Paper waste facts

Important Facts about Paper Waste:

• According to the Clean Air Council, the average American creates up to 56 tons of trash per year and just a tenth of all solid garbage in the United States is
recycled.
• Approximately half of the paper America consumes is used to wrap and decorate consumer products. (The Recycler’s Handbook)
• The process of manufacturing paper is the third highest user of fossil fuels in the world. (American Forest and Paper Association)
• Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve household waste increases by over 25% (much of this due to wrapping paper, ribbons, shopping bags and packaging for
holiday gifts). (Environmental Protection Agency)
• The United States uses about a quarter of the world’s paper products. (American Forest and Paper Association)
• Packaging is now the single largest category of paper use at 41% – overtaking reading and writing materials. (North American Factbook, 1993 figures published in
1995)
• Disposable wrapping paper creates nearly 4 million additional tons of garbage in the U.S. during the holiday season alone! (Clean Air Council)
• Americans consume roughly 700 pounds of paper per person per year compared with the world average of 97 pounds per person per year. Per capita consumption
of paper in the United States has grown 43% since 1980. (“Source Reduction: It’s a Bare Necessity” North Carolina Recycling Association and North Carolina Office
of Waste Reduction, 1995. page 46)