Recently a study was done by a National Research Council committee on the subject of recycled wastewater.  Funded by the American Waterworks Association Research Foundation, the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, the Phoenix Water Services Department, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Water Environment Research Foundation, and the National Water Research Institute, the study tested water from a number of different locations to see if recycled wastewater is safe to drink.  Although generally costing more than treated groundwater because of additional treatment, recycled wastewater is presented as a viable option for many states such as California struggling with severe drought and water supply problems.

Health and safety concerns are at the top of the list of concerns about recycled wastewater.  The study, Issues in Potable Water Reuse, concluded that “reclaimed wastewater can be used to supplement drinking water sources, but only as a last resort and after a thorough health and safety evaluation.”  Many of the study’s authors were concerned that wastewater “may contain sources of contamination that cannot be determined through current testing or treatment processes.”

The process of recycling wastewater is long and meticulous.  For Orange County in California, “Recycling starts with sewage treatment by the Orange County Sanitation District, which removes solid waste and uses micro organisms to break down organic materials. The water then heads to the recycling facility for purification. It passes at low pressure through an ultrafine filter that strains out particulate matter, bacteria, and the single-celled organisms known as protozoans (amoebas and their kin). Next comes reverse osmosis, in which the water is forced through a plastic membrane at high pressure to remove even tinier pollutants including viruses, salts, and pesticides. Treatment with hydrogen peroxide and ultraviolet light completes the process.”  Half of the water is then injected into an underground supply of freshwater that serves as a barrier between salty sea water and inland freshwater reserves while the other half is pumped into a “recharge basin in Anaheim, where it slowly percolates down into the ground to supplement the aquifer that provides drinking water to the community.”

Recycled wastewater in Orange Country exceeds every safety regulation and test for potable, that is, drinkable water.  “Water district officials note that first-timers were often pleasantly surprised by the pure, clean taste.”  In addition, since California has been using recycled wastewater there has been no illnesses or outbreaks of any kind associated with contaminated water.  The biggest factor in recycled wastewater is the public’s negative view towards the idea of drinking “toilet to tap” water as opponents have aptly named it.  Although recycled wastewater has been proven safe to drink, it will probably be some time before it gains acceptance due to the basic “yuck factor” of the water’s origin.

For more information about California’s water crisis and recycled wastewater please visit hyperlink color
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Recycled, Chlorine-Free Paper – Good for You, Your Wallet and the Environment

The average North American uses more than 730 pounds of paper each year. That’s
as much as a tree as big around as a utility pole standing 4 stories high.
Though home to only about 7% of the world’s population, North America consumes
nearly 30% of the world’s wood harvest. The average office employee creates
nearly 2 pounds of paper waste each and every day. That’s a lot of trees to go
through! Now, we all know that it is in our best interest to reduce, reuse and
recycle, but few of us realize that the easiest way to do that is by changing
our paper purchasing habits.

Just What Is Recycled Paper, Anyway?

Recycled paper is any paper that is made of at least 30% post-consumer content.
That means that 30% of the paper pulp used to manufacture it came from recycled
paper. Paper that had already been used, printed on, mailed as junk mail – they
all came together to form new paper. Someone else had made the decision to
recycle their paper waste and somebody somewhere decided to turn that waste into
new paper. It’s really that simple.

What About Chlorine-free? What’s That All About?

Some paper manufacturers, and even some recyclers, use chlorine to bleach the
paper a nice, bright white. We North Americans are obsessed with bright white
paper, by the way. Everything from our office paper to our toilet paper has to
be whiter than snow, and unless the paper manufacturers are using oxygen or
hydrogen peroxide, they are using chlorine dioxide to get that bright whiteness
we crave. Paper can be acceptably bleached using oxygen and/or peroxide without
adding harsh chemicals to the paper.

OK, Why Should I Use Recycled, Chlorine-Free Paper?

1.) It’s Good For the Environment.

As stated above, a good bit of the world’s trees are going to make paper.
Recycling paper can save 20 trees per ton of paper. “I’m no tree-hugger,” you
say, “Why should I care?” Well, you should care because it’s your world, too.
Even you don’t care about the trees perhaps you care about the water. Paper
production is a water-intensive process. A one-ton batch of recycled paper uses
7,000 gallons less to produce than a one-ton batch of virgin paper. But maybe
even 7,000 gallons of water isn’t enough to get you to change your mind. How
about 60% less electricity? Does that do it for you? Because that’s how much
less energy is needed to process recycled paper over producing paper from virgin
stock. That’s a lot of light bulbs!

On the post-production end of things, nearly 40% of all our waste products in
the US and Canada are paper products. That’s a lot of paper to put into
landfills or send up in incinerator smoke. We waste millions of pounds of
recyclable paper materials every year. We don’t need to cut down acre after acre
of timber to supply our paper needs. Most of our paper needs can be met through
the use of recycled paper. But, we have to recycle it first. And then we have to
show that there is enough of a demand for recycled paper products to warrant the
manufacturers to continue to use recycled materials to create new items.

