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Creating Local Markets for Recovered Rper in R w J Areas William Sheehan, Ph.D. Director of Environmental Biology E 6' C Consulting Engineers, Inc. 1600 Atkinson Road, Building A Lawremevile, Georgia 30243 Tel: 770-995-9606 Fax: 220-995-6603 Georgia Environmental Policy Institute 640 Cobb Street Athens, Georgia 30606 706-546-2507 TaLle of Contents INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 CONVENTIONAL MARKETS FOR RECOVERED PAPER ............... 3 ALTERNATIVE USES FOR RECOVERED PAPER .......................... 4 Cellulose Insulation ........................................................................... 5 Animal Bedding and Absorbents ......................................................... Z Paper Composting ............................................................................. 9 Other Uses for Recovered Paper ......................................................... 11 ENDNOTES ............................................................................................. 12 . e. !! 0 s the most plentiful discarded material, paper is a good candidate feedstock for manufacturing A opportunities using recovered materials. In the United States, paper constituted 37.5 percent of all residential and commercial discards in 1990, and a third of all waste disposed in landfills or burned in incinera- tors - both by volume and by weight (see Table 7).* Paper often constitutes en even higher fraction of dis- cards in rural communities, on the order of 40 to 50 percent.b Between 1960 and 1990, the total amount of paper disposed more than doubled, even while the amount recycled almost tripled.' As recycling markets for paper pick up, the amount disposed is declining,d but will remain substantial. Corrugated containers (cardboard boxes) and old newspapers together make up about half of the paper discard stream. in the United States (see Figure Nu- merous grades of paper make up the other half of the paper discard stream, little of which is source separated in rural areas. In Georgia, mixed paper discards amount to about 1.4 million tons annually '-and thevast majorttyof it goes to landfills. 9 2 .:. S Z 0 2 0 1 S 0 4 4 1 I L i i I ! - i i I market prices for used old newspapers and corru- gated hit all-time highs, and prices for other grades increased as well. Although prices subsequently dropped, they are likely to remain considerably higher than a few years ago. Many of the opportuni- ties described here were developed for old newspa- pers, which currently command a good price: How- ever, paper discards are high in bulk and low in value, so freight costs dl often be the primary cost in recy- cling paper.” Cellulose Insulation nsulation made from recov ered paper is known as cellu I lose insulation because paper is comprised mostly of cellulose fi- bers, the most abundant compo- nent of plants. It is well suited to amall-scale production because of low equipment costs, a relatively simple manufacturing process, and readily available material^.'^ The potential demand for the product in home insulation is immense, since Americans spend almost a billion dollars a year on home in- sulation.26 Cellulose competes pri- marily with fiberglass, which has the lion’s share of the home insu- lation market nationally. Health concerns about li- berglass, however, and the fact that cellulose is more efficient, more environmentally responsible, and cheaper in the long run (see below) makes prospects for cellulose b1ight.2~ Cellulose was the dominant home insulation in the United States before fiberglass came into vogue 40 years ago. Cellulose enjoyed a renaissance in the mid-1970s when oil shortages spurred energy con- servation measures, the retrofitting of homes with loose-fill insulation boomed, and fiberglass produc- tion could not keep up with demand. In 1928 there were about 250 operating plants, mostly small ‘mom and pop’ operations using modified farm machinery. Production subsequently declined due to curtailment of state and federal retrofit programs in the 1980s and a major advertising campaign by the fiberglass industry that created negative perceptions of cellu- lose.% These factors, together with the development of product standards in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s, resulted in an industry shakedown. urrently, about 70 manufacturers make cellulose insulation in the United States, with an average annual output of less than 8,000 tons a year, or about 25 tons per day.” A major national corporation entered the picture for the first time in 1990, and is distributing bags of loose-fJl cellulose insulation nationwide. Louisiana-Pacihic’s I million-dollar advertising budget is likely to increase acceptance of cellulose insulation and put the product on a more even footing with fiberglass. Most of the cellulose insulation used in Georgia is made in Atlanta by Greenstone Industries, Inc. (formerly Southern Cellulose, Inc.). The Atlanta plant has been making the insulation since 1921, primarily from recovered telephone directories, and cunently uses 7,000 tons of directories per year (half OI which are printing overstock^).