Thoughts of a Common Man

Your Waste Paper Can Save Trees

When I watch the huge trucks and trailers pass on the four lane highway loaded with logs, I can only think of the tons of unused waste paper that could be recycled and prevent the cutting of so many trees especially those considered are undersize.

Believe me, there are literally thousands of tons of paper products serving no purpose other than taking up space in attics, basements, barns, and garages throughout the province of New Brunswick. Over the past five years I have worked with an organization that raised thousands of dollars for community activities by collecting books and other paper products then arranging to have them recycled or put to other useful purposes.

Every week I hear people stating they are concerned about what is happening to the forest areas of New Brunswick and wonder what can be done to reduce the cutting of so many trees.

Part of the solution is quite simple and would have more than one benefit to all the residents concerned with saving our badly manipulated forest industry. The first step is to have residents go through their homes and other buildings and remove all the unused, unwanted old magazines, newspapers and cardboard boxes so they can be collected and delivered to a recycling program. Secondly, go through the home library removing all the out of date editions including those thirty and forty year old twenty-four volume encyclopedias which are not longer used then add them to the shredding pile. Finally, sort through all the remaining contents of the library, remove all the books and magazines which are in good or better condition and are no longer used, needed or wanted then donate them to fundraising organizations. There are many organizations that would gladly take those items to be used to raise funds for various activities.

By following these steps new found space can be created in every residence, a huge amount of paper can be put back in to the recycling system, used books are made available to others to enjoy at a reduced price, over time reduce the necessity to cut so many trees and have so many logging trucks on the highways.

A prime example of how much paper could be collected are those huge encyclopedias our parents and grandparents purchased for us back in the 60s, 70s and 80s, each weighing close to one hundred pounds. Presently there are hundreds of homes in New Brunswick that have at least one of those out of date sets, collecting dust and not being used because the new up to date editions are now available of a two ounce CD. Just imagine the tons of paper that could be put back into the system if every one of those sets were to be shredded and reprocessed.

There will always be a forest industry and a need to cut trees of the proper size to produce various needed products but better participation in a the recycling programs for all kinds of paper will reduce the cutting of trees of which many could be considered as undersize. The practice of processing of under sized trees is done because the price of logs makes it profitable and clear cutting makes it easy to do.

Those who would like to take the first step can do so by organizing such events as “Book and Paper Days” to collect as many items as possible for either recycling or re-use. By doing so, there is also the possibility of raising funds that could be used to support other activities within the community. In my opinion these types of events are easier to organize and do more to help the forests and environment than participating in attention seeking demonstrations that only have short term affects and are soon forgotten.

More importantly, by returning tons of paper back into the pulp and paper industry or putting items into the hands of others for their enjoyment at a very low cost can only be a benefit to the overall environmental management process. There is no reason for the concerned residents of this province not to participate in this type of endeavour if they are honestly interested in the welfare of our forests and the environment.