Paper industry tackles alternative uses for waste paper
New ways of using waste paper are being researched by the industry, as sending wastepaper to landfill sites is no longer an option.
The Paper Manufacturers Association of South Africa (PAMSA) estimates the amount of paper and paper packaging recycled over the last ten years in the country to be over 12 million tons.
Overall, it puts last year’s number at 71,7 per cent. According to PAMSA, this figure compares favourably with international trends and ensures that the recycled paper is transformed into new products and does not end up in the landfill.
China introduced stricter conditions for cleaner waste products two years ago. This means that about 30 million tons of paper is in need of a new home. The stricter requirements have resulted in decreasing waste paper prices.
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South Africa has the capability of being able to recycle up to 90 per cent of recovered waste paper locally into paper packaging. This could potentially be a boon for the agricultural, manufacturing and retail sectors.
There are challenges though, and the country needs to research and develop new uses for recovered waste paper during this economic downturn, which has seen lower production by local paper mills using waste paper as raw material.
To this end, PAMSA’s producer responsibility organisation, Fibre Circle, has set aside R2 million to research and develop alternative and ingenious ways to use waste paper.
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Fibre Circle’s manager, Francois Marais, said, “In line with the circular economy, we have to work together to develop new paper-based solutions to prevent valuable and usable fibre going to landfill and ensure it is turned into value.”
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“Sending it to landfill is just not an option,” concluded Marais.
