The government and industry scheme to use more recycled content in newspapers is based on a voluntary agreement reached in 2000 and is to provide an approach to be used for junk mail. But, insteady of focusing on recycled content, the emphasis with junk mail will be on sending the material for recycling.
Figures just released by paper industry organisation PaperChain show that in 2002 the gross amount of waste paper used in UK newspapers as a percentage of total newsprint consumed was 65.1%, up from 63.5% in 2001.
Producer
A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “The voluntary producer responsibility agreement between government and newspaper publishers is based on targets for recycled content of newspapers by the end of 2001, 2003 and 2006. We are pleased the 2001 target was exceeded by 3.5%. If confirmed, this shows that the target for 2003 has been already been exceeded – a year ahead of schedule.”
He added: “This shows how successful voluntary producer responsibility agreements with industry can be. We hope to launch shortly a similar scheme to increase the recycling of junk mail.”
In April 2000, UK newspaper publishers and British newsprint manufacturers agreed a set of targets with the government. These were for:
- 60% recycled content by the end of 2001
65% recycled content by the end of 2003
70% recycled content by the end of 2006
The targets for recycled content are to be reviewed at the end of 2003 and could be raised. This would be partly because of the desire to increase recycled content and also because of the additional recycled reprocessing capacity which will be coming on stream at the UPM-Kymmene mill at Shotton in North Wales.
While the recycled content has increased, environmental groups continue to raise concerns about the origins of virgin fibre used in papermaking for newspapers and magazines. Concerns range from material imported from Canada to allegations of logging in old growth forests in Finland.
Aspiration
The junk mail voluntary agreement was a strongly-held aspiration of the former environment minister Michael Meacher. Now, agreement is moving closer although instead of junk mail having an agreed recycled content in line with newsprint, a different approach will be taken.
This is because DEFRA is thought to have accepted that practical difficulties would arise in ensuring that recycled material would be used in the variety of mail sent out plus the fact that recycled newspapers need some new fibre input. So, the DEFRA focus is likely to be on two areas. One is trying to achieve some consistency in the materials used in junk mail and to agree the use of glues which will not hinder papermaking. The second, is that newspaper recyclers will take the junk mail as part of their mix.
For its part, the Direct Mail Association which represents the direct marketing industry that sends out the mail, will fund publicity work. Campaigns will be run to encourage the public to recycled the junk mail through the newspaper recycling route.
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