More details on recycling programs offered by individual companies is provided on each company's profile page within this web site. Norcal entered the business of recycling with the goal of protecting the environment. Recycling reduces the consumption of virgin materials and also reduces the tonnage going to landfills. Recycling also saves energy costs and water usage. San Francisco residents and businesses recycle more than 74,000 tons of paper each year.
People know that recycling paper is good for the environment.
Here are some specific examples of the benefits. A Great Variety of Material Between 17 and 31 trees are saved for every ton of 100 percent recycled paper we use according to the publication, Recycled Papers, The Essential Guide, a publication of MIT Press. However, the resource preservation impacts go far beyond preserving trees. According to an EPA report to Congress, every ton of 100 percent recycled paper used results in savings of 4,102 kilowatt hours of energy and a savings of 7,000 gallons of water. In addition, the National Solid Waste Management Association reports that every ton of recycled paper used saves 3.3 cubic yards of landfill space.