The paper industry has set a goal of recycling 50 percent of all paper by the year 2000.
The American Forest and Paper Association, which vigorously fought strict new Clinton administration recycling requirements for government printing and writing paper, said its goal will mean 50 million tons of paper will be recovered in 2000.The industry currently recycles 40 percent of the paper used, the association said.
The effort is designed to reduce the burden on landfills, where paper makes up 40 percent of the waste, said Red Caveney, the association's president.
By the end of the decade, paper companies will invest nearly $10 billion for new equipment to handle recycled fibers, the association said.
President Clinton recently issued an executive order requiring all federal agencies to change their purchasing habits and buy paper with 20 percent post-consumer content, meaning 20 percent of each piece of paper must come from fibers that have been used by the public.
The association had lobbied against the standard, saying it would be hard for many mills to bid on government contracts without installing expensive new equipment.
However, the goal the association announced Tuesday applies to all paper, not just printing and writing paper, which affords greater latitude in uses for the recycled paper.
The recovered paper will be recycled into paper products, used for compost, animal bedding and insulation, and exported to foreign recyclers.
"The paper industry should get some credit. The industry is not in very good financial shape but at the same time is making real investments in recycling technology," said John Ruston, economic analyst for the Environmental Defense Fund.
He said growing consumer demand for recycled paper, improved technology for removing ink and the economics of using recycled fiber over virgin wood have helped attract the industry to recycling.