2.) It’s Good For You

We’ll skip the bit about having more trees making the world a cleaner, healthier
place to live and head straight to your immediate environmental concerns.
Bleached paper gives off dioxins. Dioxins pollute our soil, water and air. They
cause fish to die or become deformed. They are in our food and milk supply.
Dioxins cause cancer. They can cause other maladies in infants and children.
They are nasty little beasties that we willingly let into our offices and homes
through the use of bleached paper. Buying only Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)
paper can ensure that you are not polluting your personal space with dioxins
through your paper supplies. Your employees, your family, and even your own body
will thank you for it later.

3.) It’s Good For Your Wallet

Did you know that there are companies out there that buy paper waste for
recycling? They can produce recycled paper products cheaper and easier than
manufacturing virgin paper stock. That means that recycled paper can be (and
usually is) cheaper than paper with less than 30% post-consumer content. PCF
paper is even cheaper still, as peroxide and oxygen used in the bleaching
process are not as expensive for the manufacturer as the chlorine dioxide he
might otherwise use. All of this adds up to savings for you, the consumer. And
saving green is certainly a reason to go green, don’t you think?

Buying and using recycled, PCF paper products is a smart choice for every one,
from the business owner to the home owner. The triple benefits of using 30%
post-consumer content, chlorine-free paper make it the best choice overall.

Think With Ink

The average North American uses more than 730 pounds of paper each year. That’s
as much as a tree as big around as a utility pole standing 4 stories high.
Though home to only about 7% of the world’s population, North America consumes
nearly 30% of the world’s wood harvest. The average office employee creates
nearly 2 pounds of paper waste each and every day. That’s a lot of trees to go
through! Now, we all know that it is in our best interest to reduce, reuse and
recycle, but few of us realize that the easiest way to do that is by changing
our paper purchasing habits.

Just What Is Recycled Paper, Anyway?

Recycled paper is any paper that is made of at least 30% post-consumer content.
That means that 30% of the paper pulp used to manufacture it came from recycled
paper. Paper that had already been used, printed on, mailed as junk mail – they
all came together to form new paper. Someone else had made the decision to
recycle their paper waste and somebody somewhere decided to turn that waste into
new paper. It’s really that simple.

What About Chlorine-free? What’s That All About?

Some paper manufacturers, and even some recyclers, use chlorine to bleach the
paper a nice, bright white. We North Americans are obsessed with bright white
paper, by the way. Everything from our office paper to our toilet paper has to
be whiter than snow, and unless the paper manufacturers are using oxygen or
hydrogen peroxide, they are using chlorine dioxide to get that bright whiteness
we crave. Paper can be acceptably bleached using oxygen and/or peroxide without
adding harsh chemicals to the paper.

OK, Why Should I Use Recycled, Chlorine-Free Paper?

1.) It’s Good For the Environment.

As stated above, a good bit of the world’s trees are going to make paper.
Recycling paper can save 20 trees per ton of paper. “I’m no tree-hugger,” you
say, “Why should I care?” Well, you should care because it’s your world, too.
Even you don’t care about the trees perhaps you care about the water. Paper
production is a water-intensive process. A one-ton batch of recycled paper uses
7,000 gallons less to produce than a one-ton batch of virgin paper. But maybe
even 7,000 gallons of water isn’t enough to get you to change your mind. How
about 60% less electricity? Does that do it for you? Because that’s how much
less energy is needed to process recycled paper over producing paper from virgin
stock. That’s a lot of light bulbs!

On the post-production end of things, nearly 40% of all our waste products in
the US and Canada are paper products. That’s a lot of paper to put into
landfills or send up in incinerator smoke. We waste millions of pounds of
recyclable paper materials every year. We don’t need to cut down acre after acre
of timber to supply our paper needs. Most of our paper needs can be met through
the use of recycled paper. But, we have to recycle it first. And then we have to
show that there is enough of a demand for recycled paper products to warrant the
manufacturers to continue to use recycled materials to create new items.

2.) It’s Good For You

We’ll skip the bit about having more trees making the world a cleaner, healthier
place to live and head straight to your immediate environmental concerns.
Bleached paper gives off dioxins. Dioxins pollute our soil, water and air. They
cause fish to die or become deformed. They are in our food and milk supply.
Dioxins cause cancer. They can cause other maladies in infants and children.
They are nasty little beasties that we willingly let into our offices and homes
through the use of bleached paper. Buying only Processed Chlorine Free (PCF)
paper can ensure that you are not polluting your personal space with dioxins
through your paper supplies. Your employees, your family, and even your own body
will thank you for it later.

3.) It’s Good For Your Wallet

Did you know that there are companies out there that buy paper waste for
recycling? They can produce recycled paper products cheaper and easier than
manufacturing virgin paper stock. That means that recycled paper can be (and
usually is) cheaper than paper with less than 30% post-consumer content. PCF
paper is even cheaper still, as peroxide and oxygen used in the bleaching
process are not as expensive for the manufacturer as the chlorine dioxide he
might otherwise use. All of this adds up to savings for you, the consumer. And
saving green is certainly a reason to go green, don’t you think?

Buying and using recycled, PCF paper products is a smart choice for every one,
from the business owner to the home owner. The triple benefits of using 30%
post-consumer content, chlorine-free paper make it the best choice overall.

Please Note... All links within articles are placed by their author-owners and not by this blog.Products with in those links may or may not be the best in the world.If it sounds too good to be true it could be a scam.Articles are posted for their info,ideas and or entertainment value only.

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