End-Users
LISTENING
STUDY: Many users experienced no problems running recycled
paper in their office equipment, although in some cases
they had experienced problems in the past.
"No
problems experienced in past 5 years." - Bruce Lawrence,
Bank of America
"Yes,
it performs competitively in office machines." - (public
agency #9)
"We
use recycled paper where I work and I haven't heard
of any problems associated with it." - (public agency
#6)
"The
County has been using recycled paper for over 15 years.
To the best of my knowledge, we have had no problems
with the use of recycled paper in any of our machines."
- John Reindl, Recycling Manager, Dane County, Wisconsin
"Our
office switched to the Badger Envirographic 100% postconsumer
paper last year. Our facilities people performed several
tests on the paper (in high speed copiers, regular copiers
and printers, etc) and found no problems and we haven't
had any problems using it." - Mike Giuranna, federal
government employee
"[Our
state] offers Envirographic 100 on our state term contract
and we are having good results. In blind tests this
product actually performed better in copiers and printers
than [a competitive 30% postconsumer copier paper].
Now we just need to get people to buy it!" - (public
agency #13)
"Various agencies in Charleston are using the Envirographics
100 paper with great results. It performs well in all
types of equipment, and we even use it a second time,
so to speak (when a page has been printed on one side,
we re-insert the paper and use the blank or second side
as well). I have researched various papers using the
following criteria:
1. highest post consumer content
2. no chlorine/chlorine derivative
3. no old growth timber content
4. mill in substantial environmental compliance
5. performs in equipment
6. cost per ream is competitive
The Envirographics 100 product met all criteria." -
Marcella Guerriero, The Lowcountry Environmental
Education Program (LEEP), Charleston, SC
"In
1999, our office investigated several printer/copier
papers for both recycled content and process chlorine
discharge. The goal of our study was to select a new
paper for use in our own offices (more than 2,000 people).
The initial investigation led us to Rolland's New Life
DP100. We tested 20 reams by running the paper through
20 of the office's printers, copiers, and fax machines
(large and small, old and new). The paper worked beautifully
with only 1 jam reported - not necessarily caused by
the paper. Our organization's offices then used this
paper exclusively without problems." - (public agency
#15)
"In
Minnesota, purchasing recycled paper is a priority.
The state's Central Stores has sold recycled copy paper
for years. Their experience with new recycled copy papers
has been excellent. Recycled papers are virtually indistinguishable
from their non-recycled counterparts, with similar performance,
color and cost.
The U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO) maintains a list of qualified
high-speed recycled copy papers that met stringent specifications.
Those specifications include a minimum of 30% post-consumer
recycled fiber, being free of lint and fuzz, and having
not more than one paper-caused jam per 5,000 continuous
copies.
Great White paper
has performed well in Minnesota. It has been the main
recycled copy paper for the state for the last few years.
Envirographic 100
(Badger Paper) is a new product at Central Stores. Last
summer, several Minnesota agencies tested the paper
and found that it performed well in all kinds of office
equipment, including high-speed and desktop copy machines,
laser printers and fax machines." - Minnesota Office
of Environmental Assistance webpage, http://www.moea.state.mn.us/lc/purchasing/copypaper.cfm
"In the early 1980s, recycled papers were still in the
development phase, and some state agencies in Minnesota
had some trouble using the paper in their machines.
Common complaints included excess amounts of paper dust
(linting) and more frequent paper jams. As a result,
some agencies stopped buying recycled paper.
As recycled papers
have improved, many offices are giving recycled-content
papers another try. The Minnesota Department of Transportation
(Mn/DOT) is one such example. Mn/DOT had changed over
to recycled paper in their laser printers and low-speed
copiers, but chose to use non-recycled (virgin) paper
in high-speed copiers like their Xerox DocuTech. In
the summer of 1999, Mn/DOT re-examined this practice.
They tested Union Camp's [now International Paper] Great
White recycled copy paper in their high-volume machinery.
