Paper（US)

by Naoko Fujiki

The United States of America, the most paper producing country in the world, mainly recycles the papers.  

In San Francisco, about 74,000 tons of papers have recycled every year.   Recycling the paper is better for environment, and it also saves energy.  

Every ton of 100 percent recycled paper saves 17 to 31 trees,  4,102 kilowatt hours of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water.  

Also, every ton of recycled paper saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. In the states, a recycle or a garbage company charges every home to collect the garbage. 

In Bay Area, all kinds of papers including newspapers, magazines, phone books, letters are separated from other trashes, and put them into the yellow recycle bin or a paper bag.

The amount of newspapers not being recycled is equal to 500,000 trees dumped into landfills each week.  If all the  Americans recycle their phone books for a year, they could save an estimated 650,000 tons of paper and 2 million cubic yards of landfills. 

Newspaper save recycled into construction papers, animal bedding, and also into new newsprint and paper board. Phone books can be recycled into ceiling tiles and insulation. We have to recycle many kinds of papers to make other new materials. 

Also, as consumers, it is important to remember buying recycled products. We could save nature by taking the paper bags to the grocery store to reuse them.

Americans waste about 4 million tons of shopping bags. If each people brings the used bags back to the store, we could save the trees. We all have to pay attention to recycling papers in daily basis.