Newspaper & Magazine Recycling

Both newspapers and magazines can go into mixed-paper recycling.

Both newspapers and magazines can go into mixed-paper recycling.

U.S. citizens do better with recycling paper than any other recyclable, with the exception of auto batteries (see References 1 and 2). Offices and public spaces make it increasingly easy to toss a newspaper or magazine you're done reading into a recycling bin. Nonetheless, the numbers also show there's still room to make progress to realize the full environmental benefits of recycling newspapers and magazines.

Waste Generation Rates

Americans use enormous amounts of paper each year, equivalent to one 100-foot tall tree per person per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Significant amounts of that paper come in the form of newspapers and magazines. Each year, publishers in the United States print 350 million magazines and 24 billion newspapers. (See References 2)

Recycling Rates

U.S. citizens also recycle large amounts of paper each year. Newspapers are recycled at a fairly high rate of about 73 percent, while magazines are recycled at a far lower rate of about 20 percent, according to the Newspaper Association of America and the Magazine Publishers Association. However, both percentages have been increasing in recent years. (See References 6 and Resources 1.)

Recycling Benefits

Recycling newspapers and magazines results in many benefits beyond minimizing the need to harvest trees for new paper. It reduces greenhouse gas emissions because making paper from trees requires far more energy than making paper from recycled items. Making paper from trees also requires more water. Recycling keeps your old newspapers and magazines from cluttering the landfill as well. Recycling 1 ton of paper conserves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space. (See References 3)

Recycling Process

Recycling newspapers and magazines results in post-consumer recycled paper, meaning that the paper has already been used by a consumer versus coming directly from a paper manufacturing facility (see References 4). Recycled paper is combined with water in a machine called a pulper that separates paper fibers from each other and from other substances, such as inks or contaminants.

The length of the paper fibers determines the uses of the recycled paper it generates. Long-fiber papers can make a variety of products, but short-fiber papers -- like newsprint -- can only make other short-fiber products. (See References 5) Recycled newspapers make products like egg cartons, packing material, animal bedding, writing paper, facial tissues, cardboard boxes and cardstock packaging. Once paper fibers become too short, they can no longer produce new paper. A paper can be recycled five to seven times before the fibers become too short. (See References 5)

Recycling magazines requires more special treatment than recycling newspapers, which contain only ink in addition to the paper. Magazines contain not only large quantities of colored ink but also glossy coatings and adhesives to hold the pages together. These additives must be removed before the paper can be recycled. (See Resources 1) Both chemical and mechanical processes break up paper additives and separate them from the paper fibers (see References 5).

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