Save A Tree: Paper And Wood Recycling

Okay, so "save a tree" might sound a bit cliché these days, but recycling paper, paperboard, and wood waste still matters.

And the fact remains that we generate millions of tons of paper and cardboard waste every year in this country, not to mention old wood products, lumber, and timber. So, what happens to it all?

Saving the World, One Tree at a Time

We all understand on a fundamental level that trees are important and that we wouldn't want a world without them. What many of us may not understand, however, is that we couldn't live on a world without them.

Trees are vital to the survival of life as we know it and contribute in ways that go beyond giving oxygen and shade.

As one website points out, 

Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. During the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and produce the oxygen we breathe. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, “One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people.”

In addition, trees, a long with shrubs and grasses also filter the air around us by removing dust and absorbing other pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide. These particles, which are unhealthy for humans to breath, are then washed into the ground by rain.

And, as if this weren't enough, trees also help control the surrounding climate by moderating the effects of the sun, rain and wind. Leaves absorb and filter the sun’s radiant energy, for example, which provides a cooling effect in summer. Trees also lower the air temperature and the heat intensity of the greenhouse effect by maintaining low levels of carbon dioxide.

All of which adds up to several essential reasons why we need living trees.

Fortunately, trees are also an endlessly renewable resource, which is a good thing since we get all of our paper, paperboard, and wood products from them!

Paper, Cardboard, Lumber - Recycling Means More Trees

While paper and cardboard, or paperboard, waste materials are not infinitely recyclable, they can be recycled numerous times over. And wood waste like furniture, lumber, and other materials made from wood can be reused or repurposed for a vast number of new applications.

And it's not like we don't throw out a lot of waste paper, cardboard, and wooden stuff!

Take wood waste for example. The material that doesn't get reused is either incinerated or ends up in landfills. How much? Well, according to the EPA:

The total amount of wood in MSW that was combusted in 2018 was 2.8 million tons. This was 8.2 percent of MSW combusted with energy recovery that year. In 2018, landfills received 12.2 million tons of wood. This was 8.3 percent of all MSW landfilled that year.

Paperboard waste such as corrugated boxes, on the other hand, are recycled at a high rate:

In 2018, approximately 32.1 million tons of corrugated boxes were recycled out of 33.9 million tons of total paper and paperboard recycling. The recycling rate for corrugated boxes was 96.5 percent. After recycling, the combustion of corrugated boxes was 230,000 tons, and landfills received 940,000 tons in 2018.

And then there's plain, old paper. We go through a LOT of paper in this country:

Approximately 1 billion trees worth of paper are thrown away every year in the U.S. Americans use 85,000,000 tons of paper a year; about 680 pounds per person. The average household throws away 13,000 separate pieces of paper each year.

But the good news is that we do manage to recycle quite a bit of it:

Nondurable goods made of paper, excluding newspapers, had a recycling rate of 43.1 percent, while newspapers had a recycling rate of 64.8 percent.

For a bit of perspective, it's been estimated that it takes about eight trees to produce between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of paper. The average ream, or 500-sheet packet, of copier paper weighs about five pounds, so that works out to about 10,000 to 20,000 sheets per tree, or 20 to 40 reams.

So, if the average household can use 10,000 sheets or so less paper each year, or recycle that much, then that's saving one tree. And, with almost 130 million households in the US, that's about 130 million less trees we would need to use each year.

Getting Help with Your Bulk Paper and Wood Recycling

One of the main benefits of having a professional firm pick up your household or business paper and wood waste is that you won't have it taking up space any longer. Typically, you can have it removed and hauled away that day or the next day. 

And you don't have to the lifting, loading, hauling, and unloading!

Your best bet for recyclable waste removal and any other type of junk removal needs is to call Junk king. We promote recycling of just about anything that can be reused and Junk King is proud to be North America’s greenest residential junk removal service.

We pioneered recycling-based junk removal in 2005 and have been going green ever since. At Junk King, we sort each and every job in our recycling warehouses, going through the materials we pick up for metals, e-waste, paper, household goods, textiles, furniture and appliances.

But “being green” also means we donate, repurpose, and reuse everything from clothing, toys, baby cribs and strollers to office furniture and supplies. In addition, we can make sure that your bulk paper and cardboard waste is properly disposed of in the most green manner possible.

Junk King is committed to continuing to lead the way to help keep our planet clean, green and beautiful for the generations to come.

Call Junk King for Bulk Paper Recycling and Wood Disposal

There is a truly simple and efficient bulk recycling option and that's calling Junk King.

We specialize in providing professional junk hauling services for all types of junk including bulk waste paper, cardboard debris, lumber, timber, and wood waste. And we have the equipment and resources to remove large boxes and other containers up your stairways, your basement steps, or from your garage. 

Whatever your junk consists of, Junk King can help you get it out of the way. We provide an eco-friendly junk removal service to help you get rid of any unwanted junk, large trash items, and even old appliances.

Our professional and insured appliance disposal team will show up at your home or office; we call 15 minutes before we arrive on site and we’ll give you a free estimate based on how much room your junk takes up in our truck. You point and we haul your unwanted items into our junk removal trucks, with no hidden fees.

It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3.

You can make an appointment by booking online above or by calling 1.888.888.JUNK (5865).