A single machine was monitored over a 10-week period;
nearly 120 cartons of recycled paper were run through
the machine. Kay Tkachuck, Reprographics Unit Supervisor,
says, 'The copier using recycled paper continued to
operate the same as the other machines still running
virgin paper.' As a result, all of the DocuTech machines
now run recycled paper." - Minnesota Office of Environmental
Assistance webpage, http://www.moea.state.mn.us/lc/purchasing/copypaper.cfm
"Massachusetts has been purchasing only recycled paper
from our state contract since 1994. Hammermill Savings
DP [now discontinued] and Great White used to be the
primary brands and both were great. Later, the awarded
vendors also added Georgia Pacific-Geocycle and Domtar-Windsor
as two other copy paper options. Now, in addition to
Great White and Domtar Recycled, we also carry Fore
MP [the Hammermill DP replacement], Plainfield, Springhill,
IBM Recycled, Wausau Multipurpose, and Rolland New Life
Repro. All products meet the federal standards as well
for post-consumer content.
Concerning the dust
issue, we have not heard of an "actual problem" involving
either of these papers from using agencies. What we
do hear is that the service reps/technicians from the
equipment manufacturers (e.g. copier and printer equipment
in particular) are the ones telling users that the recycled
paper creates dust. Their information - in our opinion,
which is based on our experiences over the years - is
derived from their experience with the groundwood products
of "days gone by" that did in fact cause problems. We
eliminated those products from our state contract back
in 1995 - shortly after the complaints started coming
in. Since then, we require that all our paper on contract
meet the same specifications as virgin (e.g. same brightness,
acid free archival quality, smoothness, etc.). This
then allows us to turn around and require our equipment
reps on that contract to agree (in the contract terms
and conditions) that the papers on the MA State contract
are totally compatible with their equipment, will not
void warranties, etc.
It doesn't solve
the problem completely, but it makes an impact. The
tough part is getting the message to the ever changing
staff of service reps." - Marcia Deegler, Environmental
Purchasing Program Manager, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Operational Services Division
"The
Department of Environmental Protection's Central Office
Duplicating Shop in Harrisburg, PA has three Xerox Docutech
high volume copiers that use at least 30% post consumer
content paper. In fact after these Docutechs were delivered
and set up in our Duplicating Shop, they have not been
exposed to any virgin paper. We have also run recycled
sheets that contain 50% PC, 70% PC and 100% PC on this
equipment with excellent results. On this equipment
our average impressions run around 1.5 million per month;
this includes single as well as double sided copies.
In addition to the
high volume copiers listed above, DEP Central Office
has numerous floor copiers, 915 networked PC printers,
as well as numerous fax machines that all use 30% post
consumer content paper and we have not experienced any
difficulty caused by using recycled paper. Average monthly
usage of 8 -1/2" x 11" recycled paper on this equipment
is 750,000 sheets.
We have been using
recycled paper for more than nine years and we have
not experienced any difficulty in running recycled paper;
for us it was just the opposite, it was virgin paper
that caused us major problems. Approximately 3-1/2 years
ago (at that time we were using paper with a 20% post
consumer content) our vendor could not furnish us any
recycled paper for one month and instead supplied us
with a shipment of virgin paper which resulted in numerous
service calls due to major paper jams on floor copiers."
- Bonnie Shenk, Department of Environmental Protection,
State of Pennsylvania
"For the 30% recycled paper, there is no difference
between it and virgin paper. When you use the standard
photocopier paper, our end users can see absolutely
no difference between that and the virgin paper. At
one time with the 30% recycled paper, there used to
be a lot of dust or fluff that comes off the paper and
it used to do harm to the machines - clog them up and
dirty them. The paper that's produced today is equal
to or better than the virgin paper. When it comes to
the 100% recycled paper, the more recycled content goes
in there, the better the paper gets. It's more expensive
but it's better. It's hard to believe, but it is. The
100% recycled paper is of far superior quality than
the virgin paper. It's thicker and has a nicer finish
to it." - Canadian federal government services official,
from Following the Paper Trail study, Aurora
Institute/Reach for Unbleached (Vancouver, BC, Canada),
2003
LISTENING
STUDY: Other users are still experiencing difficulties
with the runnability of recycled paper in their machines.
Sometimes they link these difficulties to higher-speed
equipment, higher-postconsumer content paper, or older
equipment.
"There
are still quality problems with recycled paper. We have
experienced jams on high-speed printers using recycled
paper. We can only take so much time to resolve the
issue, and then we need to switch to a better-performing
paper. You have to look at the value proposition: costs
include downtime, labor, etc. Paper for high-speed printers
is where the big challenges are." - Kathy Gerwig,
Kaiser Permanente
"While I have not personally experienced problems, others
I know have experienced problems with recycled (30%
paper); generally problems are more likely when using
older copiers." - (public agency #1)
"I've
used the [30% pcc paper] from [supplier] and found it
has considerably more curl as it exits my laser writer,
compared to the IP "Great White" with 30% postconsumer.