^" ACR Industries in Cornelia (Habersham County) is also producing cellulose insulation from old newspapers, in addition to their primary product, chicken bedding, and other products (see below). - - C - Product Types Cellulose is used for both thermal and acoustical insulation. The primary market has always been dry, loose-fill thermal insulation blown into attics and (through holes) into walls. Increas- ingly, low-density ‘fiberized’ cellulose is used for loose-fill applications. Spray-applied cellulose has adhesives and binders and is applied with small amounts of water to new buildings during construc- tion. In outside walls, spray-applied cellulose is used primarily for thermal insulation, while in inside walls it provides acoustic insulation. * Manufacturing Process Cellulose insulation is made primarily from old newspaper or telephone di- rectories, but some kraft (brown bag) paper, corrugated or mixed paper can be substituted. The paper is thoroughly coated with borax, boric acid and/or other chemicals in va’ying ratios, accounting for 15 to 20 percent of the final product by weight. e 5 .:. .:. 9 of several existing companies into a large, publicly traded conglomerate (Greenstone Industries) will in- crease competition in urban markets, but should also increase the acceptibility of, and total market for, cellulose insulation. It should also be noted that one reason for the decline of the industry in the late 1910s was the proliferation of inexperienced opera- tors who produced an inferior product.& To make a truly fire-retardant product and receive a UL fire safety rating requires attention to detail. Animal Bedding and Absorbents aper is an excellent absorber of both water and odor, and P has potential for use as ani- mal bedding, pet litter and indus- trial absorbent. Paper is also more readily degradable in the environ- ment, more resistant to bacterial growth, and in some cases less ex- pensive than conventional wood chips, sawdust, or straw.45 Higher value-added end uses should be pur- sued where possible, such as con- ventional deinking or insulation manufacture. However, bedding production is well suited to the de- velopment of local, small-scale industry, which can supply the product to farm stores in rural areas. Fur- thermore, "1 agricultural settings paper bedding can be recycled again: after use as bedding it can be ap- plied to fields as fertilizer (see Section 3, below). In the Southeast, the most I&ly prospects for develop- ing paper animal bedding are in the poultry and horse industries. Much research was initiated in the late 1980s specifically to find uses for old newspaper because the supply generated by curbside recycling programs had exceeded demand by paper mills. Use of shred- ded paper for livestock bedding was gaining accep- tance in parts of the Midwest and Northeast U.S., but has declined recently in response to high prices for old newspapers. While attention has focused on developing bedding from old newspapers, any absor- bent paper can be used, including corrugated con- tainers, boxboard and much mixed paper. Slick, coated papers, as are found in newspaper inserts and in magazines, are less absorbent and should be mini- mized.46 The raw material is both cheap and abun- dant, for even with aggressive collection and recy- cling of all marketable grades, paper still constitutes as much as 20% of what is sent to the landfill. More research is still needed on how grades of paper be- sides old newspapers can be processed for absorbent uses, but it appears that most types of dry, uncoated paper can be used. - - An economic analysis o€ a central- ized paper shredding factory versus on-farm shredding was done at Penu State Uni~ersity.~~ The re- port concluded that a centralized facility processing 33 tons per day would create half a dozen jobs and that the product could be trans- ported over 100 miles and still be cheaper than a product processed on-farm. A computer spreadsheet model is available which allows a user to plug in values for local cou- ditions. Technical information on shredding equipment appropriate for making livestock bedding was the subject of a North Carolina State University report.48 * Poultry Shredded paper bedding that works for horses and cows cakes up in poultry houses. ACR Industries (see box) has developed a bedding material for use with poultry using the same low-density pro- cess that is used in making cellulose insulation. Bo- ric acid (5 percent by weight) is incorporated into the product as a €ire retardant; this also eliminates the need for other chemicals to control darkling beetles and insects that plague poultry houses in the South. The product is made primarily €rom old newspapers and telephone directories, but up to ten or fifteen percent mixed paper can be used?) While paper bed- ding is a little more expensive per ton initially than tons of shavings usually required for each poultry house, less than Z tons of paper bedding is needed?" Paper insulates hatchlings, thus reducing heating costs, and current research is even testing the addi- tion of an antibiotic that is normally injected into hatchlings to prevent an immune disease. wood shavings, less is needed. Compared to 8 or 9 .