United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA530-R-99-C
August 1999
www.epa.gov/wastewise
-035
&EPA
WasteWise Fifth-Year
Progress Repori
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Fifth-Year
WlSE Progress Report
CONTENTS
Waste Reduction Results
-o
Waste Wise Membership and Program Accomplishments
1999 WasteWise Award Winners g)
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WASTE REDUCTION RESULTS
1999
marks the fifth year of WasteWise, EPA's
voluntary partnership program to reduce municipal solid
waste. Since the program's inception in 1994, WasteWise
membership has grown to more than 900 businesses,
government agencies, universities, hospitals, and other
organizations committed to cutting costs and conserving
natural resources through solid waste reduction.
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
OVERALL WASTE REDUCTION
INCREASES SIX-FOLD FROM 1994
During the first 5 years of the
WasteWise program, waste
reduction (waste prevention
and recycling collection) reported
by partners has increased six-fold.
Cumulatively, partners have reduced
more than 26 million tons of municipal
solid waste. In 1998, partners reduced
more than 7-8 million tons of waste
through waste prevention and recy-
cling activities, a slight increase over
1997 results. This outcome continues
the upward trend in waste reduction
since the program began in 1994.
INCREASED WASTE REDUCTION
LEADS TO CORRESPONDING
GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS
In addition to its other benefits,
waste reduction cuts emissions of
greenhouse gases into the atmos-
phere by reducing the amount of fossil
fuels burned, reducing the amount of
methane released from landfills, and
leaving more trees to absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. In 1998
alone, our partners' actions reduced
emissions by an estimated 7 million
metric tons of carbon equivalent
(MTCE), the standard unit of measure
for greenhouses gas emissions.
OVERALL "WASTE REDUCTION
(IN MILLION TONS)
7-
6-
5-
4-
3-
2-
1 -
GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS
(iN MILLION METRIC TONS
OF CARBON EQUIVALENT)
7-
6-
5-
4-
3-
8 8
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
Since 1994,
WasteWise
partners
have eliminated
more than
2.4 million
tons of material
through waste
prevention.
Since the program's inception,
WasteWise partners have prevented
the emission of an estimated 19
million MTCE—equivalent to taking
14 million cars off the road for 1 year.
General Motors Corp. made the
single largest contribution to the
WasteWise greenhouse gas reduction
total in 1998. Other large contribu-
tors in 1998 included the Anheuser-
Busch Companies, Louisiana-Pacific
Corp., and Crown Cork & Seal
Co., Inc.
EPA developed the Waste
Reduction Model (WARM) to help
organizations estimate greenhouse gas
reductions from their waste reduction
activities. See for more information.
WASTE PREVENTION FIRST
_Cven simple waste prevention actions can help improve an organization's
bottom line and help justify waste reduction programs to management.
• AIRPAX, for example, conserved more than 10 tons of paper and saved
I $5,500 in 1998 by removing the names of people who no longer
worked for the company from bulk mail mailing lists and by eliminat-
ing duplicate mailings.
Alcatel USA reused 10 tons of polystyrene shipping containers, saving
$550,000. By using CD-ROM—based rather than paper-based manuals,
the company saved paper and an additional $1.2 million.
Seattle University composted nearly 200 tons of food and yard waste,
Isold 4 tons of furniture and office supplies for reuse, and eliminated
more than 2.5 tons of paper cup waste by distributing reusable mugs to
students.
First National Bank & Trust Co. of the Treasure Coast eliminated
more than 3 tons of paper by expanding Internet-based transactions
and mailings and computer-based manuals, reports, and procedures.
The bank also donated more than 1.5 tons of computers and office
furniture in 1998.
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
TOP WASTE PREVENTION
MATERIALS
J. he most popular materials
targeted and sample activities
conducted for waste prevention
by partners in 1998 included:
Office supplies or equipment
Double-sided copying to
reduce office paper.
Donating computers to
schools.
Transport packaging
Reusing wood pallets.
Replacing corrugated
containers with reusable plastic
containers.
