Paper Facts

• Paper and cardboard make up around 12% of the commercial and industrial waste generated in Northern Ireland in 2000

• In Northern Ireland, newsprint, magazines and other paper made up about 10.6% of the average household annual waste stream in 2000

• If each person in Northern Ireland recycles one paper or magazine a day we could reduce paper waste by 119 000 tonnes per year

• Recycling paper rather than making it from raw materials uses 70% less energy, and causes 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution

• Every year on average each household in Northern Ireland needs more than 3 trees to provide the paper we need

• Depending on external conditions it takes one month for a newspaper to decompose

• Every tonne of paper recycled saves 17 trees

• One tonne of recycled paper saves 7000 gallons of water, and enough energy to heat the average home for 6 months