What is Paper Towel Recycling?
Precycle's paper towel recycling is the first of its kind in NZ. We collect used paper towels from Palmerston North businesses and organizations to recycle them into new materials and process them in ways that divert them from landfill.
Why?
In terms of waste, paper towels are an interesting material! A tree is planted, grown and harvested, then trucked to a factory where it is processed into pulp and then paper towels. These paper towels are made mostly from trees (carbon) and are then shipped all around the country and internationally. They are then used once, often to wipe clean hands or wipe down clean equipment, before being discarded. These end up in landfill, where they eventually turn almost completely into methane and carbon dioxide. We want to capture this great resource and prevent them from ending up in landfills!
What can go in the bin?
Paper towels only! While the odd bit of paper won't hurt the process, we will not be able to process paper towels that contain any foreign materials such as plastic, food scraps, large bits of cardboard, metal or other materials (even recyclable ones!). No paper towels with biological hazardous contamination such as blood will be accepted.
What happens to them?
We sort them into grades, with high grade paper towels being made into our innovative new construction materials. These materials are not currently available to the public in NZ but we hope to have them ready for sale in the next few years! Any low grade or heavily soiled paper towels are commercially composted, to avoid landfilling and carbon emissions.
We hand sort and weigh all paper towels. This ensures we have no contamination and can track the positive environmental impact accurately.
Is it actually better for the environment?
This project is reducing a lot of damage to the environment! Every 100kg of paper towels recycled prevents the equivalent of between 88-274kg of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere! Not only this, but the use of paper towels in construction materials prevents more trees being chopped down, plastics being used in homes, and prevents other valuable recyclable materials (like glass) from being taken away from the recycling loop.
How do I get involved?
We are working directly with businesses and organizations that consume a lot of paper towels including schools, gyms, and offices. Get in touch with us now to talk about how you can be involved by emailing info@refib.co.nz
In a recent survey, 100% of our clients feel our sustainable paper towel recycling service has POSITIVELY IMPACTED their waste management goals!