~ __ Many believe that local governments should have no role in recycling beyond collection- if that. Development of local uses for recyclables in rural areas, however, may require more public involvement than in urban areas where material is plentiful. Public sector involvement can be justified if local officials regard recycling development as an integral part of a ”waste mana9ement”strategythat seeks to divertthe maximum amount of used resourcesfrom the landfill while retaining jobs locally. tax incentives and other means, or direct involvement as in the following example. ~ Public sector involvement can take theform of sponsoring needed research, promoting private recycling enterprises through ._ An innovative approach to remanufacturing recovered paper was begun in 1991 by the Chestatee-Chatahoochee Resource Conservation and Development (RC bD) Council, Inc., in cooperation with Foster Industries of Cornelia, Georgia (Habersham County). Jerry Boling, Executive Director of the non-profit RC b D workedfor more than a yearwith Fieldale Farms, the University of Georgia, the US. Department of Agriculture and BellSouth to develop a chicken bedding product. Boling coordinated research trials and the investigation of other recovered paper products, including hydroseeding mulch and cellulose insulation. According to John Foster, the original developerof the paper recycling project, projects like this need help from both the public and private sectors because the research is too expensive for small entrepreneurs to fund. contrnued next page he used product can be spread on fields as fertilizer, just as wood shavings are. Initial T research by University of Georgia and U.S. Department of Agriculture soil scientists indicates that when the composted bedding is applied to pastureland, it helps retain nitrogen, adds organic matter and improves soil tilth and water-holding capacity?’ The 5% boric acid in poultry bedding was of initial concern because of the potential for boron toxicity to plants. Studies found no boron toxicity to fescue (a common pasture grass; most poultry litter is used to fertilize pastures),52 but scientists recommend more extensive studies before use on row crops and vegetables. - ~ o n e r Horses represent a $300 million industry in Georgia, but paper bedding has apparently not been tried here.53 Research in North Carolina on using paper for bedding horses compared recovered paper with pine shavings, pine sawdusr and oat straw. The researchers concluded that “paper bed- ding products appear to be an acceptable, potentially cost-effective bedding source that is superior in ab- sorptive quality compared to traditional bedding sources,” and that paper “decomposes adequately when used in typical equine bedding management practices. The paper should be chopped, not shredded, into pieces of 1 inch so that the material is not dragged about. In North Carolina, the product is used mostly by private horse owners for its low cost (a 55 pound bag sells for $1). Concern about combustibility prevents its use at horse sh0ws.5~ n54 Dairy Scrap paper is used to bed dairy cow in the Northern and Western U.S., where barns are of the enclosed, tie-stall type. In the South, however, open, free-stall barns are the norm. Currently, about ZO percent of Georgia’s 1OO,OOO dairy cows are bedded, primarily with wood shavings. Waste paper was tried at the University of Georgia dairy barns in Athens, but the experiment was discontinued because wind blew the paper around too much. * Cats and Small Pets Stutzman Environmental Products of Canby OR turns sludge waste &om pa- per mills into a profitable product. The company taLes discarded paper fibers that are too short to be usefnl in papermaking, mixes them with Portland ce- 56 This past summer, a group of three rural Georgia counties acquired the cellulose plant to serve public, regional waste management goals. The North Georgia Waste Management Authority, which includes Lurqpkin, Townes and Union counties, purchased the two-year-old plant for $660.000 ($460.000 for equipment and $200.000 for a building and six acres) with a loan from the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority. The Authority is now operating it as ACR Industries. The counties plant has the capacity to process - and thus divert from landfills - 3,000 tons per year using one shift. The long term goal is to create a full service recycling processing and manufacturing center, not just for paper but for other materials that can be profitably recycled as well. have trailers to accept mixed paper and are taking paper form nine counties with a combined population of 50,000. The - With counties paying over $30 per ton to have waste hauled away. it seemed worthwhile to ensure a local market for recovered paper. Considerations underlying the decision to acquire the facllity for regional waste management were detailed in a proposal