Manufacturing supplies,
equipment, or raw materials
Improving manufacturing
processes to reduce raw
material waste.
Cafeteria supplies
Switching to reusable cafeteria
trays and plates.
Composting food scraps.
Manufactured products
Lightweighting products.
Remanufacturing used
products.
WASTE PREVENTION DIPS,
BUT LONG-TERM TREND
CONTINUES UPWARD
Since 1994, WasteWise partners
have eliminated more than 2.4
million tons of material through
waste prevention—efforts taken to
abolish waste before recycling, such as
removing unnecessary packaging or
refurbishing products for reuse. In
1998, partners reported preventing
611,000 tons of materials from enter-
ing the waste stream. Although this
represents a 1-year decrease from
1997, the overall waste prevention
trend across the full 5 years is consis-
tently upward. (Substantial one-time
activities by a few partners caused a
spike in the 1997 waste prevention
results.)
Waste prevention activities result
in real cost savings for partners
including, in 1998, $20 million in
avoided disposal fees.1 Moreover,
WasteWise estimates that avoided
paper and corrugated purchasing costs
for all reporting partners could be as
high as an additional $20 million.2
"WASTE PREVENTION
(IN TONS)
1,000,000-
800,000 -
600,000 -
400,000 -
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
8,000,000-
7,000,000-
6,000,000-
3,000,000-
2,000,000-
1,000,000 -
RECYCLING COLLECTION
(IN TONS)
1
RECYCLING COLLECTION
ON THE RISE
Recycling collection by Waste-
Wise partners increased by
396,000 tons in 1998 fora
total of 7-2 million tons, continuing
the annual growth trend since 1994. In
fact, partners reported recycling more
than 7-5 times the amount of material
they were recycling when WasteWise
began—24 million tons over all 5
years. Collecting recyclables helped
partners save $244 million in avoided
disposal fees in 1998.3
Top Five Materials
Collected for Recycling
What materials do partners recycle
most often? In 1998, partners most
often recycled (by number
of partners):
• Mixed Paper
• Corrugated
• Aluminum
• High-Grade Paper
• Steel
Newly Added Materials
Several partners also reported recy-
cling the following less-commonly
recycled products for the first time
in 1998:
• Building Materials
• Carpets and Rugs
• Stretch Wrap
• Toner Cartridges
• Transparencies
• Yarn
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
PARTNERS CLOSE THE LOOP BY
BUYING AND MANUFACTURING
RECYCLED
~^T ~^T ~T~ T^steWise partners reported
\ jL I purchasing 458,000 tons
T T of products with recycled
content in 1998, worth $4.7 billion.
Partners conducted a variety of activi-
ties from purchasing new products
with recycled content to increasing
spending on products made from recy-
cled materials. Anheuser-Busch
Companies, for example, increased
purchases of recycled-content paper to
1,635 tons as part of its WasteWise
commitment. Manufacturers focused
on ways to use recycled materials in
their products or increase existing
levels of recycled materials. Marko
Foam Products, for example, increased
the postconsumer recycled content of
its polystyrene packing peanuts from
5 percent to 25 percent. The company
manufactured more than 6 tons of
this material in 1998.
BATTELLE DEVELOPS
WINNING BUY-RECYCLED
STRATEGY
.Oattelle Memorial Institute
continually seeks out products
with recycled content that meet
the organization's "CAP" require-
ments (reasonable Cost, Avail-
ability, and good Performance).
Whenever possible, Battelle
drives down the cost of recycled
products by soliciting competi-
tive bids for products they
purchase in large quantities, by
establishing preferred customer
agreements with key suppliers,
and by allowing staff to purchase
products from other suppliers to
maintain competition.
In addition to these ongoing
activities, each year Battelle tar-
gets a particular commodity for
improvement in recycled-content
purchasing. Battelle focused on
remanufactured toner cartridges
in 1997 and recycled construc-
tion products in 1998.
In total, the organization pur-
chased 96 tons of products with
recycled content in 1998, worth
$534,000.
