There are many misconceptions about paper and the environment. Whilst everyone should do their best to use less paper overall, many people are rightly concerned about how their choices in the type of paper they use affect the environment. They want to know the true facts about things like waste paper collection, recycling, and papers with less environmental impact. The environmental issues surrounding paper are very complex, and we have tried to take the views of experts and then condense them into practical and understandable answers to the most frequently asked questions.
Recycled paper is paper that contains fibre from waste paper.
However, there is no universal agreement on the exact definition of this. The Paper Users' Environmental Forum Checklist states that recycled paper should include as high a proportion of post consumer waste fibre as possible. Post consumer waste is paper that has already been used for its final and intended purpose. Surprisingly it may not save trees. Trees are often planted and cut as a crop, for other purposes than paper-making.