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One of the biggest causes of forest destruction in the world today is the paper industry. People are beginning to consider going paperless in the electronic era of today. But before we lose our reliance on this very necessary human product, there is still a long way to go.
Paper is also everywhere from our newspapers to our paper wrappings, and most of them end up producing a staggering amount of paper waste in our landfills. There was a time when a rare and precious commodity was paper. It fills our world now.
Initially, it was invented as a communication medium, but today, paper is used mostly for packaging producing more paper waste to the environment. Here’s how paper production adds up to the problems of deforestation.
Demands of Paper Opting to Cut More Trees
It takes twice the energy used to generate a plastic bag to build paper. To produce everything requires energy. We are so used to seeing items in their finished form that we rarely worry of what they are made of, which is worse for our world. Here’s how paper production adds up to the problems of deforestation.
On average, every Australian consumes 230kg of paper products per year. Australian paper mills processed 1.4 million tonnes of paper in 2016. Today, the paper industry needs significant inputs, especially trees, water and energy, and landfills that are still a popular end-of-use path.
Printing Technology Demands More Paper Production
There has been little influence on the use of paper in workplaces due to the massive increase in the use of computers, mobile devices and e-readers. Nevertheless the usage of newspapers has declined dramatically and schools and government directors are switching to paperless processes because of the pandemic.
However, even if there’s a decline, there is still a long way to go to lessen huge amounts of paper production due to the new inventions or upgrades of printers, photocopying machines and others. Also, when the government implemented lockdowns, rise in consumption of single use disposable food packaging has also led to an increasing demand of paper and cardboard which results in waste afterwards.
Not All Paper Product Are Recyclable
The global consumption of toilet paper is roughly 22 billion kilometers if laid out or 42 million tons. All that paper is the same as 50,000 times the circumference of planet Earth or a round-trip every 10 minutes. With this huge amount, still toilet papers are recyclable.
Although programs and seminars are done to apply the reduce, reuse and recycle method, there are still confusion that concerns about what can and can’t be recycled. People mostly have difficulty understanding that complicated packaging design and inadequate labelling, combined with inability to dispose of cardboard and paper are some of the actions that responsibly means paper usage costs millions of trees . With this problem, identifying what can be recycled or not is one important thing that must be understood when the goal is to lessen paper production.
Papers Industry Uses Natural Resources
Making paper does require some fossil fuels, just as any other material processing and manufacturing industry segment, such as mining and refining, does. With that, it opts mining companies to dig more mountains and some results in irresponsible cutting of trees for the sake of mining.
The Difficulty of Recycling Paper
From a fact that recycling saves a ton of paper, 20 trees, three cubic yards of landfill space, 7,000 gallons of water, and almost 30 kilograms of air pollutants, it is very ideal to recycle nowadays. Moreover, a lot of recycled paper allows us to conserve enough energy to fuel an average house for six months. With these reasons, recycling is one significant step towards reducing deforestation.
Essentially, paper is used in our daily lives but ends up as one of the main components found in our trash after usage. This is one of the concerns about what happens when you dump your paper waste in the landfill. When intact waste paper is in the recycling phase, only higher quality paper from the rest of the rubbish are selected. Shredded file, however, is different from a document that is intact and has a different process of recycling.
Conclusion
Deforestation is the primary effect of our mindless use of paper. It is one of the main environmental problems we’re facing in these times.With paper production, we keep using a huge amount of paper prompting us to demand more trees to cut. Overall, every year, we employ 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard which indicates that deforestation is present.
At Aussie Junk, our team has a proven track record in providing excellent cleanup and rubbish removal services all across Sydney. Our team will work with you to find out what you need removed, what we can recycle and how much it will all cost. There has never been a more efficient and cost-effective way to have rubbish safely removed in a timely-manner. Give us a call on 0435 569 921 or send us an email for a free quote.
