PAPER RECYCLING

The first piece of paper as we know it was produced from rags in 105 AD by Ts’ai Luin, who was a member of the Eastern Palace of the Chinese Emperor Han Ho Ti. Paper consumption at the beginning of the 20th century (1915) was only 5,000,000 tons for the whole planet. Today, annual consumption is 40 times higher, exceeding 200 million tonnes per year. As the demand for paper increases, more wood is needed to meet the demand for wood pulp. This means a loss of natural environments and ecosystems as old forests are replaced by fast-growing plantations which significantly affect biodiversity in all forests. Paper is a very important resource on a global scale as it is widely used. In particular, today more than 800 000 tonnes of paper are consumed every year, whereas 30 years ago this figure was half that amount. For example, the paper used by four people in a year weighs the same as a large car!

What we gain from a tonne of recycled paper

    • We save 17 trees.
    • We save energy and water consumption by 50%.
    • We achieve 74% less pollution
    • We reduce waste to landfills
    • We create 5 times as many jobs.

 

What are we saving? For every tonne of paper used for recycling we save:

    • At least 30,000 litres of water (30 cubic metres)
    • 3,000 – 4,000 KWh of electricity (enough for a house for a year)
    • 95% air pollution (including methane if the paper is buried)

 

Liakatas specializes in the collection of paper and not only for the purpose of recycling. After collection and transport, they are sent to our facilities and after sorting and temporary storage, they are taken to legal recipients for further recycling.