A: The basic fiber of paper is wood from the poplar tree. Some people call it aspen. Paper is not made from old growth hard woods like oak or maple. At Paper Depot we stock many alternative fibers such as papers made from banana leaves, hemp, old clothing, rice, silk, and many other fibers.

A: As of 2007, 51.5% of all paper produced was recycled.

A: Paper recycled at the curb is not consistent enough to be recycled into printing paper. It is usually recycled into chipboard, bags, grocery bag paper, corrugated board used to make boxes, or it is shredded and mixed with fire retardant and used as insulation. Paper Depot recycles approximately 10 tons of waste this way each year. To bring things full circle our Green Grocer line of grocery bag paper and envelopes is made from 100% postconsumer curbside waste of this type.

A: Post consumer waste comes from large users that consume large amounts of one type of paper, all the same way, and send it back to the paper mill to be recycled. Approximately 20% of all paper produced is used this way and becomes post consumer waste.

A: Twenty percent of all paper that is consumed is suitable to be recycled as postconsumer waste to be made into new printing paper. As a result the average amount of post consumer waste in all paper is 20%. Because some consumers want a higher percentage of post consumer waste the amounts vary from brand to brand. If one brand is 100% post consumer others will have to be less than 20% to offset the first. If all paper was made with 100% post consumer waste we would run out of fiber in six weeks. All post consumer waste suitable for recycling into paper is consumed. Pre consumer waste is added to most paper as well. All pre consumer waste that is generated is consumed.

A: Most white papers have little or no post consumer fiber because it would require excess bleach to remove any ink from the paper. White papers are usually made with virgin pulp to reduce the amount of bleach used. When post consumer waste is added to colored papers they are often unbleached which leaves specks of ink showing in the finished paper and the colors are usually dull. Where clean vibrant colors are required post consumer waste is not usually used.

A: Inland paper mills bleach paper with elemental chlorine. The process consumes the chlorine and produces dioxin, which is a harmful by product. Paper mills located on the ocean bleach paper with chlorine dioxide, a catalyst that is not consumed during the process. No dioxin is produced. They produce salt water as a by-product that is dumped into the ocean. By the way, all U.S. mills must treat any water they use so that it goes back into the river or ocean cleaner than it was when it was taken out.

A: At first glance it seems logical to close all inland mills and use only those mills on the ocean using chlorine dioxide. Here is the problem. All paper mills in the United States are running at full capacity. Closing any mills will reduce the available supply of paper and drive prices up. A recent inland mill closing put several hundred people out of work and the economy of the town in which the mill was located faced disaster. Through some legal maneuvering the mill was forced to stay open. Who can blame the people of the town?

A: A variety of fibers have been proposed as an alternative to poplar wood. Many would work. The reasons they are not generally used is:
> The industry is geared to use poplar wood. The cost of conversion would be prohibitive with no significant benefit.
> The available acreage of trees in the U.S. is greater today than it was 100 years ago. The available acreage of all alternative fibers is so small that it could not supply the demand for more than a few days before it would be exhausted.
> Forests provide habitat for wildlife and recreational areas for people. Alternative fibers do not do either as well if at all.
> To inhibit disease and improve the usefulness to wildlife the industry is switching from growing forests of all poplar trees to growing forests of mixed species including poplar trees where trees are harvested selectively rather than using clear cut methods of the past.

A: As machinery is upgraded it becomes more energy efficient. In 2001, 660 kwh was consumed to make one ton of paper. In 2005, it was down to 570 kwh per ton. The paper industry is a leader in the development of alternative sources of environmentally sound energy production such as financing and constructing wind power generators. Outside of Chicago a paper mill financed and built a methane gas recovery system and is using methane it captures from a Chicago landfill to drive turbines that generate electricity. French Paper Company of Niles, Michigan, has operated its own water-powered electric generators since 1922. It has a very small carbon footprint. These and other options are and will continue to be explored in an effort to minimize the impact as paper is produced.

A: As the paper consuming public becomes more environmentally aware the paper industry has responded by creating several organizations to establish and police its environmental practices. There is real potential for the certification organizations to impose some meaningful standards on the industry. We believe that the most meaningful standards are:
> Sustainable forestry and selective harvest practices,
> Gradual phase out of elemental chlorine to bleach pulp,
> Use of both pre and post-consumer recycled fibers whenever possible, and
> Use of non-fossil based non-nuclear fuels for generation of electricity.
Some mills have done things right for many years without any fanfare. Others are just now getting up to speed. We are asking the question, “what is more important, doing it right or having a watch dog group you fund say you are doing it right?” We at Paper Depot will do our best to keep you up to date.

Recyclable paper— can be recycled-most papers are recyclable
Recycled paper— made from recycled fiber
Post consumer waste— fiber consumed by the end user being recycled into new paper
Pre consumer waste— fiber generated during a manufacturing process like envelope making being recycled into new paper
Virgin pulp — paper pulp containing no recycled fiber
Elemental chlorine— the same bleach we use to make our clothing white
Chlorine free— paper made without the use of elemental chlorine bleach
Chlorine dioxide— a catalyst to replace chlorine bleach
Catalyst— causes a chemical reaction to take place without entering into the reaction
Curb side recycling— waste that a small business or homeowner generates that is
placed at the curb for recycling