Recycling paper Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Recycling paper - Lab Report Example Recycling paper It is estimated that recycling one ton of paper saves up to seventeen trees, seven thousand 26500 liters of water, 1400 liters of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill and 4, 000 kilowatts of energy, and reduce green gas emissions by one ton of carbon equivalent. Paper as is known today was first made 2200 years ago in China by an official of the Chinese dynasty; he was known as Ts’ai Lun at Lei Yang. The paper looks at the three most significant usage and benefits of recycling paper. These include: †¢ Recycling leads to the conservation of natural resources as less tress need to be cut to make new paper, which in effect reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the environment †¢ Recycling also saves energy and water that could have been used during the manufacturing process of paper from virgin trees, below is a research study conducted in the UK, cementing this point †¢ Recycling frees these landfill areas to allow space for other types of trash that cannot be easily recycled. It is also important that such landfills are freed as the cost of land is today at a premium The report therefore seeks to review key developments in paper recycling over the last few decades which saw initiatives aimed at bettering recycling processes, innovations and education play a vital role in increasing recycling rates, the efficacy of certain processes and a surge in more defined corporate social responsibility. The paper looks at the three most significant usage and benefits of recycling paper. These include: Recycling leads to the conservation of natural resources as less tress need to be cut to make new paper, which in effect reduces the amount of greenhouse gases emitted to the environment Recycling also saves energy and water that could have been used during the manufacturing process of paper from virgin trees, below is a research study conducted in the UK, cementing this point Recycling frees these landfill areas to allow space for other types of trash that cannot be easily recycled. It is also important that such landfills are freed as the cost of land is toda y at a premium Introduction It is estimated that recycling one ton of paper saves up to seventeen trees, seven thousand 26500 liters of water, 1400 liters of oil, 3.3 cubic yards of landfill and 4, 000 kilowatts of energy, and reduce green gas emissions by one ton of carbon equivalent. Paper as is known today was first made 2200 years ago in China by an official of the Chinese dynasty; he was known as Ts’ai Lun at Lei Yang (Roth and George, 2000).   However, before Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans used Papyrus weed as a writing materials. This first piece of paper that was made by the Chinese official was rudimentary, rough, and very heavy, despite this shortcomings, this piece of craftsmanship was the stepping stone for production of paper that were much light, and very white. The use of paper cannot be taken lightly; it has immense significant contribution to human civilization and the growth of knowledge. In modern times paper finds use in a variety of uses, paper is use d as packaging materials in most industries, used in making tissue for usage in washrooms, used in production of newspapers for dissemination of information to the public. Moreover, papers are also used in the production of billions of textbooks and exercise books for billions of school going children and higher education purposes. The multiple uses of paper in different sectors human live and particularly the need to increase knowledge continually coupled with the benefit of environmental conservation necessitated recycling of papers. A German immigrant who had gained sufficient knowledge in papermaking first did this human desire in the United States in 1690; he made paper from left cotton wool and wood fiber. The processes The process of recycling paper passes through two important steps, the first is the collection stage, and the second most important stage after collection of paper waste is the processing stage. These two stages have various other sub processes, and they will b e discussed in these subsequent paragraphs. Collection This is the first step in the process of paper recycling, this is the most important and needs contribution from the users of paper, in this process bins containing waste paper should be strategically located in such that a way that users easily identify the bin and deposit waste papers in that bin. Figure 1 Bins that