Australia leads the world in newspaper recycling...

Australia is a world leader in recovery and recycling of newspapers, according to figures just released by the Publishers National Environment Bureau (PNEB) in Sydney.

Australia recycled 72.8 per cent of the newsprint consumed in 2002, compared to 71.2 for the USA that year. For Australia this was up from 72.4 per cent in 2001.

The statistics are compiled by the News Limited Environmental Secretariat for the PNEB which represents the major newspaper and magazine publishing companies in promoting and encouraging recycling of newspapers and magazines.

Frank Kelett, executive director of the PNEB, said "At this high level we have to work hard for every fraction of a percentage point. When we take into account the seven per cent which is unrecoverable with paper destroyed in uses like lighting fires, garden weed mats and compost and paint drop sheets, we are up around 78 per cent recycling."

"The publishers and Norske Skog, Australia's newsprint manufacturer, have set a target of 74 per cent recycling of newspapers by the end of 2005 in our current five year Industry Waste Reduction Agreement with the Commonwealth and State Governments," he said.

"Of all the recyclable products, old newspapers have the highest level of re-use in new product, with newsprint made in Australia containing from 20 to 55 per cent recycled fibre."

In 2002, the state recycling rates were: Victoria 76.2 per cent, NSW 74.9, Western Australia 73.6, Tasmania 72.4, South Australia 68.1 and Queensland 66.4.

A total of 496,631 tonnes of old newspapers were recovered from council kerbside collections and from printed waste and newsagents' returns. Of this 97,934 tonnes went to the Norske Skog plant at Albury for de-inking to go into new newsprint production, along with 55,000 tonnes of old magazines.

Cardboard manufacture took 193,487 tonnes and a further 164,073 tonnes were exported, mainly to Asia and almost entirely to go into new newsprint. The rest, 41,137, tonnes went into products like home insulation, kitty litter and egg cartons.