letsrecycle.com - News and information for the Recycling and Waste Management Community

The UK's waste paper recycling industry plays a significant part within the manufacturing sector in the UK as 4 million tonnes of recovered material are processed each year to make paper and paper products. A further 4.8 million tonnes of recovered material – such as cardboard, mixed papers and newspapers – is exported for use by overseas paper mills.

About 46% of the material collected from households and industry in the UK is used in the UK itself with 34% exported to China, 5% to Europe and 15% to India and other Asian countries.

The collection of waste paper – or recovered paper as the industry prefers it to be called - has risen in recent years. In 2004 it was 57% and is estimated to be in excess of 70% for 2009. The figure was higher in 2008 but because of the economic recession in the UK in 2009 there was a fall in the amount of material recovered.

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The UK uses about 10.2 million tonnes of paper a year with about 6.7 million tonnes made overseas and 3.3 million tonnes produced in the UK.

The UK paper sector has generally contracted in recent years with the closure of mills. However, there has been some recent expansions within the sector, such as investment by the St Regis Group at the Kemsley boardmaking mill in Kent. The most significant development has been the opening of the Palm Paper mill in King's Lynn, Norfolk where trials started in August 2009. The mill will make newsprint.

There are still fears that more mills will close in the UK. The only planned development that has been promoted is the construction of a new board mill by Spanish firm SAICA although construction of this has been delayed.

Within the letsrecycle.com paper section we provide price indicators plus further technical information. The prices shown are for what UK mills are likely to pay ex works for certain grades of material and for the export market. The price paid by recovered paper merchants and mills will be influenced by a number of factors including volumes, levels of contamination, regional location and general demand.

More information about paper recycling is available from the two main organisations for the UK. One is the Confederation of Paper Industries, based in Swindon, which represents paper mills as well as recovered paper merchants and other sectors. The other organisation is the Recycling Association, formerly the Independent Waste Paper Processors Association, based in Daventry, which primarily represents independent recovered paper businesses as well as having some larger firms as members.