Waste paper usage and fiber flow in Western Europe

摘要

Using a unique data set, the flow of waste paper and wood fiber in Western Europe in 1990 is presented. The data have been collected from national trade statistics and international sources. We calculate the flow of waste paper and wood fiber in Western Europe in 2000 based on the flow in 1990 and using a set of assumptions about increased consumption, recovery rates and utilization rates. The result shows that the capacity for the Central European and English forest industry to absorb increasing amounts of waste paper is limited. To avoid an increase in the deposits of waste paper, the surplus must be exported to Scandinavia and/or used as energy.