Paper is one of the most widely used products in the world. And like most other materials, paper scrap can be recycled to help save the environment!

The benefits of recycling paper scrap

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), over 70 million tons of paper is consumed each year in the United States. This generates over 28% of solid scrap, taking up 3.3 yd3 of landfill space.
Unfortunately, these numbers are only expected to increase as the demand for paper products rises. Because of this, it’s best to recycle any available scraps to save landfill space, energy, and water.
For instance, a single ton of recycled paper can conserve up to 7000 gallons of water and enough energy to power a home for six months.
In addition, recycling paper can help preserve resources, especially the trees cut down to produce new materials. One ton of recycled scrap will save about 17 trees, keeping forests healthy and dense.

How to segregate your paper scrap?

One thing to note about paper is that it is not infinitely recyclable like metal. Instead, you can only recycle it a maximum of seven times before its fibers become too short.
But don’t worry; you can still maximize paper’s recycling potential through proper segregation. Here are the different paper grade categories to help you sort scrap efficiently:

• Old corrugated containers
  OCC scrap is distinguished by its ridged surface housed between two pieces of cardboard. Recycling this can produce new postal boxes, paper bags, and packaging materials.
• Old newspapers
  Old newspapers or ONP is a common source of recycled paper. It is processed in a special paper mill to make new paperboard, tissue, and art materials.
• High-grade deinked paper
  Most high-grade deinked paper comes from businesses and commercial establishments as they create large quantities of letterhead, stationery, and envelope waste. These scraps must first undergo a deinking process to prevent color inconsistencies during recycling.