Does paper shredding have a positive impact on the environment? The answer is yes.
Securely shredding documents is a concern for most business owners. However, not only does shredding protect your clients from identity theft, but it also reduces the organizations eco-footprint on the environment. According to The World Counts, 50% of commercial waste is composed of paper. In addition, paper also accounts for 25% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste.
Paper shredding allows your organization to remain eco-friendly and make a positive difference. You prevent recycled paper from getting dumped into a landfill and ensure it’s used to create new products. This creates a sustainable cycle while preventing the use of raw materials to develop products.
Sustainability refers to the implementation of eco-friendly methods to avoid depleting natural resources.
Here’s a detailed look at how paper shredding encourages sustainability.
1. Protects World Forests
Deforestation is the permanent removal of trees for non-forest use. Future of Waste states that 14% of deforestation is done to satisfy our huge appetite for paper goods. In other words, 4.1 million hectares of forest are destructed each year for paper. By chopping virgin forests, humans are irresponsibly causing harm to the environment by polluting the air, which further damages our ozone layer.
Salumatics We-Cycle program gives organizations the opportunity to securely shred their documents while encouraging sustainability. In addition, the program donates all proceeds to charity, helping your organization make a difference.
2. Compost Potential
Document shredding is considered one of the best by-products to compost. This is because the shredded paper is already in small pieces and quickly breaks down in your compost pile. By composting, your organization helps prevent this paper from ending up in landfills. Instead, the composted material turns into an organic mixture that’s great for soil and plants.
3. Reduction in Water Consumption
In order to manufacture one kilogram of paper, a total of 324 liters of water is needed. Research shows that paper manufacturing consumes the third largest amount of fossil fuels worldwide, as it demands the largest industrial use of water per pound of paper. Shredding documents helps recycle paper and minimizes the manufacturing of paper all together.
4. The Recycling Process of Shredded Paper
After Salumatics securely shreds your documents, they’re filtered through a comprehensive recycling process. The first stage of recycling is to separate the cardboard, office paper, and newspapers. Once the paper is separated, it is sent to the mill.
This mill includes machines called pulpers that inject water and chemicals to help break paper down into fibers. Once the ink and bonding are removed, the fibers are rolled and dried before being sent to make new products.
However, mixed fiber does not hold the same quality as virgin paper since it only creates low quality products. Typically, this recycled material is used to create products such as egg cartons and paper towels.
By choosing Salumatics’ We-Cycle program, your organization protects its sensitive information while disposing of it in a sustainable way. To learn more about our program please click here.