How we use paper
• The Worldwatch Institute says that the use of paper worldwide has grown more than six times since 1950. A fifth of all the wood harvested in the world ends up this way: It takes two to 3.5 tons of trees to make one ton of paper.
• The Center for Ecological Technology (CET) says that compared to the production of virgin paper, recycled paper uses 65 percent less energy and 80 percent less water. It also produces 95 percent less air pollution.
• Studies made by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) show that recycling one ton of paper saves 17 trees and 7,000 gallons of water.
• Every year enough paper is thrown away to make a 12- inch-thick wall from New York all the way to California.
• If offices worldwide increased the rate at which they use both sides of a sheet of paper from the current 20 percent to 60 percent, an equivalent of 15 million trees can be saved, say Nikki and David Goldbeck in Choose to Reuse.
• Plastic-lined paper used mostly for packing liquids like milk and juices is very difficult and expensive to recycle. So it is not really done. The same is true with contaminated paper like greasy pizza boxes.

Let’s Help
• Cardboard boxes can be used as beds for pets.
• Used paper can be reused as lining for drawers or a small pet’s cage.
• Cereal and tissue boxes can be used as in trays for mail and other papers to be dealt with; as gift boxes; as bookmarks; for paper dolls and other arts and crafts; for writing recipes on when cut into the size of index cards; as flash cards; and for storing other knickknacks.
• Old envelopes can be sent on its way if a label is placed over the pre-printed address and writing in a new address.
• Used envelopes are also good for writing down notes, storing receipts, and jotting down grocery lists.