Paper-Recycling System: Part 10

In the case of light goods and small units (for example, some household chemicals and food items), the weight of the packaging can be from 10% to 15% of the total weight, and as such a relative change in the transportation demands caused by heavier packaging would not be negligible. If the recycling of fibers increases weight in respect to the primary volume of consumption (that is, number of newspapers and books per tonne of food, and so on), then the transportation energy inputs in the distribution segment also increase (that is, more logistical inputs).

For the most part, waste paper derives from the end-use of products. Part of the products end up in long-term use (in archives and on bookshelves). The share of these long-term use products is estimated at 10% to 15% in Western Europe. Household and sanitary papers cannot be recycled because of their use and the method of disposal. Toilet papers, which represent about 50% of this group and 5% of the total waste paper, are disposed as sewage. Other soft paper waste goes to municipal incinerators and landfills. The rest, about 75% to 80% of all paper and board, is produced in different grades and compositions for different waste-management systems. In this feasibility study on paper recycling in Western Europe, a four-grade classification system has been used to characterize paper waste:

1. Highly printed waste paper with a majority of newsprint.
2. Slightly printed or unprinted waste paper.
3. Composite waste papers and board, e.g., liquid packages.
4. Mixed waste paper, a mixture of (1), (2), and (3).

Paper containing waste (municipal waste) comprising the paper disposed but not separated among general household waste might be considered a grade as well. This grade is not a technically or economically feasible potential source of fibers. Even though it currently represents a relatively large part, about 60%, of the total waste paper fiber potential, it is not included in this feasibility study for the reasons mentioned before.