According to the Association of Magazine Media (MPR), there are around 400 million magazines printed in the United States annually. Of that 400 million magazines, approximately 1.5 millions tons of magazines are thrown away each year. Prior to the 1980's, magazines were not a recycling focus as the glossy coatings caused problems. Thanks to recycling initiatives that really took hold in 2000, about 54% of all used magazines are now recycled. While that's a fantastic number that is up almost 22% over the last 3 years, it means that nearly half of all discarded magazines are NOT recycled.
Almost 97% of all magazines, including the ones with high gloss pages are recyclable. An interesting fact: recycled magazines are used to make new magazines as the recycled material doesn't hold the glossy treatment very well. It is used to make other paper products such as:
- Newsprint and newspapers
- Paperboard
- Tissue
- Copy & Printer paper
The Association of Magazine Media also indicated that recycled magazines perform especially well on recycled paperboard as the glossy treatment makes the fibers smoother and brighter than traditional recycled fibers.
In the event that recycling isn't something that you either can or are willing to do, please consider trying to re-purpose the old magazines for some other use rather than throwing them away. There are quite a few uses of old magazines, especially in the arts and crafts arena, such as:
[ic_google_search keyword="recycled magazine crafts"]
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