Recycled Paper: Declining Market?
When I was a kid my family recycled. We were very unusual in doing this and had to go to great lengths to get our recyclables to a place we could drop them off. By the time I was in grad school, it was much more common to recycle and even some Republican-leaning friends of mine were recycling.
Then city after city started making separation of recyclables mandatory. Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and NYC are the last three American cities I lived in and all three have laws requiring recycling. This is real progress that is often overlooked.
But there is another and probably even more important side to the equation: a market for recycled products. If there is no market, then recycling does little good.
Metal recycling is always worthwhile because there is a large market for them. The market for recycled glass is much smaller because bottlers find it easier and cheaper to make bottles de novo. In between are the different kinds of paper and plastics.
But one disturbing trend is a DECLINE in the market for recycled paper. This comes from the Union of Concerned Scientists:
Is Recycled Paper in Trouble?
March 2007The growing presence of recycled paper has led many people to believe that all paper is now made from recycled materials. This unfortunate misconception has actually decreased demand for recycled paper, causing manufacturers to produce less. As a result, more than 90 percent of printing and writing paper still comes from virgin tree fiber.
The benefits of producing paper from recycled fibers are many: fewer trees cut down, less water and energy consumed, less pollution generated. And now that studies have shown today’s recycled paper products are comparable to conventional products in quality, performance, and cost, the case for buying recycled is stronger than ever. To help expand this market while meeting your needs and budget, ask these questions when shopping for paper products:
What is the percentage of recycled content?
Recycled paper contains varying percentages of post-consumer waste (paper that has been used and recycled by the consumer); the remaining recycled content derives from miscellaneous paper mill scraps. While any recycled paper is generally better than non-recycled, paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer content is the best choice. If a percentage is not listed, contact the manufacturer.
Where did the paper originate?
If you cannot buy a paper product that is 100 percent recycled, look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification label. This paper comes from forests managed in an environmentally responsible manner.
What about “tree-free†alternatives?
Paper doesn’t have to come from wood pulp; fibers from hemp, kenaf, flax, cotton, banana stalks, and other plant-based materials can be used to produce paper with fewer chemicals and less energy. Tree-free paper is generally more expensive than its conventional counterpart, but is available from a variety of companies. As with conventional paper, look for a product with high post-consumer recycled content.
How was the paper processed?
Papers (even tree-free ones) are often bleached with chlorine or chlorine derivatives that form dioxin—a known carcinogen—and other compounds that pollute local air and water supplies. Look for products labeled either processed chlorine free (PCF) or totally chlorine free (TCF).
Related Links
Conservatree—List of Recycled and Tree-Free Papers
I would add that there is some GREAT stuff about forestry and recycling in Jared Diamond's book Collapse.
Joy and I use lots of recycled paper products. We don't have a consistent source of recycled printer paper we use so I can't recommend one (though if you have a suggestion, I would love to hear it!). But for napkins, tissues, toilet paper and paper towels we buy in bulk from Real Goods. Buying in bulk keeps the price reasonable though it takes up a large corner of our small NYC apartment and Real Goods paper products are among the most environmentally sound products. The quality is below the best (and most expensive) of non-recylced items but is about equal to average non-recycled products.
Purchase of recycled products instead of virgin-made products is one of the best ways you can decrease your carbon use and environmental impact, though sometimes you have to shop around to get good prices.
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We buy in bulk
Submitted by mole333 on 17 March 2007 - 9:44pm.
Buying the larger sizes brings the price down, and, of course, NYC prices are about as high as you get in the US. Probably we are paying extra for shipping and otherwise similar prices. I did the comparison ages ago and found if we bought in bulk I could justify the slightly extra cost for the benefit of a.) not having to lug the stuff home from the store (remember, NYC, no cars) and b.) using a product with minimal environmental impact. I have not recalculated since then, but NYC prices keep going up and up...as do shipping costs, of course.
Great
Submitted by NanceConfer on 18 March 2007 - 1:04pm.
I'm happy you are doing your part -- that you have the space and the wallet -- and happy this option is available.
I always react by thinking about my own life, though, and thinking about the rest of the country. Those of us not living in NY. 
And those of us counting pennies. It really, really does matter. I think there are more of us than not.
And then I try to think about expanding your good shopping habits so that more people would be inclined to adopt them.
A significant, even a minor, increase in price for these everyday items will eliminate so many people that the benefit will be severely diluted.
So I think all these ideas should come with a budget. With a realistic idea about how a working Mom can make these wonderful ideas fit.
Maybe you've seen something like this done already? An entire household budget drawn up? Say with different spending abilities? In different cities or towns? Apartment versus 3/2 with pool? Different scenarios.
