Recycling facts

Why Recycling Matters

Like all the world's resources, paper is a finite commodity and we should recycle whenever possible. Here in the UK, we consume far more paper than some of our European neighbours - on average; each person in the UK consumes 198 kg of paper and board per year. Compare this to Poland where only 40 kg of paper and board are consumed per person per year and you can see just how much we use.

British households are more likely to recycle their newspapers than glass, aluminium cans, plastic bottles or steel cans. But although 96% of people think that it is important to recycle material from their rubbish, and two thirds think it is very important, only 13% of people say they regularly recycle most of their recyclables.

If everyone in the UK recycled all their newspapers and magazines it would save local authorities an estimated £100 million in waste and disposal costs every year.

Businesses and local authorities are always looking for the most economic way to deal with recovered paper and board. Some businesses, like Nouvelle, recycle their waste to improve business practice and lessen their environmental impact. Recycling helps the environment by maximising the use of virgin fibres and reducing the amount of material going to landfill. It is recognised by Government as the best practicable environmental option for dealing with used paper and board products.

Here are some facts about recycling:

  • The UK imports around 61% of its consumption of paper and board, only 56.9% of this consumption of this is recovered for recycling
  • Paper is biodegradable, so if it is sent to landfill, it can decompose, producing methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas (20 times more potent that carbon dioxide)
  • 65% of the UK supports legislation requiring everyone to recycle all their household recyclables
  • Only a quarter of all newspapers read in the UK are actually recycled
  • The volume of packaging waste in transit every year from the UK – most of it to Asia – will soon pass the 1.5m tonnes mark
  • At the moment approximately one third of paper and board used in the UK every year is recycled (around 4 million tonnes), that's the equivalent in weight of 4 million elephants