Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
in MSW. Out of these 22.6 million tons, or 72 percent, were recovered and
8.8 million tons were discarded. The supply of corrugated boxes is from
retail/commercial sources with 50 percent contribution, the manufacturing
sector with 28 percent, residential at 13 percent, and pre-consumer supplies at 8
percent. Of the waste contributed by the retail/commercial sources, 75 percent
is recovered (the manufacturing sector had 70 percent recovered, residential
sources had 5 percent recovered), and finally, preconsumer supplies have
nearly 90 percent recovered. The primary market for corrugated boxes is the
paperboard industry, which uses corrugated boxes for corrugating medium,
linerboard, recycled paperboard, and other paper products. There is increasing
demand for corrugated boxes in the paperboard industry and this demand can
only be met if the recovery rate can be increased from each of the supply
sources.
4.4
Newspapers
Newspapers include newsprint and groundwood inserts. Newspapers recovered
from the waste stream have a wide variety of applications. These applications
include providing feedstock for a variety of recycled products such as newsprint,
paperboard, tissue, containerboard, molded pulp, animal bedding, cellulose insu-
lation, and a bulking agent for compost. In 2006, 12.4 million tons of newspapers
were generated in MSW. Out of these, 10.9 million tons, or 87.9 percent, were
recovered and 1.49 million tons were discarded. In general, roughly three quar-
ters of the tonnage recovered was collected by local governments. The remaining
portion came from the private sector.
4.5
Office-type Papers
Office-type papers are high-grade papers such as copy paper and printer paper,
and are usually generated by offices. Other paper types can meet this definition but
are generated and recovered from houses and other commercial facilities. Offices
can also generate paper wastes that cannot be considered as office paper—for
example, magazines and newspapers. In 2006, 6.32 million tons of office-type
papers were generated in MSW. Out of these, 4.15 million tons, or 61.7 percent,
were recovered and 2.17 million tons were discarded. The office paper genera-
tion during the 1990s remained almost flat due to the growth of electronic forms
of information processing. The primary markets for recovered papers are tissue
paper, new printing and writing (P&W) papers, and recycled paperboard. The
main driver for sorted office paper demand is the strength of the de-inked pulp
(DIP) market. The growing deinking facilities nationwide led to the increase of
office paper consumption in recent years. Contamination also affects the suc-
cessful production of DIP. Generally, more than one-third of sorted office paper
exceeds the allowable levels of prohibited materials. To avoid such contamina-
tion, quality control is set at high levels.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search