· Distribution & Warehousing
· Printers
· Factories
· Supermarkets
· Hotels and Licensed Outlets
· Offices
· Local authorities
· Hospitals
· Schools & Collages
· Domestic sources – Civic Amenity Sites
· High Street Retailers
· Newsprint Houses
· Voluntary Organisations & Charities

…and many small to medium sized enterprises.

Material is collected through a variety of collection methods, ranging from hand collection of sacks to large open top containers and compactor bins. Once collected the material is taken to a Materials Recycling Facility where it is cleaned, sorted into various grades, and press packed into bale sizes that are acceptable to a mill (typically ½ or 1 tonne).

Material that is injurious to the repulping process, such as metals, oil, some adhesives, plastics, wax and bitumen coated papers must be removed before baling can take place. This all ads to the recovery cost. Paper mills make a quality assessment of incoming raw material and non-pulpable inclusions would lead to the material being rejected.

Organisations and sites that generate vast amounts of cardboard and paper may install their own baling equipment- in which case the bales would be collected and, according to size and amount, sent straight to the mill or back to a Material Recycling facility for re-bailing.

The continued development of new technology by the mill industry continues to increase demand for greater supplies of clean waste paper. Waste paper is a commodity internationally traded and subject to market conditions. As such, over supply creates low market prices and waste paper, with nowhere to go, is a disincentive to all those charities and voluntary groups that collect it

It is worth noting that of the 6.5 million tones of paper and board that the UK manufactured in 1998, 4.7 million tones was raw material that was supplied by waste paper merchants. The movement towards the use of reclaimed fibre is predicted to continue, resulting in a falling requirement for virgin pulp. Of further note, the second largest import bill of the UK is imported paper and board.

The End Product? Reclaimed paper fibres can be used in the manufacture of packaging, newsprint, tissues, office and personal stationary, computer stationary, educational and photocopy paper. Markets for these products could grow in the foreseeable future due to increased use of recycled paper in schools offices and, nearer home, your daily newspaper. Recycled cardboard can then again be used as packaging.

Source BRPA