Thursday, April 2, 2009


So what did we do with all that paper? According to the American Forest and Paper Association (AF & PA), we set a record in 2008. The results of their survey show that the U. S. paper recovery rate hit 57.4% last year.

Bravo America!

Keep up the recycling efforts, but remember the other end, buying recycled products. The AF & PA married a strong global demand for recovered fiber with our recycling efforts to explain this new record.

The AF & PA also recognized some outstanding recycling groups throughout the country and I want to pass along those award winners:

  • AF&PA School Recycling Award: Wake County Public School System, Wake County, N.C. Wake County’s Department of Environmental Services’ FEED THE BIN paper recycling program provides recycling services to over 150 local schools. During the 2007-2008 school year, 800 tons of paper were collected for recycling.
  • AF&PA College/University Recycling Award: Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. Stanford students recovered 3,000 tons of paper for recycling and earned an estimated $450,000 in revenue from its recyclables.
  • AF&PA Community Recycling Award: Orange County, N.C. In 2008, the 128,000 residents of Orange County, N.C. recovered an estimated 8,750 tons of paper due to a comprehensive education and outreach recycling campaign.
  • AF&PA Business Leadership Recycling Award: Giant Eagle, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa. In 2008, Giant Eagle collected nearly 555 tons of mixed office paper and more than 42,000 tons of corrugated containers for recycling.
Congratulations to these programs. I hope that folks like these might inspire us.

I want to give a special "thank you" to Earth911.com for providing me this information.

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