Recycling the news

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Waste Age

OSTI ID:524729

Sager, K A

With its infamous bureaucracy, legions of news organizations, and the prominence of the federal government, Washington, D.C., and its environs generate literally tons of paper every day. Paper represents almost 40% of the waste stream, according to the US EPA. The agency`s figures show that more than 80 million tpy of paper are generated, and with such a significant portion of this waste capable of being recycled, it is essential that the nation`s capital have enough paper recycling facilities. Capital Fiber (Springfield, VA.), a large-scale intermediate paper processing facility, is an example of one such facility. Its primary material is old newspapers (ONP), and its operations consist of receiving, sorting, and consolidating waste paper for baling and resale. The company is a joint venture between daily newspaper giant the Washington Post (Washington, D.C.), which owns 80%, and the Canusa Corp. (Baltimore), a waste paper brokerage firm, which owns the other 20% of Capitol Fiber. Capital Fiber`s Springfield facility handles nine grades of paper, including pre-consumer and post-consumer ONP, blank news (newspaper trimmings that have not been printed on), old corrugated containers (OCC), sorted white ledger and sorted office waste, and various wrappers, supermixes, and other mixed grades. Within each of these categories are various sub-grades of paper, and the facility also takes old telephone books, computer paper, and flyleaf, the extra tim cut from periodicals. But, not surprisingly, the predominant material is ONP.

• OSTI ID: 524729
• Journal Information: Waste Age, Journal Name: Waste Age Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 28; ISSN WAGEAE; ISSN 0043-1001
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
MUNICIPAL WASTES
OPERATION
PAPER
RECYCLING
RESOURCE RECOVERY FACILITIES
VIRGINIA
WASHINGTON DC
WASTE MANAGEMENT