Many of us have met someone who makes a lousy first impression. If we’re open-minded, we give them a second chance. Sometimes we’re pleasantly surprised to learn we were way off base.
For some of you, this is the story of your experience with recycled paper. No one will ever convince you it’s a good thing unless they honestly acknowledge its early lack of grace. So think of the following as before and after shots of the recycled paper makeover—an historical perspective of then and now.
| Then | Now | |
|---|---|---|
| Types of Paper | In 1976, there were few recycled papers to choose from. They were mostly book, text, and cover grades. There was no recycled copy paper or coated paper. | Today, there are more than 400 recycled papers in virtually every grade. |
| Recycled Content | In 1976, almost all recycled content in printing and writing papers was preconsumer pulp substitutes, including mill waste. There was pressure throughout the ‘80s to include postconsumer content , especially from California’s state government procurement law. It allowed a State price preference for paper with at least 50 percent recycled/10 percent postconsumer content. By the early ‘90s, most mills made printing and writing papers containing at least 10 percent postconsumer recycled materials. | Many mills are increasing the postconsumer content in their printing and writing papers to 30 percent or higher, thanks to an Executive Order in 1998. It requires federal agencies to buy paper with at least 30 percent postconsumer content. Most uncoated recycled papers meet at least that minimum and many exceed it. Government agencies often set procurement trends, which are followed by the business community at large. |
| Quality | Many recycled papers sold in the early ‘80s were in the developmental stage, and sometimes it showed. Printers complained about linting, dusting, picking, limpness and other problems. Customers complained about jamming and splotches. | Now recycled papers are made by the best paper mills in the world. Many high quality recycled papers are on the market. Recycled papers perform competitively with virgin sheets in printing presses, copiers, laser printers, computers, inserters, and most other paper equipment. |
| Aesthetics | Recycled paper used to come in tan, brown, and spotted brown. | Now it comes in bright white, creams, and a wide palette of colors. "Ecology spots" of the past are much less frequent, with improved deinking systems. Ironically, the flecked look of early recycled papers has become so popular, mills now add the spots back to otherwise clean sheets. Even virgin papers are copying this look. |
| Paper Mills and Deinking Systems | Recycled paper cannot exist without the mills and equipment to produce it. In 1976, there were more than a dozen printing and writing mills with deinking systems. By the ‘80s, many closed, either because of outdated systems or because the mills were bought by virgin paper companies that abandoned deinking. | Today, deinking mills are finding market niches, and as demand for recycled paper builds, the costs of these facilities will become more viable. |
| Distributors | In 1976, only specialty distributors carried recycled paper. | Now, recycled paper is available from virtually every paper distributor around the country. |
| Paper Recovery | In 1976, there was little postconsumer paper collected. Typically, the only office paper collected was computer printout (CPO), and nearly all of that went to tissue mills, not to printing and writing paper mills. The rest of the office paper was "contaminated" with copier toner, which couldn’t be cleaned by the deinking systems of the time. (Except some was used for paper products that didn’t require deinking, e.g., industrial grade paper towels.) By the late ‘80s, some systems could cautiously accept clean white office papers. But people still had to sort out plastic window envelopes and colored paper. | Most companies have office paper collection systems, and recovered paper dealers are developing new postconsumer sources. Most deinking systems can handle laser and copier toner, plastic windows, and most colored paper. |
| Government Leadership | Although the federal government passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976, it took 12 years until the US-EPA came out with guidelines for printing and writing paper, which the recycling industry challenged as too weak. Several states passed price preference and set-aside laws for recycled paper, including California. These laws drove recycled paper development until the early ‘90s. | By the early ‘90s, all 50 states had adopted some form of legislation or executive order favoring recycled paper. The federal government stepped back into firm leadership with the President’s Executive Order requiring a minimum of 20% postconsumer content in recycled paper bought by the federal government. This requirement was increased to 30% in 1998. The federal government is now one of the most committed customers of recycled paper. |
| We’ve come a long way… | …in 30 years… but there’s still a ways to go. Recycled papers still make up only a small segment of the paper business. The impressive progress to date makes possible the achievement of the larger goal: recirculation of scrap paper back into our paper production system in as environmentally sound a manner as possible. |
Your local paper supplier can help you touch and feel the newest in recycled paper—to see for yourself what high-quality products now bear the recycled logo. For more information on buying recycled, contact CalRecycle’s Buy Recycled Program at (916) 341-6481.
NOTE: Most of the information in this fact sheet was derived from the article, “The State of the (Recycled Paper) World” from Conservatree’s website. This material is quoted by permission.
Resources
For more information, contact bzassist@calrecycle.ca.gov.