post-consumer: legit or quit?

have you ever been drinking from a starbucks cup and noticed how it says 10% post-consumer fibers on the bottom? and have you ever wondered what it means? it happened to me this morning. i was walking back to my office and trying to sip every last drop of my steamed nonfat milk out of my cup and noticed the writing. then i started to wonder: how legitimate is that? and what does it mean exactly? some of my findings are below.

in february 2007 solo cup company, manufacturer of disposable foodservice products for the consumer/retail, foodservice, packaging and international markets co-developed a post-consumer fiber paper cup with starbucks. the post-consumer fiber paper cup is manufactured with recycled paper and helps support starbucks corporate social responsibility mission to serve products in an environmentally sustainable choice of packaging. read more. and more about how starbucks is changing the way coffee is served.

read starbucks' social responsibility newsletter announcing the new post-consumer hot cup.

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clips from recycling point dot com: debunking the myths of recycled paper.

definition of post-consumer waste: paper that has been recovered after having been used as a consumer item including papers from offices and homes, old newspapers and packaging.

in california, recycled paper must contain at least 10% post-consumer waste.

"in buying recycled paper, you must understand what composition you are buying," said lawrence chan, manager of office paper and stationary at shiro paper (singapore) pte ltd. "for example, if you buy recycled paper made from mill broke, it does not really help the environment because the paper mills have always been doing it. even before this trend towards recycling paper, mills have been recycling mill broke as it is only good housekeeping. "

"personally, i feel that the important components are the pre- and post- consumer wastes," added lawrence. "instead of dumping them into landfills or incinerating them, you put them to good use."

definition of mill broke: waste material recovered from inside a paper mill during the paper making process. this includes paper trimmings. paper makers have always reused their broke. many people do not consider paper made from mill broke as genuine recycled paper.

there's hope: according to lawrence, the outlook for distributors is bright. "as people become more affluent, more educated and sophisticated, they would buy a product not only because it is functional but also because it helps the environment. i believe that in the long run, people would switch to using recycled paper."

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curious what paper brands are more recycled than others? the nrdc has a nifty little diagram listing several popular home tissue brands and their percent recycled, post-consumer, and bleach. quite fascinating. click here to visit the page. and send a message to paper giant (mean folks) kimberly-clark while you're on the page. (more on the destruction kimberly-clark has wrought.)

there are several reasons to buy recycled and post-consumer paper products. the main reason is that it lessens so many of the causes pushing our global warming issues. it lessens both air and water pollutions; decreases spent electric energy; preserves our forests.

shocker: it has been estimated that recycling half the world’s paper would avoid the harvesting of 20 million acres (80,000 km²) of forestland. (source: EarthWorks Group. 1990. “The Recycler’s Handbook”. Berkeley, CA: The EarthWorks Press]) hello! you don't have to be a treehugger to recognize the impact that has: 20 million acres. can you even comprehend that amount? i can't. i have a hard enough time capturing all the land included in the 95.5 acres of my parents' property in ohio.

visit wikipedia for other facts and the history of recycling in the united states.

another site worthy of your mouse click is the environmental paper network.

kleercut: wiping away ancient forests. did you know it takes 90 years to grow a box of kleenex?

this is just another way to consider your impact on the environment. buy recycled paper!