Not a postconsumer problem; however, as a less expensive
option it was disappointing to experience so much curl.
(I've heard two companies complain about this, as well.)
My laser printer is an 11-year-old LaserJet IIP Plus
that has been a great machine for me. The problem is
not debilitating because I don't use large amounts of
paper at a time, but I can see where printing even 10-page
reports on a shared printer could be problematic if
the paper curled too much. Paper jams in equipment sometimes
and it can be justified-but other brands might work
better and other lots of the same brand might be better.
The post-consumer content is often blamed instead of
other qualities of the paper." - Jodi Cahillane,
Recycled Paper Coalition
"We
have very rarely experienced difficulties using recycled
paper in particular types of equipment. Our 30% paper
has been known to curl more than a virgin sheet on a
laser printer that has a very high heat setting. We
identified the recycled content as the source of the
problem because the curling didn't happen with virgin
paper-we addressed the problem by reducing the heat
setting on the printer." - Tyson Miller, Recycled
Products Purchasing Cooperative
"I
bought 2 reams of Conservatree paper (Cadence Cover
65# linen) many years ago for use in cover letters and
resumes, and it has lasted a long time. It worked well
in my old laser printer, but I do not get as good results
with my Epson 777 inkjet. There is slight blurring (the
paper seems too absorbent, perhaps), but worse than
that, it doesn't feed well. Two or more sheets get sucked
through at a time, resulting in many botched print jobs
and wasted paper. You may think this is crazy, but I
think the paper was either cut wrong (it appears to
be a fraction of a millimeter wider than the normal
8.5x11), or else it expands with humidity. This problem
doesn't happen with plain white unrecycled copy paper
from Staples." - Jennifer Gitlitz, Senior Research
Associate, Container Recycling Institute
"Our
office of 70 people buys [100% postconsumer copier paper]
exclusively and we have no problems with the paper in
our mid-size copiers, printers, and faxes. However,
another environmental agency that is using the paper
began experiencing problems this summer. Unfortunately,
I've been too busy to follow-up and resolve the issue
with either [the paper manufacturer] or Hewlett-Packard.
In a nutshell, here's the problem they've reported:
The paper seems to work on HP's 4si and 5si printer
series. However, when the agency upgraded to an 8000
HP printer, the paper began to jam consistently. They
replaced the new 8000 printer with a refurbished 8000
and the jamming continued. After several service calls,
the contractor, GE Capitol, said they would no longer
take service calls on the printer if they continued
to use the 100% post-consumer paper. The agency switched
to the Great White 30% paper and has stopped having
problems. I'm not sure what the problem is, but my guess
is that the new printer may have a more complex path
system which is causing it to jam easier with a paper
that may have a higher rag content." - Kelly Luck,
Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance
"We
had some minor problems with paper jams with 100% PCC
copy paper in a model of copier that we were told typically
experienced problems with 100% PCC, for whatever reason.
The majority of our copiers ran them fine." - Norm
Thompson
"We
use recycled paper for non-white paper and when the
price is right. Some brands are a problem in copiers
too." - (Facility management company)
"I have had reports from some of our field reps that
they have had trouble, but have no specifics." - (Document
management company)
"In
order to see whether it would be feasible to use 100%
recycled paper in the computer labs, [we] conducted
a 9-month test in two of our labs . . . .Both labs had
new HP LaserJet 8000 printers [7 between them] installed.
We used [a 100% recycled] paper in [one lab] and [a100%
virgin] paper in [the other]. Close to one-half million
pages were printed in each lab . . . .
We compared the
following between the two labs: number of paper jams
that were reported to us, paper dust accumulation, mechanical
roller wear, and assessment of parts needing to be replaced.
. . .
The printers using
100% recycled paper had extensive paper dust. Therefore,
additional cleanings would need to be done if we switched
to using only 100% recycled paper. Printers using 30%
recycled paper currently need to be cleaned four times
per year depending on environment and usage. . . . After
vision inspection and analysis of the amount of dust
residue, it was estimated that by using 100% recycled
paper, the printers will need to be cleaned monthly.
. . .
Rollers also wear
faster on machines using the 100% recycled paper. Rollers
in printers using 30% recycled paper need to be replaced
every 125,000 pages. Rollers in printers using 100%
recycled paper need to be replaced every 50,000 pages.
