Today in the United States, the largest portion of municipal solid waste goes to paper and paper products. Since nearly 66% of the fibers used in modern paper production come from trees and tree byproducts, the enormous demand for paper is posing a serious threat to forest reserves. Ancient forests are being cleared at a rate equivalent to a soccer field every two seconds. This is a main reason why environmentally friendly paper products have been gaining in popularity. What are these environmentally friendly paper fibers?
Types of Environmentally Friendly Fibers
Apart from harvesting trees for their wood fiber, there are many other types of fibers that can be made into paper. Alternative paper materials include bamboo and hemp fibers. Recycled paper fibers are also option that helps with not only deforestation, but also energy use as well as landfill reduction.
Recycled Fiber
Most paper can be recycled five to seven times. After that, the fibers will become so short they will no longer bond to create new paper. Currently, almost 33% of our paper product materials come from recycled paper.
Depending on how it was originally used, virgin paper may end up as 100% pure recycled paper or become recycled-content in paper with other fibers. Products that can be created utilizing recycled paper include masking tape, bandages, hospital gowns, coffee filters, lamp shades, planting pots, egg cartons, and various recycled paper products.
Hemp Fiber
The hemp fiber structure is taken apart either through a chemical or mechanical process. The pulp is then subjected to a classification process where the fibers suitable for use in paper are separated. It can be bleached at this point to produce a certain degree of whiteness. It is then heavily diluted by water, poured on a fine mesh wire and dried by pressing and steam heating.
Bamboo Fiber
Bamboo fiber is extracted from bamboo pulp using patented technology. The process involves refining the bamboo pulp through hydrolysis-alkalization and multi-phase bleaching. The thinness and whiteness of the resulting bamboo fiber closely resemble the viscose rayon fiber. This processed bamboo fiber is biodegradable, hence will not become a source of pollution to the environment.
Importance of Paper Recycling
While hemp and bamboo fibers are alternatives to help minimize the loss of ancient forests, it is obvious that they may not quickly become a feasible answer to the huge US demand of 85 million tons of paper a year. This is why it is imperative to recycle paper materials so they may be used in environmentally friendly recycled paper products. The more recycled paper we use, the less effect paper production has on energy resources, water supplies, greenhouse gas emissions, landfill space and deforestation of endangered rainforests and forestlands.
Why Use Environmentally Friendly Paper?
Buying environmentally friendly paper and recycling your paper products are two steps that will foster the closed-loop recycling process. Making the choice to support this process of utilizing materials to their fullest potential will encourage producers to meet that demand by making responsible choices in their manufacturing processes.
