Recycle Newspapers

    Paper constitutes the largest portion of our trash, and newspapers alone take up 15% of the
    space in a typical landfill.  One problem with newspapers is that they don’t decompose much in
    landfills that have liners intended to prevent toxic materials from leaching into the soil.  Another
    problem is that when they do decay, the inks leach into the soil and groundwater.

    A decade ago, few Americans recycled their newspapers.  Now the figure is up to one-third,
    thanks to states and communities that have passed mandatory recycling laws and to increasing
    awareness of the benefits of recycling.

    Recycling saves trees.  Recycling one ton of newspaper saves seventeen trees from ground up
    into virgin wood pulp.  The print run of a single Sunday edition of The New York Times takes
    75000 trees.  The newsprint for a single edition of all the Sunday papers in North America takes
    more than a half-million trees.

    Much less energy (about 30% to 50%) is required to make new paper from old paper than to
    make new paper from scratch.

    Recycling saves over half the water needed to manufacture virgin paper.  Recycling just one ton of
    newspapers conserves 7000 gallons of water and also reduces the water pollution that results
    from the production of virgin paper.

    Recycling that ton of newspapers also keeps more 60 pounds (27 kg) of air pollutants from being
    discharged into the atmosphere.

    Finally, recycling helps preserve the ecological diversity of our forests.  Although timber
    companies replant the areas they log, the new forests don’t resemble the original.  They are really
    tree farms with a very few species of trees arranged in orderly rows.  They lack the undergrowth of
    flowers, vines, and shrubs that characterize older forests and offer food and shelter for wildlife.

    You may not get paid directly for the newspaper you recycle, but you’ll be doing a world of good.

    To recycle, stack the newspapers inside a brown paper supermarket bag or tie them with string.  
    Do not include the Sunday magazine section or advertising circulars that are printed on glossy
    paper.  Drop the papers in the appropriate receptacles in supermarket or shopping center parking
    lots, take them to a commercial recycling center, or put them out for curbside pickup.
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