Paper was not only one of first things to be recycled, its very invention was the recycling of other materials like bits of cloth, hemp, and other fibers soaked, compressed and then dried to create a writing surface. It did not take long before used paper was also incorporated. But as the Industrial Age hit, consumption of paper skyrocketed, the process of making paper and of disposing of it became toxic to the environment, and no one was reusing or recycling their paper anymore. It took a world war and a shortage of everything to inspire even large paper companies to reconsider the tossing of paper into landfills. Before we knew it half of our cardboard was being made from recycled paper. But paper in our landfills is still an issue.
According to the Paper Recycling Coalition: “By recycling paper, we prevent it from being landfilled where it degrades, producing methane, a greenhouse gas. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, landfills are the single largest U.S. source of methane emissions to the atmosphere and degrading paper 24 times as potent as carbon dioxide is a primary cause.”
How much paper are you generating at your house? How much of it makes it to the recycling bin rather than the waste basket when it is no longer needed? Are you still using paper plates indoors, printing only on one side of the paper, or not getting your utility bills online? Perhaps it is time to rethink a few of your household routines and habits and seek ways to reduce, reuse and recycle paper.
Reduce: Consider using cloth napkins at meals and old rags for clean up instead of paper towels. If you put a basket of pretty napkins on the counter you will be amazed at how quickly you can convert the family. Any old dirty towel or pillow case cut in squares can mop up a spill.
Reuse: Have you considered saving the paper bags that come into your home and using them instead of plastic bags for storage? You can bring them to the grocery store to put your produce in as you shop rather than using plastic.
Recycle: Does your toilet paper have cardboard tubes? Did you know over 17 billion of these are thrown away every year, enough to fill the Empire State Building twice over? Consider walking these over to the recycling bin next time rather than dropping them into the bathroom trash.