Everyone know that the raw material used to produce paper is timber. However, the problem is do we know how much wood we used to make a ton of paper and how many ton of paper we wasted in our daily life?
To make One Ton of paper it takes 2 cords of wood, one cord of wood is equal to 128 cubic feet. In the process of making paper, requires 55,000 gallons (208,000 liters) of water, 102 pounds (46 kilograms) of sulfur, 350 pounds (159 kilograms) of lime, 289 pounds (131 kilograms) of clay, 1.2 tons of coal, 112 kilowatt hours of power, 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of dye and pigments, and 108 pounds (49 kilograms) of starch and others.
For your information, the world today consume about 300 Million ton of paper a year. However, just 40% of paper only is recycled. Let’s we calculate an actual amount of how many tree, water, sulfur, lime, clay, coal, power, dye and pigments, and starch were used every year in order to produce 300 million ton of paper.
300 million tons paper use:
1. 600 million cords of wood
2. 6240000000000 liters of water
3. 13800000000 Kg of sulfur
4. 47700000000 Kg of lime
5. 39300000000 Kg of clay
6. 360000000 tons of coal,
7. 33600000000 Kilowatt of powre,
8. 2700000000 Kg of dye and pigment
9. 14700000000 Kg of starch
What an amazing number of each item above we use every year in order to produce 300 million tons of paper for human to use. We are directly destroy our mother earth and the impact is not just affect our environment, it brought destructive deforestation to our forest, which is the home for all the living organism and animal. We can’t be so selfish and we need to change immediately in order to reduce the paper waste in our daily life. Here are some strategy to be considered to implement in our office, home, school and others. You can make a different.
1. Be a conscious consumer
If you have to buy new paper, then buy 100% post consumer waste recycled. All recycled paper is NOT the same. If the paper milling process goes wrong and that virgin pulp is reused to make a fresh batch, it can technically be called ‘recycled’. The percentage of post consumer waste gives you the real facts.
2. Say no to junk mail
Sign up for the Mail Preference Service to stop unwanted junk mail. Doing this has stopped about 80% of junk mail coming into zero waste towers. Be sure to read our articles on reducing junk mail and stopping BT telephone books and Yellow Pages. Also visit Robert’s ‘Stop Junk Mail’ website for lots of useful information.
3. Use both sides
If you print things out from your computer, use both sides of the paper or do what we do and print on the back of old letters and junk mail. Save the decent paper for official correspondence.
4. Use old scraps
Don’t buy yourself a new notebook for writing notes and shopping lists; use the back of torn envelopes or scrap paper instead. The small amount of junk mail that comes into our house is kept in a drawer specifically for this purpose.
5. Keep your mouth clean!
Do you really need a hand full of paper serviettes when you visit a cafe? I used to grab handfulls of them, take them home, stuff them in a drawer and throw them in a bin a few months later when having a declutter.
6. Request not to receive
A telephone book, recycle your telephone books, and request that your telephone company uses only recycled paper.
7. Read magazine and newspaper articles online.
8. Avoid excessive packaging at the store by buying in bulk, when feasible.
9. Use cloth napkins and cloth towels instead of paper towels in your kitchen.
10. Reuse gift bags and gift wrap, or use an alternative wrapping like a pretty scarf or a basket instead.
11. Think before you print or copy
Sometimes it is necessary for documents to be printed. Print responsibly.
12. Close the loop on recycling
Recycle office paper. If your office doesn’t recycle yet, start a recycling office paper program.
Individual, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean. Implement it immediately to save our mother earth, you can make a different.