Paper recycling by region

European Union

Paper recovery in Europe has a long history and has grown into a mature organization. The European papermakers and converters work together to meet the requirements of the European Commission and national governments. Their aim is the reduction of the environmental impact of waste during manufacturing, converting/printing, collecting, sorting and recycling processes to ensure the optimal and environmentally sound recycling of used paper and board products. In 2004 the paper recycling rate in Europe was 54.6% or 45.5 million short tons (41.3 Mt).[25] The recycling rate in Europe reached 64.5% in 2007, which confirms that the industry is on the path to meeting its voluntary target of 66% by 2010.[26]
Japan

Municipal collections of paper for recycling are in place. However, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun, in 2008, eight paper manufacturers in Japan have admitted to intentionally mislabeling recycled paper products, exaggerating the amount of recycled paper used.[citation needed]
United States of America

Recycling has long been practiced in the United States. The history of paper recycling has several dates of importance:

    * 1690: The first paper mill to use recycled linen was established by the Rittenhouse family.[27]
    * 1896: The first major recycling center was started by the Benedetto family in New York City, where they collected rags, newspaper, and trash with a pushcart.
    * 1993: The first year when more paper was recycled than was buried in landfills.[28]

Today, over half of the material used to make paper is recovered waste.[29] Paper products are the largest component of municipal solid waste, making up more than 40% of the composition of landfills.[30][31] In 2006, a record 53.4% of the paper used in the US (or 53.5 million tons) was recovered for recycling.[32] This is up from a 1990 recovery rate of 33.5%.[32] The US paper industry has set a goal to recover 55 percent of all the paper used in the US by 2012. Paper packaging recovery, specific to paper products used by the packaging industry, was responsible for about 77% of packaging materials recycled with more than 24 million pounds recovered in 2005.[33]

By 1998, some 9,000 curbside programs and 12,000 recyclable drop-off centers had sprouted up across the US for recycles collection. As of 1999, 480 materials recovery facilities had been established to process the collected materials.[34]

In 2008, the global financial crisis resulted in the price of old newspapers to drop in the US from $130 to $40 per short ton ($140/t to $45/t) in October.[35]
Mexico

In Mexico, recycled paper, rather than wood pulp, is the principal feedstock in papermills accounting for about 75% of raw materials.