What Are the Benefits of Recycling Newspaper?

About 88 percent of American newspapers are recycled.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that, as of 2008, about 88 percent of newspapers in the United States were recycled, yielding benefits to the community and greater environment.

Reducing Waste and Emissions

Newspapers that are recycled do not go to landfills, which reduces the volume of waste going to landfills. Waste is also sometimes burned, so recycling newspaper removes these carbon emissions from the atmosphere.

Extending Fiber Supply

Recycling extends the life of the fibers within paper by using them again to make new paper or other products. By 2007, about 30 percent of the paper used in an American newspaper was recycled content, according to the Newspaper Association of America.

Increases Carbon Sequestration

Carbon sequestration occurs when the rate of carbon absorption is greater than the rate of release. Living trees absorb carbon, while cutting them down to produce new paper effectively releases it. Using even a portion of recycled content to produce paper-based products means cutting down fewer trees and therefore increasing the amount of carbon that is sequestered.

References

• Newspaper Association of America: Facts about Newspaper Recycling
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Benefits of Paper Recycling
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2008