Paper Pollution is refuse created in pulp and paper mills and paper that is discarded into landfills. In Canada and the United States, paper and pulp are the third largest industrial pollutants, paper making up 35 percent of municipal solid waste that goes to the landfills. Once used as a communication tool, the paper has become material for packaging, consuming 42 percent of the world’s harvested wood.

The production of paper today has been leaving a strain on the Earth. Tree removal practices like deforestation destroy animal habitats and allow for substantial erosion in areas that rely on tree roots for support. At the same time, the production of paper products releases greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere and the use of large amounts of chlorine for bleaching, releasing large quantities of dioxins.

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Other Sources

The World Counts. “Paper Waste Facts.” The World Counts. http://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/Paper-Waste-Facts. Accessed August 16, 2016.

World Wildlife Fund. “Pulp and Paper Industry.” WWF. http://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/pulp-and-paper. Accessed August 16, 2016.