prepared by the Chestatee-Chatahoochee RC h D Council in October 1993: (1) Unlike private-sector operators, courlties are eligible for state and federal grant and low-interest loan programs. (2) The reliability of the facility as a permanent part of each county‘s solid waste management plan can be assured by county ownership. (3) Counties can legally supportthe facility with in-kind services of county personnel when needed. (4) Potential profitabilityfrom paper diversion alone was estimated to be $641,000 per year. (5) A saving of landfill space of 371,488 cubic feet per year will result from paper diversion alone. ment, extrudes them into pellets, and sells the prod- uct to the small pet trade on the West Coast under the brand Good Mews. Sales of this and an indus- trial absorbent product have grown to more than $1 million a year.57 One source states that “Kitty litter made from old magazines is a potentially large, but unexplored, application for recovered paper. 3958 - Industrial Absorbents ACR Industries in Cornelia GA makes fiberized cellulose for use as an absorbent for industrial spills. The machinery and process is the same as is used for manufacturing insulation, except that chemical additives are not needed. It is marketed in bags under the name Mastasorb and sold by a national distributor. Another absorbent product, EnviroDry, is manufactured from recovered paper by Phoenix Paper Products in Wenona I L . ~ ~ The paper in this product (newsprint with 5% to 7% ‘ ‘slicks’) is pelletized, which gives more stability than fluffed paper absorbents in situations like auto repair shops where personnel must walk through it or wind can blow it around. According to a Phoenix ofhcial, paper has twice the absorbency of clay, the material that currently dominates the absorbent market. Paper Composting sing recovered paper as a soil amendment is preferable to landfilling, but should only be U considered as a last resort, after higher value-added options have been explored. Paper is an organic material made from plants so it is not surprising that it can be readily returned to soil. Under proper conditions, microbes break down the cellulose fibers in leaves and paper (which ani- mals can’t digest without the help of gut-dwelling microorganisms) into simpler molecules that provide nutrients in soil. When mixed with nitrogen-rich items of animal origin, like food scraps, biosolids (sewage sludge), or poultry manure, paper functions grass (also mostly cellulose) in backywd composting. In fact, University of Georgia Cooperative Exten- sion says that up to 15% paper discards can be safely added to backyard compost piles. Old newspapers, tissue products and cereal boxboard work best, and should be soaked, torn up and worked into the pile to avoid clumping. as a carbon source and bulking agent, lilze leaves and . ~~ __ 611 .:. c ganic nitrogen source, such as chicken litter or ma- nure, according to Dr. Edwards. This facilitates pre- cipitation of aluminum. Other Uses for Recovered Paper * Hydroaeed Mulch Paper makes good mulch. Ahout half of the cellulose insulation companies also make hydroseed mulch, a seed germination and erosion control material sprayed on freeway embankments and other open areas. It is made largely from old newspaper and sells for around $200 per ton.h9 A lower grade, less aesthetic product suitable for mine reclamation can be made from commingled residen- tial mixed paper and brings a price of about $140 per ton. This product could have a considerable mar- ket in Central Georgia's kaolin district. In Georgia, both Southern Cellulose and ACR Industries make cellulose hydromulch. A commitment by the Geor- gia Department of Transportation to use the product could go a long way toward stimulating the market for hydroseed mulches. * Potting Medium Phoenix Paper Products has de- veloped a paper-based product to replace peat moss, which is mined in vast quantities from ecologically sensitive wetlands. Although it holds less moisture than peat moss, the paper-based product gives up more moisture to plants, resulting in a net gain of available water. Phoenix has developed a proprietary process to make a product that can be po~red.~" - Packing Material Biograde, Inc., of Pompano Beach FL has developed a machine that shreds corrugated into packing material, called Com-Fill. They have modified a commercial corrugated container shredder to process corrugated into even strips, control dust, screen rejects, and even apply a natural insecticide to eliminate potential pest problems. Biograde is fabricat- ing taro sizes of A technical report on a different process to turn old newspaper into peanut- shaped loose-fiU packaging is available from the New York State Secondaq Materials Program." * Speciatty writing Papen Gainer" describes oppor- tunities for small-scale manufacturing of handmade and specialty papers. rob bin^?^ discusses equipment and costs of operations that could employ one to five persons. . 