October 2003

Paper Recycling Program Increases Curbside Recovery by 4.5 Percent

Baltimore, MD— At the National Recycling Congress held September 16, Abitibi Recycling, supported by Skumatz Economic Research Associates (SERA), announced the results of a new study that finds the Paper Retriever program boosts municipal curbside recovery programs by an average of 4.5 percentage points at no additional cost to municipal-run recycling programs.

Abitibi Recycling released the new SERA study, “The Paper Retriever Impact on Curbside Recycling,” at the “Maximizing Diversion/Minimizing Dollars” session. The study used 95 Paper Retriever communities and 125 non-Paper Retriever communities randomly selected nationwide.

The study determined the effect of Abitibi Recycling’s proprietary, community drop-off program on the recovery rates of municipal-run curbside programs. San Antonio’s Solid Waste Director, Dan Cardenas, further confirmed results with direct experience resulting from the introduction of Paper Retriever there eight years ago.

The company’s community drop-off containers combined with in-school education and advertising relationships with media are investments Abitibi-Consolidated makes to increase paper recycling. The program supplies containers at no charge to schools, churches and other nonprofit organizations, and pays more than $2.5 million annually to those groups for paper recycled through their containers.

Through their combined efforts to divert paper from the waste stream, Abitibi and its Paper Retriever partners save an estimated 2.2 million cubic yards of landfill space each year in North America.