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What Are the Causes of Paper & Plastic Recycling?

There are many causes for the recycling of paper and plastic in the U.S. The benefits of recycling paper and plastic are aligned with the reasons it's necessary to recycle these substances. The economic and environmental effects of paper and plastic recycling outweigh the adverse effects this industry may have; however, there are still improvements needed in the paper and plastic recycling industry.

  1. Paper Recycling Reasons

    • The paper industry uses recycled paper for more than one third of its paper fiber needs. More than three quarters of American paper mills depend on recycled paper fiber to meet their paper demand, reports the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Without recycled paper, these industries would need more forests felled and milled for paper production, which would raise emissions and aid in deforestation.

    Paper Recycling Benefits

    • Paper recycling provides jobs in the recycling industry and supplies paper fibers necessary for new paper production. Paper recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions.The recycling of paper also saves much landfill space and reduces energy and water consumption. It also decreases disposal needs such as incineration, which raises CO2 emissions, thereby aiding in carbon sequestration (the leveling of carbon outputs and inputs, according to the EPA).

    Plastic Recycling Reasons

    • In 2008, Americans generated about 30 million tons of plastic solid wastes that ended up in landfills, according to the EPA; 13 million tons were containers or packaging materials alone. Plastics are rapidly growing in landfill percentages: In 1960, the plastic in landfills totaled roughly 1 percent, but in 2008 plastics totaled 12 percent of solid landfill waste. Without plastic recycling, those numbers would have grown far more dramatically.

    Plastic Recycling Benefits

    • More than 1,800 U.S. businesses handle or reclaim post-consumer plastics and provide many jobs, according to the EPA. Plastic recycling keeps about 2 million tons of plastic out of landfills each year. Recycled plastic is used for a variety of goods, from new plastic containers to fleece textiles. The plastic lumber industry is also experiencing growth with the use of recycled plastic materials.

    Needed Improvements

    • Both paper and plastic recycling can improve. More than 50 percent of paper is recycled, but that number could easily grow; unfortunately, only about 7 percent of plastic is recovered each year, reports the EPA. The expense of plastic recycling still keeps recycled plastics from growing exponentially, but certain plastics have shown recent improvements: In 2008, PET soft-drink bottles reached 37 percent recycle rates; HDPE milk and water jugs experienced 28 percent recycle rates.

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