. . .
There were almost
twice as many paper jams reported in the lab using the
100% recycled paper (average of 9.2 jams per 100,000
pages printed) as in the lab using 100% virgin paper
(average of 4.7 jams per 100,000 pages printed). . .
. [Paper jamming] does occur over twice as often with
100% paper as with 30%. . . . - "Computer Laboratory
Printer Paper Test" (unpublished), Academic Computing,
Humboldt State University (Arcata, CA), October 2001
"Of
complaints indicated about recycled content papers,
respondents prioritized paper jams (some 13% of total
respondents had heard this critique), the aesthetics
of the paper (12.5%), and the amount of paper dust created
(10%). In all, just over 1/3 of all respondents shared
specific criticisms of the performance qualities of
recycled content papers." - Following the Paper
Trail study, Aurora Institute/Reach for Unbleached
(Vancouver, BC, Canada), 2003
LISTENING
STUDY: In the experience of some, there are more generic
explanations for problems. They often suggest that equipment
users and, in some cases, equipment servicers could
benefit from education about the fact that the characteristics
of recycled paper have changed over the past several
years and current performance problems are less likely
to be due to the recycled content. This might help broaden
the search for the causes of runnability problems beyond
the fiber content of the paper used.
"I
don't really think that there are problems using recycled
paper in printers/copiers. I have successfully been
doing that even in my home printer for about 10 years
now. The problems that I encounter seem to be with perception.
I feel like folks who service the equipment are really
quick to blame the problem on recycled paper." - Eleanor
Chapman, Los Alamos National Laboratory
"Well,
a fair number of folks that we do outreach with have
heard that there's dust problems, jamming etc. When
we mention who buys recycled from our Purchasing Cooperative
and provide samples, we usually overcome that barrier."
- Tyson Miller, Recycled Products Purchasing Cooperative
"We
have not experienced any problems that we attribute
to the recycled content. However, as recently as this
year, a [copier service] technician tried to tell us
that the recycled content paper was causing the copier
to jam. Our Business Services Manager promptly reminded
him where he was and told him that the copier should
work, as promised, with recycled content paper or we
would get another copier." - Andrew Hurst, California
Integrated Waste Management Board
"The perception is that recycled paper jams copiers
and printers. I've actually been told by more than one
repair man that I should not use recycled paper because
it will cause problems. Though I personally believe
the repairmen scapegoat the recycled content paper in
order to avoid admitting the problem is with their machines.
I suspect the problem was more with the machine than
with the paper; older models may have more trouble digesting
the recycled stuff." - Marcella Guerriero, The Lowcountry
Environmental Education Program (LEEP)
"We
have problems from time to time but we are not smart
enough to know if it is paper related or printer (hardware)
related." - (consumer products company)
"The
dust issue may have arisen with a paper called Unity
DP. This paper has been discontinued for a number of
years. This paper was NOT made from post consumer waste
office paper, but from newspapers. It was 100% post
consumer waste newsprint. It was an inferior product,
because the material it was made up of was not appropriate
for office use. It seems to have 'tainted' recycled
office paper's reputation.
I
have heard of instances of jamming, but these were usually
solved by adjusting the copier intake mechanism. Incidentally
the jamming is not limited to recycled papers, I have
talked to techs, and they have had to make adjustments
for virgin paper as well." - Government Purchasing
Project
"King County has elected to rent its nearly 600 copiers,
using a WA state contract. We have found that the main
variable involved in paper performance is humidity.
In 2000, we moved our own offices from the administration
building, which is 8 blocks away from Puget Sound, to
another building, which is only 1 block from the water.
It's unclear if the difference is due to proximity to
water or idiosyncrasies of the building's HVAC system,
but the humidity seems higher. Paper that ran fine in
machines that ran fine now clumps and jams. In the end,
it seems a matter of getting the techs to adjust the
equipment for whatever paper we are running, and getting
them to come re-adjust when there is a move. We have
not detected any greater number of troubles with recycled
papers." - Eric Nelson, Environmental Purchasing
Program King County Procurement Services, Seattle, WA
"In
the Buy Recycled Training program, we are still hearing
complaints about recycled paper running in copiers.
