Record amount of recyclable paper collected last year

THE HAGUE - With 2.5 million tons of recyclable paper collected last year, the Netherlands is among the top three in the world and has achieved a recycling rate of 77 percent. The amount of ‘old paper’ amassed has increased since 2004, following a few years of declining volumes, caused by the economic downturn, which led to skinnier newspapers and magazines, and fewer flyers and other inserts being printed for distribution. Last year, 2.4 million tons of old paper was re-used by the paper industry, allowing the recycling companies to export their surplus, to meet rising demand for such raw material elsewhere.