Why Can't Paper Be Recycled More Than Three Times?
As the push for conservation increases and our landfills fill up there's a greater need for recycling---and paper is one of the items most routinely reused. But unlike glass and aluminum, paper cannot go through the process endlessly.
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History
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Paper, as we know it, dates back nearly 2,000 years to China. Unlike the older Egyptian method that used papyrus, the Chinese method combined rags, bark and hemp with water to create pulp, which was then compressed and dried. Paper manufacturing today uses similar principles. Through the evolution of the process, paper makers turned to wood as a fiber source, as it was less expensive than cloth. The fibers are key to creating paper, and they're also the key to recycling it.
Recycled Paper Manufacturing
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Paper that is collected for recycling is reconverted into its base fibers and new pulp is made. The recycled paper is chopped or ground up and water is added to it, creating a slurry very similar to that which is created from virgin wood pulp. The slurry is spread across a moving wire belt while water is extracted, and fibers tend to line up side-by-side, creating what's known as the grain of the paper. If you fold a piece of paper and get a sharp clean edge, you're folding in the same direction as the fibers in the sheet. If you get more of a ragged edge, you're folding against the grain.
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Paper Fiber Reusage
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Fibers from recycled paper tend to be shorter than their virgin pulp counterparts, and they break a bit each time they're recycled. This breakage is what causes fibers to have a definitive recycling life span. Generally, paper fibers will stand up to the recycling process about five to seven times. After that time, they are too short to be useful in the paper-making process.
Recycling Sortation
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Many recyclers and collection sites require paper to be sorted before recycling. Clean paper (paper without ink) is the most valuable type for recycling, often coming from printing plants and envelope manufacturers, and constitutes their scrap. Office paper is another good source, as it tends to be sturdy and white; however, this type of paper must go through a de-inking process before it can be recycled. Not surprisingly, recyclers pay the most for these types of papers. Corrugated boxes and press board can also be recycled, but because they are of a lower quality to start off with they are of less value.
Recycling Chain
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Each time paper is recycled it turns into a less sturdy or less white product, so you can't start with lesser-grade fibers and make higher-grade paper. For example, recycled white office paper might become colored office paper, and colored office paper may become press board. Tissue-type paper tends to be at the end of the paper recycling chain.
Conservation
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Despite the fact that paper cannot be recycled indefinitely it's still very important to recycle it as often as possible. By doing so it stays out of landfills for longer periods of time. Additionally, manufacturing recycled paper takes less water and less energy than making paper from virgin pulp. The good news is that in 2008 the amount of paper collected for recycling equaled 340 pounds for every U.S. citizen, and by 2012 the paper industry hopes to recover 60 percent of all paper for recycling.
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