Waste paper recycling
According to environmentalists' calculations, every second tree cut is used for the production of paper and cardboard. People's desire for environmental cleanliness has increased the need for paper products. Cardboard boxes, containers and other packaging - all this requires raw materials. The situation is partially saved by enterprises that process paper waste.
The situation regarding the recycling of paper products in Azerbaijan
The Recycled Paper Processing Factory, which started production in Azerbaijan in 2013 in the territory of Azersun Industrial Park, is the first and so far the only enterprise in this field. In the factory, paper waste collected from all regions of the country is turned into paper and cardboard again. The annual production capacity of this enterprise is 50 thousand tons. The enterprise, which has about 100 paper collection centers in the country's regions and Baku city, collects more than 3,000 tons of waste paper and reprocesses it.
Paper products recycling industry in our republic is now gaining momentum. It is not enough to build and operate enterprises, it is necessary to inculcate the culture of waste sorting in the society. Today, most of the cardboard packaging organizations prefer to take the used containers to a landfill or burn them. People are too lazy to put paper and cardboard in a separate container, and then throw them in special containers. The lack of such containers in every city and district also affects the situation. But recently, serious progress has been observed in this field.
The benefits of recycling
The raw material for the production of paper products is cellulose obtained from natural wood. Simply put, cellulose fibers are combined with an adhesive to make paper.
The goal of paper waste recycling is to reuse the cellulose for business. For this, paper waste is shredded, all adhesive additives are removed from them, the mixture is purified, and secondary cellulose fibers are obtained at the output. Since their properties are slightly worse than the original substance, they are added to the final product in certain proportions.
The use of recycled waste significantly reduces the cost of paper products produced and has a number of other advantages.
Protecting the ecosystem of the planet. One ton of recycled paper saves 15 mature trees. This is the protection of the natural habitat of thousands of animal and plant species.
Saving energy resources. Obtaining primary cellulose is a complex and energy-intensive process. Recycling paper waste requires less time and energy. This is beneficial for both businesses and the energy sector. It should also be noted that the production of one ton of paper from primary raw materials consumes 3,000 kilowatts more electricity than recycling. Water consumption differs up to 70%.
Reducing the greenhouse effect. The production of primary cellulose fibers is accompanied by large heat dissipation and contributes to the development of the greenhouse effect. Mass use of recycled cellulose reduces the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
To meet environmental requirements, companies are increasingly abandoning white cardboard packaging and preferring to ship their products in brown boxes. The fact is that chlorates are used to bleach fibers, which has a negative impact on the environment and increases the degree of pollution of water bodies.
