Recycling your unwanted paper goods is nothing new. The practice of chopping up and remaking paper has been around for years, and has done a world of good for reducing our collective strain on the Earth's resources.
Because the shocking truth is, the Earth is under a lot of strain from the needs of the 7 billion humans who inhabit it, and while it might seem like one person can't make a difference, everything adds up. Just look at what buying a bottle of water does to the environment.
Epson is looking to make paper recycling easier and more accessible to offices that still use a lot of paper, and hopefully cut down on wasted paper and save some trees in the process. Their idea? To get offices recycling and reusing their own paper right in the building!
They've developed the PaperLab, which is still in its early stages, but might just completely revolutionize the way paper is produced.
Check it out below, and tell us what you think. Is this going to be the way of the future? Do you think it's viable? Let us know in the comments!
(H/T: My Modern Met)
While plenty of people and businesses recycle paper, a lot of it still goes to waste.
As of now, 25 percent of landfill waste is paper products, and about a third of the country's trash is paper packaging.
And since 93 percent of paper comes from trees, that's a lot of trees going to waste!
The production of new paper isn't great for the environment, either. Paper mills, like this one in Canada, cause massive amounts of air and water pollution.
And while it might seem like the digital era would slow the demand for paper, it hasn't. Paper mills are still cranking out thousands of tons of paper every day.
Conventional paper recycling is great, but it's got its downsides.
It uses about 7,000 gallons of water per ton of paper to reduce it to pulp to be reformed — or about one cup of water per standard-sized sheet. Plus, most of it has to be shipped to recycling centers.
So conventional paper recycling takes a considerable amount of water, fuel, and energy.
Paper recycling also produces waste, although you might not think it would. When paper is rinsed in conventional recycling, the water collects inks, chemicals, and paper fibers, which then find their way into rivers and streams.
The water pollution and the inefficiency of today's recycling is what Epson is hoping to combat with their new invention. By removing the water element and making recycling an internal process for offices, they hope to make it truly environmentally viable.
They plan to market the machine specifically to offices that handle a high volume of paper, like banks and government offices.
And this is how they're going to do it. This is the Epson PaperLab.
Measuring 9 by 4 feet, it takes all the waste paper and turns it into new paper, ready to be used.
It's capable of producing 14 sheets of paper per minute, which means in one eight-hour workday, it can put out nearly 7,000 sheets of paper!
So how does it work?
First, the old paper is shredded into tiny bits. The added bonus? Complete, secure destruction of sensitive documents!
The shredded paper is then blasted with jets of air to remove the ink for a clean start.
Then, the paper fibers are mixed with liquid binding agents that help them stick back together as they're pressed into shape. Depending on the needs of the office, different types of binders can be used.
The paper is flattened to whatever thickness it needs to be and pressed into a roll.
Next, the roll is measured and sliced into the desired size. Then the new paper is ready to go!
The PaperLab is still in its beginning phases, so in the future, tweaks and upgrades might be added.
Right now, the PaperLab can produce 14 sheets in a minute, which is pretty impressive, but its hefty price — about $75,000 — might be a deterrent for some offices.
As the technology improves, though, you might start seeing offices producing their own paper right on site! How amazing would that be?
SHARE this fascinating option to see if it comes true!