Say a new household is being started or an existing one is being revamped to be more environmentally aware.
Say the householders want to do the right long-term things.
A house with say the right kind of light bulbs, and recycled paper products, and coffee that's environmentally correct, and electricity that is green-ish, etc., etc. -- have you seen some sort of cost comparison for this set up as opposed to a typical American house? The comparison should include time and transportation/shipping. What else? Recycling?
Nance
Interesting
Submitted by mole333 on 18 March 2007 - 1:32pm.
I don't know if anyone has done this in an official way...though I outlined my take on what saves money and what costs money for an existing family.
You miss one point, though. We DON'T really have wallet room. But we make the decision anyway. This is what I meant before referring to our children...I look at my son and KNOW I have work to do. That is motivating for me and I compare it with our ancestors: my grandmother worked hard (working 3 jobs and going without food) so my mother would have a better life...I need to work hard to make sure my son doesn't have a significantly worse life. That's not a guilt trip, that is my personal thought process and why I personally extend our already extended finances to do what I see is best for my son's future.
Now financially I probably am in a different situation. We manage to have bought a prime apartment at the right time, so my net worth is quite high...but it also means our expenses are actually somewhat beyond what we pull in...though some creative investments and loans get us by. But I do have the ability to do some creative finances (creative in the LEGAL sense, not illegal) which many do not. But our expenses are probably far beyond what most people imagine because of where we live. Our financial juggling cause ENORMOUS stress and for awhile I was convinced we might have to sell our apartment and move someplace much crappier. But I muddled us through...and we still managed to make our choices that, in our eyes, help protect our children's futures. Compared with our other expenses it was a minor factor, but important in terms of our personal and political and family philosophies.
Interestingly, one way some creative financial juggling brought both together was I was able to invest a small amount in a geothermal company (USEY) and in a solar company (SPWR) that both made a good amount of money for us. That actually was timed luckily to help get us over one of our financial crises. But that was a gamble most people shouldn't do.
Your idea of a broad overview of how people can make sound individual choices is a good one. I can tell ANYONE that compact fluorescent bulbs and quitting smoking are the best combinations of saving you money and saving the planet. From there the choices get complex. THere are MANY energy solutions for a home or apartment building that cost money up front, sometimes lots of money, but save so much in the future that they are worth it...if you have the ability to make that initial investment and you live in a situation where you can make those changes. THe building I am living in has had to pay so much just to stop sewage backup, black mold infestations and flooding problems that our co-op finances are in bad shape as it is. That's what we face even in a prime neighborhood in NYC. How can I go to my building and suggest an investment in solar panels or a reflective surface or a garden on the roof (all of which are ways of reducing certain energy costs and even improving property value) when all we are trying to do is battle rising fuel costs, build back our reserve fund and if at all possible lower the monthly maintenance costs? I can't. And most people can't. But we have to. To see changing our habits as a choice is, in reality, just as short sighted as a government policy that focuses on more and more oil. It perpetuates the same mistakes because of short term finances. The short term finances really are a problem, but all will get worse if we don't change. It is either a catch-22 where things will get worse and worse, more and more expensive with no choice, or we can make the choices now (as individuals AND as a society...neither will work alone) no matter how hard they are so we can maintain some choice in HOW we change our habits rather than have those changes in habit forced upon us.
Not saying it is easy. And your idea would help people make choices. I am trying to think where such information, if it exists, would be. If I can track it down I will post on it. But I think it is way more hapazard than that. Though one group I have been out of touch with for years is Worldwatch Institute and they put out lots of great publications that could be helpful. If I have time I will investigate...though time is getting hard to find these days!
Real Good prices: For
Real Good prices:
For quantities similar to what I buy at the supermarket or the dollar store.
Bleach 64 oz. $5.25
Facial tissues $2.33 per 175 count box
Bathroom tissue $1.33 per 1000 sheet 1-ply roll
White paper towels $1.88 per 70 sheet roll (2-ply)
Supermarket or dollar store prices:
Bleach -- Clorox -- 96 oz. $1.50-2.00
Facial tissues -- Kleenex -- $1.59 per 200 count box
Scott bathroom tissue -- $.78 per 1000 sheet roll (1-ply)
Sparkle paper towels - $.83 per 60 sheet roll (2-ply)
These are my local prices, of course. And don't include shipping but do include gas and time. Quantities couldn't realistically be the largest available from Real Goods so I tried to compare apples and apples as I already buy the largest size I can sensibly store -- the 9 pack of bath tissue or the 6 pack of paper towels.
Nance