Do you usually find the price of recycled paper expensive and don't understand why? Well, for this paper to reach our hands in a sustainable way, it is necessary to go through numerous processes. The first one is a selective collection.
During the production process, the already recycled paper is made with selected scraps from graphics and office paper. All these materials are mixed with fibers and leftovers from the company that produces them. This is all a simpler and cheaper procedure; it is expensive to pay for the recycling steps.
Still don't understand why the recycled paper is more expensive than virgin paper and also want to know more information about the ecological benefits of this paper? Read on and find out!
Recycled paper processes
As already mentioned, the paper recycling process is complex and involves several steps, which justifies its high value. For example, the first step in this process involves selective collection.
However, only 13% of all solid waste is correctly destined for recycling, according to the Institute of Economic and Applied Research (IPEA). This makes the selective collection of recycled paper more complex.
Therefore, there is the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS), to ensure that electronic and material waste, such as paper and cardboard, are properly disposed of. One of the ways in which this law works is to inspect the destination given by some companies to their waste. One option is to sell the scrap produced, reduce costs and profit from it.
However, as not all waste can be used to transform recycled materials into paper, there are still more costs involved. It is necessary to select the type of material that can be mixed with the cellulose fibers without losing quality, as is the case with paper scraps rejected by the industries.
For example, some materials, such as coffee, fat, and carbon in certain amounts, can make paper non-recyclable. There are also papers with a lot of impurities, which make them unsuitable for many purposes.
Impurities can be rope, glass, metal, string, wood, and sand. In other words, the process of separating waste is very careful and further cleaning is still necessary to ensure the quality of the material.
High costs involved in the recycled paper process
Well, even with all the benefits to the environment, you've already realized that the process to recycle paper is quite complex and therefore expensive. After all, first, the selective collection process is not widespread, which makes the practice more expensive.
On the other hand, the manufacture of virgin paper — that is, from wood, sugarcane bagasse, straw, etc. — has been around for 100 years. So, this market is already well structured and with several competing companies, in addition to the product being very popular among society. All this ends up reducing the value of virgin paper.
In addition, companies responsible for manufacturing recycled paper have to pay taxes twice. The first one, when you buy virgin paper, and later, after the paper is transformed into recycled paper, new taxes are generated for the paper that was already taxed.
Ecological benefits of using recycled paper
Despite the high value, who ends up benefiting a lot from consumption and production focused on recycling is the environment. After all, do you have any idea how much each person uses on average sheets of paper?
According to The Word Count, more than two sheets every hour. As a result, 40% of the world's trees are being cut down for the sole purpose of producing paper, as the Resource Conservation Alliance claims.
However, by making recycled paper, the lifespan and value extracted from the raw materials is increased. So, what could have been something unproductive gained utility. Another advantage is the reduction of waste deposited in landfills, which overload the environment. Also consider that paper can be recycled between 7 and 10 times, so these benefits are multiplied.
Environmentally-friendly solutions without breaking the bank
Well, you already know the environmental benefits that recycled paper can provide, but you still don't want to weigh on your company's budget. So, how to proceed? There is some information that you should pay attention to.
To reduce costs in companies, there is the option of buying paper similar to that of wrapping with adequate weight and more expensive colors, these are cheaper.
In addition, as the government is largely responsible for the high costs of recycled paper, due to double taxes, it is valid to charge for more flexible measures for the manufacture of recycled paper: reduction or exemption of taxes. This measure considers environmental gains, reduces the amount spent on the process, and generates a lower final value for consumers.
And yet, selective collection cannot be left out. If we consider that the neglect of this procedure in our country is largely due to the lack of knowledge about the subject - such as the colors of the trash for collecting the material - how about contributing to campaigns that publicize this practice and its social, environmental and economic importance??
After all, did you know that our country could save 8 billion annually if it recycled all reusable waste that is being sent to dumps and landfills?
Therefore, recycled paper, even though it is much more environmentally friendly, is actually more expensive than virgin paper. This is justified by the costs involved with its production — which are expensive due to the complexities of the processes —, difficulties imposed by the Government, and little incentive offered to the selective collection.