About the Campaign

Why a paper recycling campaign?

Paper and cardboard (fiber) is the largest component of our waste stream, accounting for 28.2% of residential and commercial discards. (EPA 2009 MSW Facts and Figures).With nearly half of it still going in the trash, MassDEP estimates that Massachusetts residents, businesses, and government agencies throw away over a million tons of paper each year.  Yet it’s one of the easiest materials to recycle, and is in demand as a feedstock for new products.

If we recycled the paper that we now throw away, we would save over $70 million in disposal costs,create jobs in Massachusetts, and recover that much again in value!  It costs an average of $70/ton to dispose of trash in Mass.  Commodity values of processed recycled paper and cardboard range from $45/ton to $165/ton, due to the huge demand here in Massachusetts as well as in China, Brazil, India, Mexico and other overseas markets.

What are the environmental benefits of recycling paper?

Making paper from trees involves pressure cooking wood chips in lye, followed by acid washing and bleaching.  This generates both greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
Disposing of waste paper creates core greenhouse gas emissions,  
Recycling one million more tons of paper each year would:

• Prevent the emission of about  3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
• Save the equivalent of 160 million gallons of oil , The amount of energy required to power 212,000 homes for one year in Massachusetts

That’s why MassRecycle, with ongoing support from MassDEP, want to tell you how to get the most out of your trash!

Who is the Campaign trying to reach?

In July 2007, MassRecycle invited the chief elected officials of all Massachusetts municipalitiesto sign on to the Paper campaign’s goals by adopting a resolution.  To date, more than 170 communities have signed the resolution.  The Campaign produced guidance materials for municipalities to increase resident participation in existing recycling programs and capture more paper before it’s wasted in the trash.

Who is behind MassRecycle’s Paper Campaign?

MassRecycle’s Paper Campaign Task Force (listed below) helps to provide direction and communication to the Campaign, while MassRecycle operates the day-to-day function of the campaign. 

Christine Beling	US EPA – New England
Karen Bouquillon	City of Northampton; Springfield MRF Adv. Board
Edith DeMello	Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection, Southeast Regional Office
Christine DeRosa	Integrated Paper Recyclers; MassRecycle Board Member
Ann Dorfman	MassRecycling Interim Executive Director
Justine Fallon	Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection; Springfield MRF Adv. Board
Dmitriy Nikolayev	MassRecycle President
Angela Sottile	MassRecycle President Emeritus
Brooke Nash	Massachusetts Dept. of Environmental Protection
Claire Sullivan, Chair	South Shore Recycling Cooperative; MassRecycle Board Member
Jessica Wozniak	Leominster Recycling Committee Chairman

 

Background on Recycling

Recycling and the economy

Recycling is big business in Massachusetts.  Recycled paper mills all over the northeast are competing with overseas markets for precious feedstock – our old newspapers, magazines, catalogs, cardboard boxes, office paper, even cereal and other food packaging made of paper.  The paper mill in Fitchburg uses 100% recycled feedstock to produce new products such as game boards, notebooks, and book covers, including the newest Harry Potter book.  The Massachusetts recycling and reuse industry supports more than 1,400 business, 19,000 jobs, generates over $550 million in annual payroll and $3.5 billion in receipts.  Recycling businesses also generate roughly $64 million in state tax revenues.

Recycling and Climate Change

Every time we throw away something that could be recycled, we are contributing to global warming. 

• Manufacturing products from recycled materials requires vastly less energy than producing goods from virgin materials.
• Solid waste landfills are the single largest man-made source of methane in the U.S. 
• Incineration of waste produces carbon dioxide as a by-product.  
• Recycling paper products and using less paper increases storage of carbon in trees. 

Waste prevention and recycling of paper products allow more trees to remain standing in the forest, where they can continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.   Ton for ton, recycling reduces more pollution, saves more energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions more than any other activity besides not producing the material in the first place.

MassRecycle Background

MassRecycle is a statewide coalition of individuals, governments, businesses, institutions and non-profits dedicated to promoting the environmental, social and economic benefits created by reducing, reusing, and recycling waste materials, and by purchasing recycled products.  We have a 20+ year history of advocating for and educating the public, policy makers, and legislators about recycling.  We strengthen local recycling programs by educating municipal staff and volunteer recycling committees, maintaining a recycling listserv and organizing bulk purchases of recycling hardware.