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Paper Recovery and Recycling

Chart of the collection and reuse of recovered paper

The growth of Weyerhaeuser’s former recycling business 1 paralleled the development of paper recycling in the United States. In 2007, the amount of paper recovered and reused in the United States climbed to an all-time high of 56 percent, and demand for recovered paper continues to grow.

We Collected 6.5 Million Tons of Paper in 2007

Since entering the paper recycling business in 1974, we steadily increased how much paper we recovered. As of 2007, we were one of the world's largest recyclers of paper.

In 2007, we collected 6.5 million tons of paper, about 12 percent of the paper recovered in the United States—or enough to fill a train with 130,000 freight cars. Our paper and packaging mills relied on recycled paper for a significant portion of their raw material. We sold the remaining recovered paper to other mills around the world to make paper products with recycled content.

Also in 2007, we:

  • Used 57 percent of the paper we collected to make new paper and paperboard products
  • Made our products with 44 percent post-consumer recycled content2 (measured as an average across all grades of paper and packaging). In one product line, containerboard, it averaged 50 percent. Our other product lines with recycled-content paper products are publishing papers and newsprint, and bags1.

Our success in paper recycling reflects a commitment to conserve natural resources and recognition that recovered paper is an important raw material in producing new paper and packaging products. 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.


  1. In August 2008, Weyerhaeuser sold its containerboard, packaging and recycling business to International Paper. Operations sold were included in 2007 data.
  2. Percentage includes products produced in 2007 but does not include production from the assets included in the Domtar transaction.

Last updated Aug. 4, 2008.