‘Recycled newspaper. A product that is versatile, simple and environmentally beneficial.’

We all know that we can recycle newspaper. It is perhaps the most commonly recycled item in our households. But where does Recycled newspaper end up? Where can you use it? What can you make from it?

Well, aside from the obvious, (make more newspaper, shopping bags, book covers, pencils, and even coffins!) few know that old newspapers can play a mayor role in reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. You can drive on it, It can keep your house warm and It can even prolong the life of a building.

The Guardian, The Times, The News of the World – all equal in their ability to be turned into advanced home insulation, stand up to the wheels of a 36 tonne truck or play a vital role in renovating corroding concrete.

Once collected, the newspaper can be processed using a combination of ‘fibre-ising’ milling and granulation to re-engineer the fibres of the newspaper into its original fibrous state. Then its formulated so that it has the required structure and properties needed for the end application.

Fibres can be created in forms that vary from an almost powder-like appearance (for use in paints), to longer fibers with excellent weave characteristics, which are essential in road aggregates or in sound insulation products.

Typical performance enhancements may include, for example, extreme resistance to fire (essential in house insulation), greater fluidity and dispersal, or the ability to absorb water more effectively.

Wiki Facts on Paper Waste Landfill use

By Weight, about 35% of municipal solid waste (before recycling) is paper and paper related products. Recycling 1 ton of newspaper eliminates 3 cubic meters of landfill. Incineration of waste paper is also an option and is usually preferable since useful energy can be generated as a by-product. Organic materials, including paper, decompose in landfills, albeit sometimes slowly, releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Many larger landfills now collect this methane for use as a biogas fuel. In highly urbanized areas, such as the north-eastern US and most of Europe, land suitable for landfills is scarce and must be used carefully. Fortunately, it is in such areas that collection of waste paper is also most efficient, as it creates more jobs for people and saves space in landfills.

Recycled Newspaper in Construction & Manufacturing

• In Asphalt road surfaces- a development of traditional ‘tarmac’ road coverings – use old newspaper fibers to act as a thickener, which holds the liquid bitumen in place around the aggregate of the asphalt. Without it, the bitumen would drain away, allowing the aggregate to be more easily dislodged by traffic.
• In Car brake linings similarly employ recycled newspaper fibers to hold the lining material together.
• In concrete repair, recycled newspaper fibres are used as a carrier for an electrolyte solution, which enables concrete steel reinforced structures to be realkalised or desalinated, both responsible for the corrosion of the steel reinforcement.
• In the Home – Taking the product back to where it all started old newspaper fibers are making perhaps their most dramatic impact. More and more homes are being built using recycled fibers as wall and loft/roof insulation, providing levels of insulation far and above that of traditional houses. Passive house techniques and sustainable design principles make it possible for houses today to require no heating at all due to the high standards of insulation (provided there is adequate ventilation). Not only does this save money for the home-owner or tenant, but it vastly reduces the production of CO2 gas normally generated by the heating boiler.

Recycled paper insulation after application

Sustainable, Safe and Sound

A further benefit of well produced recycled newspaper fibers is that they remain inert throughout their lifetime, so that once it’s primary function has been completed it can still remain harmlessly within a manufactured component or product without posing any threat to the product’s long-term performance or life expectancy.

External links & References

• “Trends and Current Status of the Contribution of the Forestry Sector to National Economies”. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Paper and Paperboard Products
• “Debunking the Myths of Recycled Paper”. Recycling Point Dot Com. Retrieved 2007-02-04.
• “Municipal Solid Waste – FAQ”. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
• Paper recycling – Wikipedia

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