U.S. residents used approximately 85 million tons of products consisting of paper and paperboard in 2006, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and about a third of those products incorporated fibers from recycled paper. Commonly recycled paper products include newspapers, corrugated boxes, office paper, magazines and telephone books. Manufacturers include recycled paper and associated by-products, such as cellulose, in more than 5,000 common and uncommon items.
Automotive And Building Products
Automotive products and building materials made with recycled paper and related by-products are often difficult to identify as containing paper-based ingredients. Automotive items include car insulation, gaskets and road flares. Building materials include insulation and laminates used on countertops, as well as recognizable paper-based items like fiberboard, flooring and sandpaper. Many building materials--for example, caulk, concrete mix and putty--contain papermaking by-products, such as oils and resins, in addition to or instead of recycled paper.
Household, Office And School Products
Household, office and school items that frequently contain recycled paper range from everyday products, such as envelopes, napkins and notebooks, to niche products used in specific situations, such as bibs, corrugated boxes and diapers. Products intended for household use that include recycled paper are generally safe enough to come into contact with food, and many of them are used to store or prepare food and beverages, such as cereal boxes, coffee filters, egg cartons and tea bags.
Numerous household, office and school items contain by-products of the papermaking process and are also safe for use with food and the body, such as crayons, fabric softener, paint, sausage casing, shaving cream, sponges and toothpaste. As with automotive and building products, some of the recycled products are difficult to distinguish as items containing paper-based materials. For instance, many people may not realize that batteries and ink include recycled paper, and hairspray and certain cosmetics, such as lipstick, contain wood chemicals created during the production of recycled paper.
Medical And Technology Products
Recycled paper is a regular component of various medical and technology products, as well. Familiar medical and technology items that incorporate recycled paper include bandages, hospital gowns, medical charts, prescription pads, purifying filters, shoe covers, surgical hats and gowns, wound dressings and masks used to protect individuals from airborne allergens and contaminants, such as dust, germs and pollen. Items that are less recognizable as containing recycled paper and related ingredients include coffins and gauze, which may contain recycled paper, and eyeglass frames and irrigation pipes, which may contain chemical by-products of the recycled-paper production process.
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