Elements IQ Podcast – Paper Recycling

Audra Pagano:  Hello, I’m Audra Pagano and welcome to the latest Elements™ IQ podcast. So, what is Elements? It’s Georgia-Pacific’s sustainability platform. Its purpose is to make sustainability easier to understand and implement. This podcast series provides insights and perspectives that can help audiences better understand and navigate sustainability’s complexities. 
 
Paper is one of the world's greatest inventions. Why? It’s an integral part of lives. We use paper to document history, display achievements, tell stories and decorate walls. It’s even crucial for drying our hands after washing them.

Today, we will talk about recycling paper with our guest Ted Gloeckler. Ted is Senior Director of Internal Business at Georgia Pacific Recycling in the Mid-West.  Thanks for joining us for this episode of Elements™ IQ. 
 

Ted Gloeckler: Thank you for having me, Audra. 
 

Audra Pagano:  I am so glad we’re talking about this topic. I have a number of questions about paper recycling. But, first let’s start with a broader question: just how much paper is produced in our country each year? 
 

Ted Gloeckler: Well Audra, paper has literally written itself into our history and into our lives. In the US, paper is one of the most important and most widely used materials. Paper is used to produce a variety of products including writing paper, books, corrugated boxes, envelopes, paper towels and paper drinking cups. The list of products is extensive. In fact, the US generates about 74 million tons¹ of paper and paperboard annually.
 

Audra Pagano: That is a lot of paper. Where do materials come from to make all that paper?  Many people assume it all comes from trees. 
 

Ted Gloeckler: That is partially true. Here in the United States, we get our paper materials from three primary sources².  

About a third of the fiber for making paper comes from wood chips and wood scraps found at sawmills. This material is captured before it can be discarded and possibly end up in a landfill. 

Another third comes from collecting used paper such as old corrugated boxes, discarded office paper and magazines. Soiled items such as pizza boxes and paper coffee cups are increasingly accepted for recycling. These are all important sources of material for GP as we recycle over 2 million tons of recovered paper every year in our manufacturing process. In fact, GP Recycling is one of the world’s largest buyers and sellers of recycled fiber. Not only do we use these recycled fibers in our production facilities, we also sell material to other producers.  

The final third of materials used in the paper making process comes from raw materials such as trees and other plants. At Georgia-Pacific, we are completely committed to being good stewards of the environment. We take meticulous steps to assure that we responsibly source our wood and fiber for our operations. Responsibly harvested forests, where harvesting follows prescribed practices with new trees planted to establish new forests, often helps prevent deforestation by providing for the financial needs of the landowners through the ongoing sale of fiber. The United Nations’ forestry vision states “Sustainably managed forests are healthy, productive, and renewable ecosystems, which provide vital goods and ecosystem services to people worldwide.” So, you can see that when you choose certified virgin fiber, you know the forests from which the wood is harvested are managed in a way that reduces the overall environmental impact. People sometimes believe they need to use paper made of 100% recycled fiber to be sustainable but certified virgin fiber also plays a major role. 
  

Audra Pagano: It’s interesting to learn about the 3 sources. Sounds like all 3 have a sustainability role. Tell me, how long has GP used recycled fibers to make paper? 
 

Ted Gloeckler:  We have been recycling paper throughout U.S. history. American paper mills used to shred old rags and clothes into individual fibers to make paper. As the demand for paper grew, mills started to use the fiber from trees because wood was easier to use than cloth³. During this era, the practice of collecting and reusing paper started. 
GP’s history of utilizing recycled fiber dates back to our company’s launch in 1927. Our company’s Green Bay facility, which opened as a part of the Fort Howard Paper Company, started to process local wastepaper to make recycled tissue in the 1930’s.

Audra Pagano: Very interesting. I wasn’t aware paper recycling has such a long history. How does paper recycling compare to other recycled materials?


Ted Gloeckler: From those early days to today, paper recycling has continued to grow. In fact, currently more paper is recycled, if measured by weight, than recovered glass, plastic, and aluminum combined. Why is this important? Because recycling paper not only conserves natural resources, but also saves energy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and alleviating materials headed for landfill.  As an example, it has been estimated that recycling one ton of paper saves about 4,000 kilowatts of energy which is enough to power the average U.S. home for six months. Recycling one ton of paper also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by about one metric ton of carbon equivalent (MTCE) ⁴.


Audra Pagano: Very, very interesting. I never realized how much paper recycling impacts our environment. Just how much paper and paperboard are recycled every year?


Ted Gloeckler: Paper accounts for about half of all recyclables collected in the US, by weight. In 2019, more than 49 million tons of paper and paperboard were recovered which is a recycling rate of over 66%⁵. To give you an idea of commonly known grades, almost 61% of newspaper-type grades⁶  as well as about 85% of corrugated cardboard were recovered, with the cardboard percentage including the packaging on goods imported into the United States⁷. 

 
Audra Pagano: That’s truly impressive. Clearly, paper is collected for recycling at a pretty strong rate. It sounds like the more times we recycle paper the better. So, how many times can the same paper be recycled? 
 

Ted Gloeckler: Great question, Audra. First, a fair amount of paper that is manufactured is not intended to be immediately recycled or is taken out of circulation for extended periods of time. Think of printed photos, official documents such as certificates and diplomas, educational materials like textbooks and other important or sentimental papers. These papers are not meant to be recycled, at least not any time soon. 
 
There is also paper that is produced that cannot be recycled. This includes bathroom tissue, most food contaminated packaging, pet bedding and other products, such as construction materials. 
 
However, for the paper that is recyclable, recycling requires many steps. Each of these steps consumes resources and weakens the paper fiber. As a natural fiber, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely and has a limited lifecycle. It can only be recycled approximately seven times² before the fibers break down and can no longer be used. Because of this, manufacturers sometimes utilize virgin fiber to provide a constant stream of fresh fibers, which can then be recycled and repurposed. Virgin fiber is often required to maintain the paper supply and meet the needs of consumers.  
 

Audra Pagano: So, there is a limit to the number times paper fiber can be recycled. And, virgin fiber can help extend the lifecycle of paper. For many reasons, virgin fiber can be a sustainable choice.  
 

Ted Gloeckler: Yes, yes, it is. Responsibly-sourced fiber does more than fill the demand for fresh fiber in the paper stream. It is also a sustainable choice, just like paper made with recycled fiber. 
 

Audra Pagano: There you go. I’m certain our listeners learned a lot about the materials used for making paper and the importance of recycled fiber. Ted, thank you so much for joining me today and answering these very important questions. And thank you to our listeners for tuning in. This is the third edition of our Elements IQ series. To learn more about sustainability, visit the GP PRO sustainability page at GPPro.com. 

 

Sources:

1. Source: AF&PA’s “Paper Industry Annual Statistical Summary” 2019
2. Source: EPA/Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry
3. Time
4. EPA,
5. Source: AF&PA's “Recovered Paper Annual Statistical Summary" – newspaper and mechanical papers