The complaints are certainly down from where they were
several years ago, but we still hear general comments
about jamming, etc. I can't give you specifics concerning
specific types of equipment, paper characteristics,
age, etc. We usually refer the people who make these
comments to the U.S. Conference of Mayors study of several
years ago and recommend blind tests (to avoid bias).
On a related front, we still hear about the 'copier
repair person problem.' In this case, I strongly recommend
sending a letter to the VP or above of the copier manufacturer
to ask about using recycled paper (knowing that the
copier manufacturer will not recommend against recycled
paper). We are not hearing similar concerns about printing."
- Richard Keller, Chief of Recycling, Maryland Environmental
Service
"Some
manufacturers and service companies blame machine faults
on recycled paper and insist that this is not covered
by their service warranty. Whilst genuine problems may
occur with some products, other factors linked with
human error, lack of user experience, training, and
the age of the equipment can have a substantial impact
upon the effectiveness of the equipment.
For example, older
equipment is less likely to be compatible with some,
but not all, recycled papers. Recycled paper is typically
drier and creates a higher level of dust than its virgin
counterparts. This may create a tendency to jam printing
and copying machines, particularly if double-sided copying
is being done. Regular cleaning avoids this problem....
Many companies successfully
use recycled paper in their machines without problems.
The key lies in getting the compatibility right between
the paper and the equipment, whether owned or leased.
Increasingly manufacturers of recycled paper and machines
are providing guarantees or endorsements….
Results of performance
tests often reveal no significant operational difficulties,
i.e. jamming or increased machine servicing, if the
conditions are right from the start. 'Blind' testing
can be a useful experiment to overcome resistance to
recycled papers, especially when an item's performance
equals or out-performs the existing product in use.
All reputable paper mills and suppliers offer trial
samples to genuine customers....
The
issue of invalidating service warranties by using recycled
paper can be problematic, as clauses concerning paper
use are often written into the service contract from
the outset. Some copier manufacturers specify sole use
of their own brands of recycled paper whilst others
recommend particular brands." - Waste Watch, National
Recycling Forum, United Kingdom
"The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Paper Task Force
published a comprehensive report on the usage of various
types of paper with 20% PCC. The Task Force determined
that paper jams are not caused by recycled paper but
most often are a function of four factors: 1) auto-duplexing,
2) the speed and condition of the equipment, 3) the
quality level of the paper, and 4) operator errors."
- original source: Environmental Defense Fund, 1995,
Paper Task Force Recommendations for Purchasing and
Using Environmentally Preferable Paper, White Paper
No. 1, quoted in "Availability, Performance, and
Cost of Recycled Paper," North Carolina Division of
Pollution Prevention and Environmental Assistance
"Our
impression is that the 'dust' devil came from some papers
from the 60's that really were bad that way, and even
some newer papers that were of poor quality or inappropriately
marketed. Before anybody ever heard of 'Buy Recycled,'
there was a huge range of quality in papers. After recycled
content became an objective, especially for governments,
the marketplace rushed to develop recycled content papers.
After the dust settled, as it were, there was still
a huge range of quality, with recycled and virgin papers
each covering the same, familiar, quality range. The
recycled content was not relevant to the quality, but
there was that big R on the box, and it became a handy
scapegoat (not to say NObody was selling junk. This
is a free country, after all)." - Eric Nelson, Environmental
Purchasing Program, King County Procurement Services,
Seattle, WA
"There
are urban myths associated with paper that is recycled
such as the fact that it gets stuck in office machines.
These urban myths have basically been totally overcome
through time but they are very difficult, as urban myths
are, to eliminate entirely." - provincial government
employee, from Following the Paper Trail study,
Aurora Institute/Reach for Unbleached (Vancouver, BC,
Canada), 2003
"25,
30 years ago if you talked to anybody about recycled
paper it was like voodoo - people didn't want it, it
was dusty, it jammed up their machines, the quality
wasn't there; there was every excuse in the book. It
took about 15 years for that to work its way through
the system, from a marketing perspective. At one point
you had the business machines people saying that they'd
void your warranty if you used recycled sheets in their
machines. And quite frankly, it took the mills 15 years
to up the quality of the sheets. Now, going back 5 or
6 years ago it became very chic for companies to use
recycled paper - the grainier the better - and the paper
was of a very high quality and worked well in the machines,
it looked nice and it became really ingrained in the
marketplace." - environmental products expert, from
Following the Paper Trail study, Aurora Institute/Reach
for Unbleached (Vancouver, BC, Canada), 2003
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