("Old paper, new paper" Sesame Street film from 1970)

By now, you probably automatically look to see that all the paper products you buy are marked as being made from recycled paper or "post consumer waste." But, how can we be sure that if a product is marked made of recycled paper that it actually IS made of recycled paper?  What could stop a company from just putting a green triangle on a package and charging more - but not actually putting any recycled products inside of the package?

Not Much!

In researching this article, I found more than I ever wanted to know about paper recycling in America.  I learned about how paper use has risen dramatically since computers became more affordable. I learned that the first paper recycling program (where paper was made from recycled linen) happened in 1690 near my home town of Philadelphia, PA. I even learned that there are awards given out for paper recycling.

But I could not find one thing about who checks to be sure that recycled paper products are actually made from recycled materials. So far, everything seems to be done on the honor system, except for some local groups like the Bay Area Green Business Program, which does offer a certification program. However, that is also voluntary.

We can't settle for that. We need to push out lawmakers into making sure big business actually uses recycled materials in products that are sold as recycled products. There's huge need for new jobs in new fields. Perhaps in the future a new industry can be started - that of being a paper recycling inspector.

How Recycled Is "Recycled Paper?"

Don't take for granted that a green triangle or cute little stamp stating "post-consumer waste" means that the product was made from used paper. There is a lot of strange terminology in the paper recycling business. For example, "100% recycled" does NOT mean that the product is made 100% from previously used paper goods. Far from it!  Let's look at some terms you can find on many "recycled" paper products:

• Recycled Paper:  All this legally means is that somewhere in the mix is some old paper. There still is a heck of a lot of new paper in it.
• Post Consumer Fiber:  If the end product used to have materials in it that originally were plants, this qualifies. This can include magazines, junk mail, cardboard and corrugated boxes. 
• Pre-Consumer Waste or Mill Broke: This refers to odds and sods from the paper goods factory or printers that was not used to make a paper product that can be sold.
• De-Inked Material:  Paper reading products that have ink, glue and staples removed.

Now What?

You cannot trust a stamp on a package to tell you whether anything is made from recycled paper goods and just what percentage of it is made from recycled paper products. It seems the best ways to cut down on cutting down trees is to use less paper. 

One thing I do that I picked up from my homeless days is reusing tissues when I can't use washable hankies. All you need to do is just set the tissues aside and they get dry again in around an hour. Then, you can blow your nose in them again. Granted, you can only do this for your own nose use. And you can really gross your parents out, too, but that's an added bonus.

If you are more of a DIY bent, then you could always make your own new paper from old paper yourself with a small homemade paper press.