RECYCLED PAPER

Ordinary paper is made of wood pulp and other materials like cotton etc. whereas recycled paper contains disposed waste to replace wood pulp.

What are the main types of recycled paper?

• Mill broke is scrap generated in a mill prior to the completion of the papermaking process.
• Pre-consumer waste is material which has been printed, coated or processed but has not been used in its finished form (e.g. envelope clippings and bindery trimmings).
• Post-consumer waste: one example is discarded home or office paper that has been printed on and would be buried if not recycled
• Post-industrial waste is wastes or residues that are produced from manufacturing process. A very good example is bagasse which is residues from sugar cane production process. They will be dumped to the landfill or become another pile of wastes if not used for making paper.

The followings are the two frequently seen symbols, is there any difference between them?

The above symbols have very different meanings. The three arrows inside a circle (left) denote recycled paper; the three arrows without the circle (right) denotes recyclable, i.e. it's up to you to make sure it gets recycled.