The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-04-08
Makes Appeal to
Save Waste Paper

In referring to his recent appeal for
the conservation of waste, Secretary
Of Commerce Alexander has made the
following statement, urging the saving
of all waste paper:
Following my appea! of last week
to save waste and turn it back into the
i channels OF trade, /! wish 10 call at.
tention to the importapca of saving
all waste paper.
attention has been called quite a
numhzer of times lately to the vital
shortage in paper and If the general
public could realize how u shortage OF
Taper affects its daily life I feel sure
that d saving and utilization Of all
waste paper would be made.
Many of the better grades of waste
paper are used as pure substitutes for
ground wood pulp and are used IN
making all kinds of book, bond.
ledger and writing papers. If this
kind of waste was not used to some
extent, there would exist an even
greater, shortage of wood pulp from
which most OF our printing papers and
news print paper Is made. The waste
paper used in the above list consists
OF Old magazines, periodicals, books
ana all kinds of printed matter in gen.
eral. Every pound of this waste that
Is saved and, marketed prevents tho
use Of original wood pulp made direct
from our trees.
THE largest tonnage of waste
paper is called Common mixed" and
consists Of any and every sort and
scrap Of paper, such as newspapers.
waste from the offices, stores. public
buildings and the homes. The chief
use OF this kind of waste is for paper
boxes, roofing and building boards.
paper shipping containers (which
carry up to one hundred pounds of
trelght or expressly and wrapping
paper. More than two million tons of
ordinary waste paper are used for
boxes and shipping containers alone.
Inc public Is SO accustomed to having
its goods In paper boxes that It would
pc dumfounded to find their use seri.
ously curtatled and this Is what will
happen IL we do not look more toward
the utilization OF waste. The use OF
waste papers for this purpose pre.
vents the consumption Of over one bill.
lion feet of lumber annually and is
increasing daily. The utilization OF
waste must keep pace with this to
prevent direct use OF our trees for
Tue wood pulp. AT the present time
there isvery little original wood pulp
used for paperboard boxes.
In addition to the saving OF trees
In the making of paperboard, there is
another very great saving OF lumber
through the use Of paper Shipping
cases" which are used instead OF wood
boxes. Reports show that 1t would re.
qulre more than half billion feet Of
lumber annually to replace the
paper" shipping cases, now used by
almost every manufacturer in the
United States.
IN most towns and cities there
are dealers in waste paper and other
salvageable material such as rags.
rubber, metals, etc, who will nav a
fair price for what otherwise would
be thrown away or burned.
THE Department Of Commerce still
has on hand limited number OF two
publications on Waste Reclamation
which 1t will be glad to send to inter.
ested persons. These publications
VIII snow what one large city has done
10 develop city-wide system OF waste
reclamation for the home, store and
factory, and the other will give some
pointers on how to organize and oper-
ate the service"