Printing Green

Just for kicks, I decided to take a look at the statement we get from our paper recycling company. Last month we recycled 10,000 lbs of offcut paper and that was a very typical month. In a year, we recycle over 60 tons of paper and we've been recycling since before it was cool. Our percentage of recovered waste has increased over the last ten years just as it has throughout the paper industry (per Paper Recycles.org).

Total U.S. paper and paperboard recovery reached a record 53.5 million tons in 2006. With paper and paperboard consumption at 100.2 million tons, this yielded a recovery rate of 53.4% -- up from 33.5% in 1990.

And here's another intersting tidbit.

Exports absorb approximately 46 percent of all printing-writing papers recovered for recycling in the U.S.

That's right. The world-class industrialization of the US actually saves trees in other parts of the world where sustainable tree farming for paper is not as prevalent. Makes you want to hug your printer, doesn't it?