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Recycling Program University of St. Thomas, Minnesota USA


[Batteries] [Books] [Cans] [Cardboard] [Confidential Paper] [Electronic] [Fluorescents]
[Food Waste] [Glass] [Magazines] [Newspaper] [Paper] [Plastic] [Phonebooks] [Wood Pallets]

 

WHAT WE RECYCLE: Newspaper

WE RECYCLE:

  • daily newspapers,
  • the Aquin & the Bulletin
  • "glossy" newspaper inserts
  • grocery bags
  • manila envelopes and folders
  • index cards, Kraft bags, construction paper

Magazines, catalogs, books, and junk mail are recycled separately

WE DO NOT RECYCLE:

  • hanging file folders (reuse them!)
  • tissue or wrapping paper
  • food wrappers or containers, napkins, paper cups
  • any paper product contaminated by grease, oil, or food residue
  • coated fax paper, carbon paper, blueprints
  • wax paper, plastic shrink wraps, plastic or metal bindings

If these items are not reusable, they are not recyclable and should be thrown away with the regular trash. If the metal bindings can be removed, please recycle the metal in can recycling.

WHERE TO RECYCLE:

  • Place newspaper in recycling containers marked "Newspaper".
  • For large amounts of newspaper on campus, a special pickup can be arranged by calling Bob Douglas, the recycling coordinator, at (96)2-6388.

FACTS ABOUT NEWSPAPER:

  • Newspapers are the largest single category of material collected in residential recycling programs. Almost 69% of all old newspapers in the United States were recovered and recycled in 1999, representing more than 9 million tons of old newspapers out of a total supply of nearly 13 million tons according to the Newspaper Association of America. However, after recycling, Americans still trashed over 4 million tons of old newsprint in the year.
  • Dr. James Burke, CEO of SP Newsprint, Atlanta, told attendees of the June 2002 Paper Conference Recycling & Trade Show in New Orleans, "The print-on-paper publishing business is in a long-term decline in the U.S." Burke presented statistics to support his claim, including a leap in the number of U.S. paper mill closings each year since 1997. While in the early 1990s just two to five paper mills closed each year, since then the closings have come at a staggering pace: 12 in 1997, 16 in 1998, seven in 1999, 16 in 2000 and 21 mills in 2001. “There’s been only once newsprint machine built in the U.S. in the last 10 years,” Burke stated. He also noted that since 1980, the number of newsprint mills in the U.S. has declined from 79 to 55.  Reported in Recycling Today 26 Mar 02
  • The Internet boom that increased advertising demand helped bring newsprint consumption back to 13.2 million tons last year, but with that bonanza over and circulation continuing to slip, market conditions are particularly difficult for newsprint makers right now. The overall slowdown in the economy also is dragging newspaper advertising volume lower, while energy costs for running the mills and plants have jumped. Battles to maintain newspaper readership against competition from television and the Internet get more challenging with time. Add to that a consolidation in the North American newsprint industry by Abitibi-Consolidated, which became the planet's biggest producer with acquisitions in 1997 and 2000…"Some so-called experts say it's a mature market and the expectations for the next five years are slightly declining or flat," said Denis Leclerc, Abitibi manager of public affairs. "So we have to face that situation. That's why we're permanently closing mills and machines." Since the Donohue acquisition last year, Abitibi-Consolidated has cut production by 400,000 metric tons. It announced the
    final step in that reduction last week, saying it would permanently shut down one of three newsprint machines at its Kenora, Ontario, mill and idle the other two for the summer, cutting 147 jobs and putting 333 others temporarily out of work. -Tom Cohen, "Major newsprint supplier scales back operations" StarTribune.com 31 May 2001
  • Recycling a single printing of the Sunday edition of the New York Times could leave 75,000 trees standing.
  • Everyday in the U.S. about 60 million newspapers are sold. The Newspaper Association of America publishes "the industry's statistical bible" with the most current information about the newspaper business. The NAA reported over twelve million tons of newsprint were consumed in 1999. Over 1,483 daily newspapers were published in the U.S. in that year.
  • According to Smurfit-Stone, more old newspaper was recovered in the U.S. than our domestic newsprint manufacturers produced in 1995.
  • Newspaper prices have been very volatile in the last two years peaking locally at an average of $116 a ton in early 1995 for old newspaper but currently bringing little or no revenue to the UST recycling program. When prices were high, processors made more effort at collection resulting in more supply than demand. Large stockpiles of newspaper still exist depressing the old newspaper markets.
  • Old newspaper is turned into new newsprint, paperboard, packaging, construction paper, cellulose insulation for construction materials, and bedding for farm animals.

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Physical Plant - Recycling
University of St. Thomas
2115 Summit Avenue St. Paul, MN  55105
Phone: (651) 962-6388  
Comments, questions, or feedback can be directed to Bob Douglas rjdouglas@stthomas.edu

Last Updated: September 2008

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