The Forest-Recycling Connection: Using Our Resources Wisely Since Blue Box and other curbside recovery programs began springing up in the early 1980s, North America has become a recycling nation. It's a popular myth that we're running out of landfill space, though it does tend to be less plentiful (and more expensive) in heavily populated areas. But that isn't the point. Recycling forest products and reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill are smart things to do — for many reasons. Three good reasons to recycle First on the list is forest sustainability. Mention this phrase and people naturally think of efforts specific to the forest — such as replanting, wildlife protection and conservation of biodiversity. But using forest products wisely by extending their life and minimizing waste is another part of the equation, helping us to balance our economic and social needs with environmental protection. Another benefit is that recycling reduces energy use, which lowers greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight global warming. It also makes economic sense. In the United States*, there are more than 56,000 recycling and re-use facilities. The industry employs more than one million people, generates an annual payroll of $37 billion and grosses $236 billion in annual revenues. Comparable in size to the automobile and truck manufacturing industry, it also tends to pay higher than average salaries. (Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Recycling Coalition.) Paper recovery hits all-time high According to the American Forest and Paper Association, the waste paper recovery rate hit an all-time high of 50.3% in 2003 — a significant increase over the 1990 rate of 33.5%. Americans recycle 270 million pounds of paper each year, or an average of 339 pounds for every man, woman and child. It's an impressive achievement. But even though more paper and paperboard is recycled than all glass, plastic, metal and other materials combined, it still isn't enough to meet the demand. As a result, the paper industry has committed itself to increasing the rate to 55% by 2012 — which translates into an extra 12.5 million tons each year. It's an ambitious goal, but there is every reason to believe it can be achieved. Paper still accounts for more than 40% of most landfill sites, so there's nothing stopping us from doing better. (Office paper and paperboard packaging such as drink containers are said to have the most potential for improvement.) The fact that the recovery rate has risen steadily since 1990 also bodes well. Is the goal to make all of our paper from waste? It's a common question. If we collect enough waste, could companies stop using wood altogether? The answer is no — but, contrary to popular belief, this is not a bad thing. Although recovery rates are higher than ever before, there isn't enough to meet the growing demand — not even close. In addition to the fact that people still throw away a lot of perfectly good paper, there's also some that's soiled and can't be recycled (think pizza boxes), and lots that's never thrown away at all (such as books, magazines and filed documents). In Canada, where most of the paper produced is exported, the industry faces the added challenge of having to import waste in order to make recycled content products. U.S. waste is also exported to countries such as India and China to help feed their growing paper industries. Another issue is quality. Wood fibers can be recycled between five and seven times before they become too weak and fall apart-so companies have to keep introducing new fiber into the system. If you talk to designers and printers, they'll also tell you that certain design applications can't be met using paper with high recycled content. Recently, environmentalists such as Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Patrick Moore have also expressed their belief that using wood is the best way to ensure widespread forest abundance, because it sends a signal to the marketplace to plant more trees. Thanks to market demand, landowners have a clear incentive to keep lands forested instead of converting them for other uses such as agriculture. Solid wood recycling When most people think of recycling, they think of paper, plastic, metal — almost everything but wood. But, as with paper, most major cities do have wood recycling programs that allow us to make the best possible use of our resources. Check your city listings under waste management or visit the American Forest and Paper Association's National Wood Recycling Directory. There's also an encouraging trend toward the "deconstruction" of old buildings. In the United States, an estimated 235 homes are destroyed or undergo major renovations every year. With deconstruction, lumber, doors and other products are salvaged so they can be used again. If possible, the best option is to re-use the wood to create other valuable products-turning wall panels into flooring, for example. If the quality isn't up to par, the next best thing is to chip the wood for particleboard or other composite products. Beyond that, the wood can still be mulched for landscaping or animal bedding, or burned for energy. The point is that the life cycle for solid wood shouldn't end after its initial use — any more than it should for paper or other materials. Pre-consumer waste Although post-consumer waste gets most of the attention, recycling has also become matter of course within the forest products industry. Once considered waste, byproducts such as wood chips, shavings and sawdust are now used to make paper, particleboard and other composite products, mulched for landscaping or animal beds, or burned for energy — which helps to reduce the use of fossil fuels. *While there is no comparable data for Canada, the federal government recognizes that recycling statistics are necessary and has launched an initiative to improve its information. The project will focus primarily on the collection of physical information (tons of paper collected, for example), but will also include limited financial statistics.