paper packaging

Packaging is the single largest category of paper use at 41% of all paper used.

About 35% of municipal solid waste (before recycling) by weight is paper and paper products.

Internationally, about half of all recovered paper comes from converting losses (pre-consumer recycling), such as shavings and unsold periodicals; approximately one third comes from household or post-consumer waste.

The average per capita paper use in the USA in 2001 was 700 pounds (318 kg). The average per capita paper use worldwide was 110 pounds (50 kg).

Overall, recycling paper uses about 60% less energy than making paper from new materials.

Today, over half of the material used to make paper is recovered waste. Paper products are the largest component of municipal solid waste, making up more than 40% of the composition of landfills. In 2006, a record 53.4% of the paper used in the U.S. (or 53.5 million tons) was recovered for recycling.