong approach: 

  • Document that paper mills want to recycle used pizza boxes
  • Study the impact of grease and cheese on recycling
  • Assess access to pizza box recycling
  • Launch a public educational portal to spread the word that pizza boxes are recyclable. 

An estimated 3 billion pizzas are consumed in the U.S. 每年. That’s about 600,000 tons of potential fiber that could be turned into something new. 学习 more about this award-winning project and how it’s helping to capture more fiber for recycling.
 

可持续性 Award Winners

十大菠菜软件's annual awards program recognizes exemplary sustainability programs and initiatives in the paper and wood products manufacturing industry.