Page 401 - Solid Waste Analysis and Minimization a Systems Approach

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PAPER MANUFACTURING

APPLICATIONS

28.1 Industry Overview

NAICS code: all 32200s

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

5520 paper and allied product operations in the United States
491,436 employees
$153.8 billion in annual sales
7.0 tons of solid waste generation per employee
Major waste streams: pulp and paper by products

Paper is an indispensable component in the production, packaging, and delivery of a
wide variety of products used daily by most Americans. For many it begins with
breakfast. Most of us would be lost without our newspaper, coffee filters, napkins,
cereal boxes, and milk and juice cartons. In some cases, our entire breakfast is baked,
sold, reheated, and served in its original paperboard box.
Americans consume more paper than do the citizens of most countries. Compared
with the 1994 world average of 97 lb, the U.S. per capita consumption of paper is more
than 700 lb, approximately 2 lb per person per day. Per capita consumption of paper
products in the United States has grown 43 percent since 1980.
Steady increases in paper consumption have had divergent impacts on employment
in manufacturing production, in wholesale trade distribution, and in recycling collection.

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