Paper & Cardboard Recycling

Paper and cardboard recycling in the U.K is in pretty good shape compared to some other materials, but at Skip and Waste we still want to strive to make it even better. The benefits of recycling paper are vast, especially when compared to the alternative method of generating it from scratch. On average, it takes around 24 trees to produce 1 tonne of newspaper, which is a devastating statistic considering how easy we make it to recycle. And it’s not just the vegetation that we’re helping either, but the air too, since recycling paper and cardboard produces 73% less air pollution than making it from scratch. In fact, in 2008, the amount of Co2 emissions avoided by recycling paper was the same as taking 3.5 million cars off the road. When you look at the figures, recycling paper and cardboard is a no-brainer.

So what happens to paper when it’s recycled? Basically, paper and cardboard gets pulped in a chemical tank and separated back into fibres, which are then cleaned, ‘de-inked’ and whitened back to their original colour. At that point, the pulp is rolled back into sheets and dried to form new paper. Once all this is done, recycled paper can be used for just about anything brand new paper is used for. Corrugated cardboard packaging in the U.K is made from almost 100% recycled material and, sometimes, it takes as little as a week for a newspaper to be read, recycled and turned back into another newspaper.

Want to know how you can play your part? Don’t worry: as part of our services, we’ll segregate your waste paper and cardboard and send it off to one of the top recycling plants in the UK. We really care about our effect on the environment, because we’re responsible and reliable, which is why you can rest easy knowing that ‘doing your bit’ for the environment is as easy as giving us a call.