11 - Fuel The lowest value-added use of waste paper is burning for energy. From a resource conservation point of view, almost three times more energy is con- served through recycling paper in conventional, en- ergy-intensive paper mills than is generated from municipal solid waste in~ineration.?~ From an eco- nomic point of view, garbage incineration is on aver- age twice as expensive as landfilling, and incinera- tion competes for the same materials - especially paper - as recycling." While garbage incineration is problematic, co-firing waste paper in electric gen- erating plants may be preferable to landfilling under some circumstances. Georgia Power's coal-fired elec- tricity generating plants use an efficient burn tech- nology where the coal leedstock is pulverized and blown into the burn chamber. The company has tried mixing small amounts of pelletized paper (which has half to two-thirds of the energy value of the coal used most in Georgia) with coal in trial burns at several of their coal-fired generating plants. However, plant design requiring homogeneous, pul- verized fuel, high ash content of paper, and high transportation costs of undensified paper suggest a limited potential at existing plants, according to Georgia Power marketing representative Michael Finch.77 Several of the publications referenced in this report discuss using recovered paper for boiler fuel." Anderson describes small-scale manufacture of pressed firelogs made from recovered paper, a product that probably would not as big a market in the South as elsewhere?' * Chemical and Industrial Materials Chemicals and industrial materials currently refined or made from nonrenewable petroleum can be made Irom renew- able plant matter. Waste paper can be used as a feed- stock. Cellulose fibers are presently used as fillers, thickeners and reinforcements in products such as asphalt paving, artificial slate products, roof coat- ings, floor tile cement, paints, epoxies, caulks and tennis court coatings. Annual sales are less than $IO million and offer growth potential?" Manufac- turing high value-added industrial materials lrom plant materials, and its applicability to rural eco- nomic development, is the sublect of a research pro- gram and series of reports by the Institute for Local Self Reliance?' 9 Financial, marketing, and other business stert-up essis- tance is available from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (706-542-6823). One-on-one technical assistance is available from the Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute, through its industrial ex- tension network of 18 offices located throughout the state (404-894-49351 2 See Lola Schoenrich, Cese Studies ofseven Rural Pro- grems Cooperatively Merketing Recyclables, The Minne- sota Project, July~l994. See also Mary G. Kohrell and Lola Schoenrich. Results of the 1993 Survey of Cooperative Marketing Groups in the United States and Ceneda: mer Match Directory end Individual Progrem Summaries., Co- operative Marketing Network, April 1994. (Each 515.00 postpaid from The Minnesota Project, 1885 University Ave. West, Suite 315, St. Paul, MN 55104; tel. 612-645-6159.) Three recent reports profile used resource and waste man- agement programs in rural communities. Two describe programs In the Southeast: (1) Jim Malia and Janice Morrissey, Rurel Communities end Subtitle D: Problems and Solutions, Tennessee Valley Authority, Center for Rural Waste'Management, December 1994, 100 pages. (Order free from US. EPA Region IV, tel. 404-347-3555 extension €423.) (2) The MaCC Group and Tennessee Valley Authority, Wste Reduction Strategies for Rural Communltias, Ameri- can Plastics Council, March 1994, 130 pages. (Order from American Plastics Council, tel. 800-2-HELPSO). (3) A third study describes 8 nationally outstanding com- munities in the Northeast, Midwest and California: B. Plett. N. Friedman, C. Grodinsky and M. Suouo, In-Depth Stud- ies of Recycling and Composting Programs: Designs, Costs, Results. Volume I: Rural Communities, Institute for Local Self Reliance, 1992, 113 peges. (Order from iLSR, 202-232-41 08.) Waste Reduction Strategies for Rural Communities (cited above), page ES-9. 5 Unitad States Environmental Protection Agency, Weste Prevention, Recycling end Composting Options: Lessons from 30 Communities, EPA530-R-92-015, February 1994, 168 pages. (Free from EPA's RCRA Hotline, tel. 800-424- 9346 Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM.) See Rural Communities and Subtitle D: Problems end So- lutlons, 1994, cited above, pages 83-90. For further details on Tifton and Tift County's variable rate systems contact City Manager Hunter Walker et 912-382-6321. The City of Atlanta's Drafl Solid Weste Menagement Plen, September 9, 1994, estimates reduction of all residential waste between FY 1992 and FY 1994 to be 4.51 percent. and claims that the maximum achievable residential reduc- tion rate by the year 2002 is 7.61 percent (not including yard trimmings). By comparison, the City of Seattle WA. similar in size to Atlanta, recycles 48% of its residential solid waste. Source: Seattle's Road to Recovery, a Set of reports available free from the Seattle Solid Waste Utility, 710 Second Ave., Suite 505, Seattle