Paper & Cardboard
Natural resources will not last forever. In Australia there are
20 billion fewer trees than when Europeans first settled here
in 1788. They have been felled to provide timber and to make
way for development. But trees are vital. They help regulate
the temperature, and keep our air clean. That's one great
reason to recycle.1
The problem
The basic paper making process has
not changed for 2000 years. Fibres
are still soaked in water, drained on a
fine wire screen and then dried under
pressure and heat.3 Paper is one of
the most important and widely used
consumer materials with
approximately 7,000 different types,
each with a different use3. In the year
2002 - 2003 Australians consumed
4,011,000 tonnes of paper.4
Impact of paper waste on the
environment
Production
Modern paper production involves
both mechanical and chemical
pulping to convert raw materials into
various paper products. Both
processes consume large amounts of
energy and use valuable natural
resources, including trees and water.
Certain processing techniques such
as bleaching are also known to be
environmentally harmful.3
Energy
It takes 13.5Gj of energy to make one
tonne of paper4. This is the
equivalent of using 552 litres of heavy
crude oil.
Trees
3,456,000 tonnes of wood was used
in Australian papermaking in 2001 -
20024. Of this wood, 22% came from
native forests.4
Water
It is reported that making paper from
virgin pulp can use up to 300 cubic
metres of water for every tonne of
paper produced.3
In 2001 - 2002, Australian paper
manufacturers used one litre of water
for every 7 sheets of A4 paper
produced.
Greenhouse gases
When paper goes to landfill it
produces dangerous greenhouse
gases during decomposition. In 2001
- 2002, 1.51 tonnes of greenhouse
gases were emitted per tonne of
paper produced. This is the same
amount of greenhouse gas that would
be produced if 5 million cars drove
from Sydney to Perth. The production
of 26 sheets of paper produces the