According to a report this past week by Recycling Today, Valley View, Ohio, USA, paper recycling, in some cases, occurs one box, one newspaper, or even one piece of office paper at a time at the beginning stages of the recycling loop. Some initial contributors to the recycling process would be surprised to learn that the world’s papermakers now consume more than 230 million tons of recovered fiber annually in the production of new paper and packaging.

This weighty figure as large as 230 million tons can be difficult to grasp, even for recyclers and traders accustomed to dealing with dense bales and container loads of paper and cardboard.

The paper recycling industry is spread out to all parts of the world in terms of collection, processing, and consumption of recovered fiber.

Makers of containerboard, newsprint, tissue, and all other grades of paper have made substantial commitments to using recovered fiber as a feedstock at mills throughout the world. Their investments represent a critical step in closing the loop for individuals and government jurisdictions that want to divert paper from the landfill to private sector collectors and packers around the world.

On a map of the world, brief snapshots are offered of some of the largest corporate consumers of scrap paper. These recovered fiber dealers are contributing to that figure of more than 230 million tons of scrap paper consumed annually, although they represent only a fraction of an industry that includes paper producers large and small.

The information is divided into four quadrants representing different parts of the world and also includes a brief characterization of whether the region described is a net importer or exporter of recovered fiber.

More information is available online.