University of Virginia students, faculty and staff recycle approximately 1,700 tons of paper every year.
While most of us forget about drafts of term papers or yesterday's Cavalier Daily shortly after we toss it in the recycle bin or trash can, the employees of Recycling care about the fate of each piece of paper disposed of at the University.
After workers pick up paper from the bins located in all University buildings, recyclable refuse begins a journey which will convert it from a waste product to something that is once again useful.
While U.Va. Recycling, part of Division of Disposable & Recoverable Resources, only collects the recyclable materials, they take the first and perhaps most important step in the recycling process.
Without someone gathering our paper and other recyclables and transporting them to a recycling facility, much more of the University's trash would most likely end up in a landfill.
The first stop on discarded paper's journey to a new life as another paper product is the recycling center on Alderman Road.
From there, it is trucked to a recycling plant somewhere on the East Coast.
"Some might go to North Carolina, some might go to Pennsylvania," said Dennis Clark, director of Recoverable and Disposable Resources.
He added that the specific plant to which he sends the paper depends on the price offered, which can fluctuate between $70 and $500 per ton over the course of a few years.
Once at the recycling plant, the paper is sorted into different grades, with white office paper being the highest grade.
"One of the things we're constantly harping on
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