WA 98104; tel. 206- 684-7639. A 1994 survey by the Center for Science, Technology and Media of 412 members of the Solid Waste Association of North America and Who's Whoin EnvironmentalEngineer- ingfound that nearly half of those polled believe that recy- cling can play only a "minor role at best" in dealina with . solid waste. Source: Resource Recycling, September-1994. page 70. Lisa Rebasca. Recycling Times, February 1995. lo D. Goldberg and R. McCarthy, Atlanta Journel-Constitution, December 7, 1993. Brenda Platt, end David Morris The Economic Benefits of Recycling, Institute for Local Self Reliance, 1993, 15 pages; Michael Lewis, Recycling Economic Development Through Scrap-Based Manufecturing, Institute for Local Self Reli- ance, 1993, 42 peges. (Order from ILSR, 2425 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; tel. 202-232-4108.) l2 Municipal solid weste (MSW) as used here includes resi- dential and commercial discards, but not industrial dis- cards or construction and demolition debris. Unless other- wise specified. discards end waste refer to MSW. 13Tom Friberg, "Alternative uses for recovered paper," Re- l4 Margaret Gainer, Recycling Entrepreneurship: Creeting Lo- cel Merkets for Recycled Materials, Arcata Community Re- cycling Center, 1990. (To order call 707-822-4542.) Pulped paper product companies are usually vertically integrated, which meens they own numerous elements of production from raw material procurement to end product distribution. A good introductory source of information about conven- tional, capital-intensive recycling business opportunities for discarded materials. including paper, is Susan Williams, Trash to Cash: New Business Opportunities in the Post- consumer Weste Streem. Investor ResDonsibilitv Research source Recycling, January 1993. Center. Wasninglon DC. 1991. 317 pages. ($40 postpa o from IRRC. inc.. tel. 202.234-7500 ) l5 Karen Fite, Recycling Industries Siting Profiles, Economic Development Institute, Georgia Institute of Technology, September 1993. 16Southeast Paper Manufacturing Company in Dublin (Laurens County) is the nation's largest mill producing 100 percent recycled newsprint. Fort Howard Corporation in Rincon (Effingham County) is the largest plant in the United States using recycled mixed paper to produce 100 percent recycled tissue paper products. Source: Southern Legisla- tive Conference, Recycling Market Development in the South, Atlanta. Georgia. May 1993. l7 Gainer, 1990, cited above, estimates that a 10 ton-per-day mill could be built for 52 million using used equipment. Gainer, 1990, cited above 0 12 .:. 19Remanufacturing paper products from recycled paper usas 46 to 80 percent of the cost of making the product from virgin wood, depending on the product. when envi- ronmental costs are included. Source: J. Schall. Does the Solid W8st8 Hierarchy M8ke Sense? School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, Working Pa- par bl, October 1992, 85 pages. ($15 postpaid; tei. 203- 432-3253.) Switching from virgin to recycled newsprint tends to result in a 99-percent decrease in the amount of ammonia and chlorine released. Source: J.E. Young and A. Sachs. The Next Eficiancy Revolution: Creating a Sus- tain8bIe Melerials Economy. Worldwatch Institute, Sep- tember 1994, 58 pages. ($8 postpaid: tel. 202-452-1999.) 2o Source: Bill Moore, Thompson-Avant International (an At- lanta-based consulting firm specializing in recovered pa- p r markets, tal. 404-518-4044). personal communication. December 1994. New technologies may increase lifespan of paper fibers. For example, Tempico Inc. of Mandeviile LA has developed a rotoclave process that uses heat, steam and pressure to separate paper from other material without cutting fibers; a plant could be operational by early 1996. Source: "New US. ,mills and expansions in- crease paper recycling capacity," Scrap Processing and Racycling 51. no. 6 (NovemberIDecember 19941, page 30 (referred by Brenda Plan, ILSR). 21 Dainking mills generate as much as one ton of wet sludge for each ton of dry paper feedstock. The amount of usable fiber (dry weight) rendered after cleaning and deinking processes remove contaminants varies by paper type: for recycled paperboard and containerboard, 90 percent; for newsprint. 85 percent; for tissue and printing and writing papers, 70 percent; for mixed paper, 60 percent. Source: Judy Usherton, "Recycled paper and sludge," Resource flecycling, March 1992: pages 95-100. 22 A. E. ONeill and others, DevelopmentofRecycledMateri- 81s Markets: Currant Situation, Key St8tes' Experiences, and Recommendations for Georgia, Georgia Tech Re- search Institute. March 1992 (tel. 404-535-5728). 23 G.F. Lee and A. Jones-Lee, ImpactofMunicipaIandlndus- trial Non-H8z8rdous Waste Landfills on Public Heelth end the Environment: An Overview. Repon for California Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, Comparative Risk Project, April 1994. (These and related reports on technical limita- tions of Subtitle D landfill design can be obtained from Dr. Lee; tel. 916-753-9630.) 