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Beijing Encourages Use of Recycled Paper
Many primary school pupils in Beijing have been encouraged to use recycled-paper notebooks for their homework in an effort to save the trees.
The recycled paper, made from wastepaper instead of wood pulp, has been widely used in industrial countries, with the recycling rate of wastepaper in such countries over 60 percent. While the rate in Beijing is less than 10 percent, or only some 100,000 tons every year per 1.1 million tons of wastepaper.
In recent months, Beijing's government offices have substituted the recycled paper for regular paper. And the Beijing mayor and deputy mayor now have recycled-paper business cards.
However, for the idea to gain popularity, local residents and companies will have to support it. Paper producers said the monthly sales of recycled paper stand at only about 60 tons.
Officials with the State Environmental Protection Administration said the country is to carry out related policies to encourage the use of recycled paper.
Studies show that one ton of wastepaper can produce some 850 kg of recycled paper, saving some three cubic meters of wood, 100 cubic meters of water, 1.2 tons of coal and 300 kg of chemical materials, thus reducing the cost by some 20 percent.
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