At The Meadows Center for Opportunity, our commitment to the community extends beyond providing employment opportunities and training for developmentally disabled adults and offering high-quality, secure data destruction to our customers. We believe that part of our mission is to practice responsible disposal methods that protect and preserve the environment.
We completely recycle destroyed paper documents. When the paper is shredded, it is compressed into bales weighing approximately 1,500-1,800 pounds. We ship over 4 million pounds annually to domestic mills to be reduced to pulp and used to produce recycled home paper goods.
How do our recycling efforts benefit the environment?
For each ton of paper we shred and recycle, between 17 and 31 trees are preserved. However, the benefits of recycling extend beyond the conservation of trees. Producing recycled paper is more energy efficient, requires fewer chemicals, and creates fewer pollutants than producing paper from wood fiber.
- Paper mills use 40 percent less energy to make paper from recycled paper than from fresh lumber.
- Paper mills generate most of their energy from waste wood, but recycling mills use on-site cogeneration facilities or purchase energy from local power companies.
- Producing recycled paper requires fewer chemicals and bleaches that producing new paper.
- Recycled paper is less polluting than paper made from wood fiber.
In addition to reducing waste and creating fewer pollutants, paper recycling is important for the conservation of natural materials, renewable resources, and energy. Each ton of paper manufactured from recycled fibers rather than virgin fibers conserves:
- 7,000 Gallons of Water
- 17 to 31 Trees
- 4,000 KWh of Electricity
- 60 Pounds of Air Pollutants
Recycling shredded paper produced from our data destruction services is an important part of our commitment to green solutions and eco-friendly business practices.
