Paper Facts

The paper industry is encouraging 8.800 communities that already pick up recyclables -- such as newspapers, cans and bottles at curbside -- to also pick up paper grocery bags. Then, if each family in those communities would set out just one paper grocery bag a week for recycling, Americans could recycle more than a BILLION BAGS a year!

Most of an average household's waste -- including food scraps, yard wasts, paper, corrugated boxes, cans, and bottles -- can be recycled.

America's paper companies plan to invest $10 billion in new equipment by the year 2000 to recycle more paper.

Kids are helping to get recycling programs started. They visit Town Hall, make speeches, write letters to the editor and get things done!

Today, nearly 45% of all paper products used in the U.S. are recycled. America's paper companies are committeed to recovering half of all paper used in the year 2000 -- that's our goal.

Each and every day, Americans recover for reuse and recycling almost 232 million pounds of paper.

42.3 million tons of paper were recovered in the United States in 1996 -- an average of 320 pounds per person.

Americans recycle much more paper than we send to landfills.

Enough paper is collected for recycling each year to make a box-car train 7.600 miles long.

Nearly 100,000 tons of shredded paper is used each year for animal bedding.

In 1996, 37% of the fiber used to make new paper products came from recycled paper.

The sturdy brown or white boxes we use to pack things in are called corrugated boxes. They have a layer of paper -- which has been currugated and looks ruffly -- glued between two more flat pieces of paper. 7 out of every 10 corrugated boxes are collected for recycling.