It takes significantly less energy to recycle paper products than to create them from virgin materials. The Recycled Products Cooperative calculates that replacing a ton of virgin paper with post-consumer recycled content paper saves 7,000 gallons of water, 4,100 kilowatt hours of electricity and prevents 60 pounds of pollutants from entering the atmosphere.
Another simple way to preserve resources is to use less. There are subtle ways to encourage people to avoid wasting paper napkins, such as dispensers which let out one napkin at a time. Food service companies find that using these dispensers instead of open baskets reduces waste by 30 to 40 percent.
The Challenge of Recycling Napkins
Paper towels and napkins are at the end of the recycling line, and therefore made with very short and thin fibers. High quality recycled paper requires long and strong fibers. Used paper towels and napkins should therefore be recycled together with yard waste instead of in the paper bin, and some brands can be added to the compost pile. Several napkin manufacturers, including the Green Planet Company, produce paper napkins made from sugar cane and recycled fibers. These napkins are completely biodegradable and compostable.