We throw away lots of paper and card each day. But we can recycle this waste to make new books, comics and even banknotes.
When we recycle paper and card, it saves materials and energy. We also help to protect wild forests where animals live.
These trees will be cut down to make paper.
Wood is the main raw material used to make card and paper. Most timber used to make paper comes from conifer trees grown on special plantations.
Wild habitats, such as bogs and heaths, are sometimes cleared to plant these forests. Recycling paper means that fewer timber forests are needed. So, recycling can help to save wild places and the animals that live in them.
The grey cardboard inside a cereal packet is recycled.
Newspapers and magazines have lots of ink on them. When they are recycled, it is cheaper not to remove all the inks. That is why recycled cardboard is grey! Clean, white paper is the best paper for recycling. It can be made into writing paper.
Old newspapers can be made into toilet paper.
All sorts of products, including toilet paper and toilet rolls, are now made from recycled paper.
Look out for recycling symbols that show materials have been recycled. We can also avoid wasting paper by reusing envelopes and writing on both sides of paper. Ask your teacher if paper is recycled at your school.
You can also recycle your Christmas tree.
Christmas trees are also grown on conifer plantations. Many councils now provide special recycling points where trees can be left after Christmas.
So, instead of dumping your tree, recycle it! The trees are cut into chips to make rich compost which can be put on the garden to fertilise the soil.
Picture Credit : Google