Consider how much paper the average South African family throws away each week. How many rubbish bags full of paper just end up on the dump heap?

Enough to fill nearly a million cubic metres of land-fill space in South Africa each year.

Why recycle paper?

Trees. Without trees, the planet dies from a lack of oxygen. End of story.

Recycling paper also prevents millions of square metres of land to be filled up each year.

There’s an economic benefit to recycling as well – less money and energy needs to be spent on raw materials.

For anyone who doesn’t know, paper recycling in South Africa is pretty straight-forward. More than 2 million tons of paper is recycled in South Africa each year (according to PRASA – the Paper Recycling Association of South Africa).

Here’s how you can do your share at home, school or work:

• Set up a recycling area with bins for different types of recycling (paper, plastic, glass, cans, etc)
• Buy products with reusable packaging instead of throw-away packaging
• Better yet, buy products with minimal packaging
• Buy products that are packaged in recyclable materials
• Find out where your local recycling centre is (there are TONS all over South Africa)

Examples of paper that can be recycled or reused:

• Envelopes
• Gift wrap
• Invoices and receipts
• Magazines and newspapers
• Telephone directories
• Junk mail
• Cardboard boxes and shoe boxes

Examples of paper that can’t be recycled (but could be reused around the school, office or house):

• Laminated or waxy paper
• Tetrapacks lined with plastic or foil (milk and fruit juice containers)
• Paper plates
• Post It notes and stickers
• Sweet wrappers
• Confetti

Do you want more info? Check out http://www.recycling.co.za/

Find out about a paper recycling centre in your area.

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