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Importance & Benefits of Recycling

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Importance & Benefits of Recycling

At Simply Shred & Recycle we recognise the need to protect our trees and our ozone layer and it is our policy to fully recycle all paper that we collect. An unbelievable statistic is that for every one tonne of paper that is recycled, up to 17 mature trees can be saved from unnecessary destruction. And this process not only saves thousands of trees each year but also one tonne of recycled paper uses up 64% less energy, 50% less water and 74% less air pollution than one tonne of paper products made from virgin wood pulp.

In theory, most paper can be recycled, however in practice it is simply not done. A recent survey showed that 94% of businesses in the UK thought that recycling was a good idea. It also highlighted that although paper represents 89% of business waste, very little is recycled.

Facts and benefits

In 2005 the UK consumed 18.4 millions tonnes of paper. It is estimated that 32% of this is recovered for recycling, but another 64% is being used once and then discarded. The commercial sector today provides huge potential to increase this recovery rate, resulting in benefits to individual companies participating as well as to the environment, and to the UK economy.

It takes 17 trees to make 1 tonne of paper

What are the benefits to the UK economy?

Since the UK timber production is not sufficient to meet its paper demand, wood pulp is imported, representing the UK' s fourth biggest import. Recovered paper represents over 70% of the fibre used by the paper-making industry, and this enables the UK paper industry to compete with overseas competitors from forest-rich countries. By using more recovered paper in the manufacture of pulp, the need for (and cost of) imported pulp could be reduced.

It is estimated that the UK's national income rises by around £154 for every additional tonne of paper recycled

What are the benefits to businesses?

• Since the introduction of the Landfill Tax in 1996, waste disposal organisations have to pay £11 per tonne of waste sent to landfill (increasing £1 per year until review in 2007). Paper makes up 33%, by weight, of the contents of an average household dustbin, and for businesses this can be over 70%. In many cases therefore, the cost of recycling paper is now below that of disposing to landfill -and as landfill tax increases, so the savings will increase.
• A good environmental performance is increasingly noticed and valued by clients, customers, staff, suppliers and the public, bringing proven loyalty and public relations benefits.
• More formally, there is increasing pressure to improve environmental performance and become accredited to one of the official standards :ISO 14001 or EMAS.
• Although recycling office paper is just one environmental improvement, it is relatively easy to do, has obvious benefits, involves all staff, and may be a catalyst for further projects.

By recycling our clients' shredded documents, Simply Shred & Recycle proudly supports the manufacture of many different types of recycled paper products. In fact, every time two Simply Shred consoles are filled, our clients save a tree. At the end of each year, all of our clients receive an Environmental Certificate detailing the positive impact their relationship with Simply Shred has had on the environment.