24 Michael Lewis, Recycling Economic Development through Scrap-Based Manufacturing, Institute for Local Self Reliance, 1994, page 17. IT0 order call ILSR at 202- 232-4108,) 25 Gainer, 1990, cited above. 26Afigure of $2 billion is sometimes given, butthis includes exterior materiels, according to Dan Lea, Executive Director, Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association. Mr. Lea estimates the blow-in and batt type home insulation market at $800.000. (CIMA, 136 South Keowee Street, Dayton, OH 45402; tel. 513-222-2462; telephone interview August 12, 1994). A 1988 study for the US. EPA stated that the all thermal building insulation sales totaled $2.24 billion, with just more than half accounted for by the residential market. Source: Gainer, 1990, cited above, page 2-22. 27 Elif Sinanoglu, "Pass on the pink stuff when you pick insu- 28Gainer, 1990, cited above. 29 S. Apotheker, "Seeing the writing on the wall: Old newspa- pers to new insulation," Resource Recycling, November 1994, page 51-59. 30 Phone books have traditionally been more difficult than other forms of paper to recycle because glue is used in the binding, and yellow dye in the Yellow Pages. Source: Kathryn Burns, Director of Marketing, Southern Cellulose, Inc., telephone interview October 18. 1994 (tel. 202.344- 3590). The amount of telephone books recycled by South- ern Cellulose is only a small fraction (13%) of the 56,000 tons of phone books produced by BellSouth each year. 31 Sarfraz A. Siddiqui, Hendbook of Cellulose Insulation. Krieger Publishing Company. 1989, 164 pages. (531.50 postpaid from Krieger Publishing Co.. PO Box 9512, Melbourne FL 32902; tel. 407-724-9542.) lation," Money, October 1994. 32 S. Apotheker, 1994, cited above. 33 DuraTech Industries International, Inc. (menufacturer of Haybuster farm equipment), PO Box 1940, Jamestown, ND 58402 (701-252-2572) and Advanced Fiber Technologies, Inc., 4710 L interstate Drive, Cincinnati. OH 45246 (513-860- 4446). Both companies provide complete systems; AFT also provides installation and startup supervision. 34 Jerry Boling, Executive Director, Chestachee- Chatahoochee Rural Conservation b Development Council, Gainesville. interview August 2, 1994 (tel. 404-536-1221). 35 Dan Lea, CIMA, telephone interview, August 18, 1994. 36 Geiner, 1990, cited above. 37 Dan Lea, CIMA. cited above. 38 Kathryn Burns, Southern Cellulose, Inc.. telephone inter- 39 Kathleen Butler, "Insulating your house is not a simple de- 40 Source: Southern Cellulose, Inc.. brochure, circa 1993. 41 Scientists have known since the late 1960s. when fiber- glass replaced asbestos, that it is the Size and shape of as- bestos fibers, not their chemical composition, that is the key to their carcinogenicity. In the 1970s it was shown that glass fibers of the same size as carcinogenic asbestos fi- bers are "potent carcinogens" in rats. Source: Peter Montague, "New air pollution from landfills: asbestos and fiberglass hazards" Rachel's Hezardous Waste News #74. April 25, 1988:(Subscriptions to this 2-page, weekly naws- letter, now called Rechel's Environment 8 Health Weekly, are free via Internet or $25iyear via mail; tel. 410-263- 1584.) view October 18, 1994. cision," The Virginian Pilot, October l, 1994. 42 Bob Horowitz. Chairman, Victims of Fiberalass: teleDhone interview August 16, 1994. (VOE PO. Box-894. Bryte, CA; tel. 916-371-0656.) 4. 13 .:. ''3 North American Insulation Manufacturers Association, "Health and Safety Research on Fiberglass" brochure (NAIMA tel: 703-684-0084). 44 Alex Wilson, "Understanding thermal insulation's transfor- 45 G. Venditti and A. Turner, "Recycling old newsprint in live- stock bedding," in T. Joyce, J. Heitmann and M. Overcash, editors, Alternetives for Nawsprinr Recycling, Pollution Pre- vention Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 1991. (Free from EPA Region IV Waste Reduction Resource Center, Raleigh NC; tel. 800-476-8686.) 46 M.W. Anderson, T. Lipshutz and J.T. Cooey, Recycling Mixed Waste Bper Into Innovative Products: A Research hjecrponeforthe US. DepartmentofEnergv. 1982. ($15 postpaid from Garbage Reincarnation, PO. Box 1375, Santa Rosa, CA 95402: tel. 707-584-8666.) 47 J.G: Beierlein, The financial feasibility of using newspa- pars for farm animal bedding," Rnn State University, Col- lege of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, Cir- cular383. 1990,E pages (free; tel. 814-665-6713). mation," Architectural Record, June 10, 1994. . =Venditti and Turner, 1991, cited above. 49 Jerry Boling, personal communication. 50 'Bedding material offers farmers new option," Fermersand 51 Dr. Miguel Cabrera, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia (tel: 706-542-1242) performed field studies. Dr. Stan Wilkinson, US. Department of Agricul- ture, Watkinsville, performed greenhouse studies. 52 When applied at very high levels (12 times the recom- mended rate of 4 tons per acre), one treatment of composted chicken paper bedding had some fungi for two weeks. Dr. Cabrera attributes this to nutrient imbalance re- sulting from poor breakdown of rain-saturated paper bed- ding during composting. Source: telephone interview, Oc- tober 26, 1994. 