Public concern for the conservation of natural resources

and a general awareness of the environmental consequences of waste disposal is reflected in current legislation aimed at reducing waste.

Recycling as a preferred method of waste reduction

Recycling is commonly cited as one of the preferred methods of waste reduction and this book summarizes a recent study of paper recycling in Europe, which investigated the entire production and disposal process using a life-cycle methodology.

Study results and environmental considerations

The results of the study underline the economic and environmental advantages of paper recycling, but more controversially, they also show how, under certain conditions, the renewable character and the high energy content of paper seem to make energy recovery more attractive than recycling.