Paper Recovery and Recycling

NORPAC, a joint venture in which Weyerhaeuser owns 50 percent, produces newsprint and premium uncoated mechanical papers for publishers and printers. These products are made using some post-consumer recycled content.

The NORPAC facility has the capacity to consume 600 to 700 tons of recycled newspapers daily, the equivalent of more than 1.5 million newspapers. That's the same number of old newspapers collected daily in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

Our use of recovered paper keeps it out of landfills and ensures we get the maximum value out of wood fiber.

Can all paper eventually be made from recovered paper? The answer is no.

Wood fiber gradually wears out, and a single fiber in a sheet of paper can be recycled only between four and 10 times. Beyond that limit, the fiber loses its strength and is no longer useful in making new paper. Papermakers must introduce a continuous stream of new fiber to replace fiber weakened through repeated recycling.

Recycling in Office Buildings

Our expanded recycling program in our Corporate Headquarters region includes composting food waste from our cafeterias, which diverts hundreds of tons of material from landfill. In 2009, our efforts resulted in approximately 63 percent of our residuals being recycled or composted.

Recycling in our Manufacturing Operations

Our manufacturing operations also recycle materials where feasible. In 2009, 78 percent of our operations recycled post-consumer paper.