53Source: Dr. Gary Heusner, Extension Animal Scientist - Eqiine, University of Georgia, Athens; telephone interview October 25, 1994 (706-542-2584). S4 D.T. Barnet, R.A. Mowrey and A.R. Rubin, "Decomposition of processed newspaper when used as an equine bedding source," North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, Ra- leigh NC Consumers Market Bulletin, December 9, 1992. 55Telephone interview with Dr. Itel. 919-51 5-7871 1. Mowrey, October 27, 1994 56Telephone interview October 26, 1994, with Dr. Larry Guthrie, Extension Coordinator for Dairy Science, Univer- sity of Georgia, Athens (tel. 706-542-9106). 57 Janet hulson, "Paper pellet cat litter proves Good Mews." 58 John Ruston, "Developing recycling markets for the com- ponents of residential mixed paper," Resource Recycling, January 1992, pages 26-34. Oregonien, May 5, 1994. 59 Source: Charles Lohr, Vice President, Phoenix Paper Prod- ucts, inc., PO Box 159, Wenona. IL 61377; tel. 815.368- 3343. 6o Source: Dr. Wayne McLaurin, Extension Horticulturist, Uni- 61 SunShares, MixedPaperLSludge Composting Project Final Report to the US. Environmenrel Protecrion Agency, Re- gion IVAugust 1993. In addition to describing composting research, this 130-page report also has a useful section on marketing anticipated products. (520 postpaid from SunShares. 1215 Briggs Ave., Suite 100, Durham, NC 27703; tel. 919-596-1870.) Sally Boerschig, Waste Reduc- tion Associate, Sunshares Inc.. Durham NC; telephone in- terview October 19, 1994. versity of Georgia, Athens (706-542-2340). 62 Bill Telford, Superintendent of Plant 11, Water Resources De- partment, Durham NC; telephone interview March l, 1995 (91 9-560-4384). 63 Nora Goldstein, "Adding paper to the mix," BioQcle, Au- gust 1992, pages 54-58 (describes community projects in Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey, and Missouri, in addi- tion to the Sunstiares project in North Carolina) 64Composting programs are extensively covered in the monthly magazine, BioCycle. (Order from The JG Press, Inc.. 419 State Avenue, Emmaus PA; tel. 215-967-4135: an- nual subscription $63.) 65 Goldstein 1992, and Sunshare's, 1993, cited above. 66 J.O. Donald and J.H. Edwards, "Building Soil Fertility with Farm/City Wastes," Alabama Cooperative Extension Ser- vice CircularAGENG-ES-007, October 1994, 8 pages. Or. Edwards is a scientist at the USDA/ARS National Soil Dy- namics Laboratory in Auburn AL; tel. 205-844-3979. 67 Dr. Edwards has worked with Phoenix Paper Products, Inc., to develop pelletizer equipment modified from animal feed ipeiietizers. Contact Dr. Edwards at 205-844-3979, or Charles Lohr, Vice President, Phoenix Paper Products, Inc., PO Box 159, Wenona, IL 61377; tel. 815-368-3343. 6? J.H. Edwards, "Direct land application of waste paper," BioCycle April 1994, pages 69-72; see also J.H. Edwards, E.C Burt. R.L. Raper and D.T. Hill, "Recycling newsprint on agricultural land with the aid of poultry litter," Compost Sci- enceand Utilization, 1 11993). pages 79-92. 69 S. Apotheker, 1994, cited above. 70 Source: Charles Lohr. Vice President, Phoenix Paper Prod- ucts, Inc., PO Box 159, Wenona, IL 61377, telephone con- versation January 11, 1995; tel. 815-368-3343. 71 J. Goldstein. "This profit center comes in a box," In Busi- 72 New York State Department of Economic Development, Evaluation of Loose Fill Packaging Using Recycled Paper, March 1992 (Executive Summary free; tel. 518-486-6291). ness, March/April 1993, pages 34-36. .__ 73 Gainer, 1990, cited above. 9 14 74 1.R Robbms. Creating Local Jobs from Environtnenlal Pro- iectmn: Focus on Recyclhg ana Small Business. Marcn 1992. pages 21-23. (For ordering information call 512-447- 8712.1 75 Source: J. Morris ana D. Canzoneri, "Compilralive .ifecyc e energy analysis: tneory and practice." Resource Recycling, November 1992. Anotner study documented that remanufactLring paper products from recycled paper also costs only 46 to 80 percent of wnat :I costs to make tne same products from virgin wood, when 8.1 sLbsia'es ana environmental costs are incluaed. See J. Scha , 1992. cited above. 76 R.A. Denson and J. Ruston. ed'tors. Recycling 6 Incinefa- iion, Island Press. 1991. (Order from sland Press; tel. 8oC-828-1302.1 77 Georgia Power Durm 25 m llion tons of 12.000 BTU coal a year. They have also expermentea DLrning Small amoLnts of wood, peanut hulls and pecan hd Is. A adferent furnace design Icyclone-fired1 can better accommodate paper and is in use in some states. Source: Micnae, Fincn. Marreting Specialist at Georgia Power, Le ephone nterw.ew Octooer 26. 1994 Itel. 404-526-1044. 78 See SunShares. 1993; "oyce. heitmann and Overcash. ea'. tors. 1991; ana Anderson an0 otners 1982; a11 cded above. 79Anderson and others. 1982. cited aoove. S. Apotneker. 1994, cited above D. Morris ana I, Ahmea. The carbohydrate Economy: Mak. ;ng Chemicals and lnuusirial Materials from Plan, Mailer. Institute for Local Self Rel',ance, Washington DC. 1992. The Carbohydrate Economy Project is baseo at the Institute's Minnesota oKce: tel. 612.379-3815. .:. 9 15
