The benefits of correct recycling are well documented and at Essex Reclamation Ltd, we believe very strongly in the positive environmental impact of the process. In case you are on the fence with regard to recycling – which we are sure you aren’t considering you are already on the website – we have outlined some key facts and figures with regards to paper and plastic waste and recycling in the UK.

80%

Forests

Nearly 80% of the world’s original old growth forests have been logged or severely degraded.

40%

Logging

40% of the world’s industrial logging goes into making paper and this is expected to reach 50% in the near future.

63%

Reclaimed Paper

Reclaimed waste paper represents around 63% of the fibre used to produce paper and board in the UK.

4%

Use of plastic

The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing by about 4% each year.

Paper

  • Recycled paper massively reduces the amount of air pollution produced. Reports have stated that recycled paper produces 73% less air pollution than if it was made from raw materials.
  • Producing recycled paper uses up to 70% less energy than virgin paper*, as well as using far less water. *Source Friends of the Earth
  • 12.5-million tonnes of paper and cardboard are used annually in the UK. That’s 12.5-million tonnes being dropped in landfills if not recycled. That adds up very quickly. Upwards of 5-million tonnes of waste paper are still sent to landfill each year.
  • It is estimated that an average UK adult gets through about 38 kilograms of newspapers per year. When you consider that it takes roughly 24 trees to make 1 tonne of newspaper, you can start to see the very real benefits of recycling and reusing paper resources.
  • Each tonne of paper recycled saves 15 average size trees.
  • Nearly 80% of the world’s original old growth forests have been logged or severely degraded.
  • 40% of the world’s industrial logging goes into making paper and this is expected to reach 50% in the near future.
  • Worldwide, the pulp and paper industry is the 5th largest industrial consumer of energy.
  • We generate 12.5-million tonnes of paper and cardboard waste every year in the UK. The Commercial Sector produces about 60% of this waste.
  • Reclaimed waste paper represents around 63% of the fibre used to produce paper and board in the UK.

Plastics

  • 275,000-tonnes of plastic are used each year in the UK, that’s about 15-million bottles per day.
  • Most families throw away about 40kg of plastic per year, which could otherwise be recycled.
  • The use of plastic in Western Europe is growing by about 4% each year.
  • Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose.
  • Plastics are made from natural resources such as crude oil, natural gas and coal. Once depleted, these resources cannot be replaced.
  • Producing new plastic from recycled material uses only two-thirds of the energy required for manufacturing them from raw materials.
  • Five recycled 2-liter PET cool drink bottles make enough fibrefill to stuff an adult ski jacket.
  • Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W light bulb for up to 6 hours.
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