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WASTEWISE MEMBERSHIP
AND PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
WasteWise
membership continues to
grow, including more and more businesses, governments,
and institutions each year. For each of these partners, the
WasteWise team at EPA provides access to many services
including technical assistance, publications, networking
opportunities, electronic resources, and recognition for
outstanding accomplishments.
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
WASTEWISE MEMBERSHIP
CONTINUES TO CLIMB
~^T "^T T" T"asteWise membership
increased by nearly 20
V V percent in 1998. A total
of 918 partners joined the program
through June 30, 1999- Membership
continues to increase in 1999 through
WasteWise marketing efforts and
through the work of 81 WasteWise
endorsers who have committed to
spread the WasteWise message and
recruit new partners.
MEMBERSHIP
800-
600-
400-
200-
3) O
PARTNERS LOCATED
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Businesses, institutions, and govern-
ments from all states, the District of
Columbia, and Puerto Rico participate
in the WasteWise program.
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
THE YEAR IN REVIEW:
WASTEWISE ACCOMPLISHMENTS
asteWise initiated new
projects in 1999 to
complement technical
assistance and recognition services.
WasteWise piloted a new program to
visit a limited number of partners at
their facilities to help them measure
results and identify
new waste reduc-
tion opportunities.
WasteWise also
kicked off a Trans-
port Packaging
Challenge and
developed the WasteWise Transport
Packaging Reduction Guide. Together
the Challenge and the Guide will help
partners tap into the significant savings
potential associated with packaging
reduction.
EPA also developed other tools to
help partners measure progress,
including the WARM model, a soft-
ware application designed to help
organizations estimate greenhouse gas
reductions from their waste reduction
WasteWise sponsored satellite forums
enabling partners from across the coun-
try to share waste reduction results. The
1998 satellite forum highlighted waste
prevention, while the 1999 forum
focused on buying recycled products.
WasteWise attended
conferences and trade
shows across the
country in 1998 and
1999 promoting the
WasteWise program
to businesses,
governments, and
institutions.
actvtes.
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
WasteWise informed partners
about waste reduction issues
through our publications,
including the bimonthly
WasteWise Bulletin, semi-
annual WasteWise Update,
WasteWise Toolkit, and other
publications.
More than 100 people from
60 organizations attended the
WasteWise Awards and
Recognition Ceremony and
National Forum held on
September 9 through 10, 1998,
in Washington, DC. EPA recog-
nized 8 Partners of the Year
and 20 Program Champions
for their outstanding waste
reduction achievements
and welcomed new partners.
WasteWise continued sponsoring Regional Forums
and Partner Network Meetings across the country.
Meeting locations included Columbus, Boston, San
Francisco, and New York.
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1999 WASTEWISE AWARD WINNERS
Following
a competitive award process,
WasteWise named 13 Partners of the Year in 10 award
categories. WasteWise 1999 Partners of the Year are those
partners who were judged to have accomplished and reported
the most impressive waste reduction results for 1998. In
addition, WasteWise recognized 20 Program Champions
who made noteworthy accomplishments in waste prevention,
recycling collection, and buying or manufacturing recycled-
content products in 1998.
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
13
1999 PARTNERS OF THE YEAR
VERY LARGE CORPORATION
(20,000+ EMPLOYEES)
Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak
Eastman Kodak, headquartered in Rochester, New York, sold 4,200 tons of coated
paper liners for reuse as label backings, saving $250,000. Kodak also conserved
1,550 tons of plastic and printed circuit boards by increasing the return of its FUNSAVER
cameras, allowing more parts to be reused for the manufacture of new cameras.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Manufactured Recycled-Content Products
Total Cost Savings
23,000 tons
47,900 tons
10,650 tons
20,500 tons
$3,000,000
LARGE CORPORATION
(1,000 TO 19,999 EMPLOYEES)
Herman Miller, Inc.
U herman miller
Herman Miller, a Zeeland, Michigan, furniture manufacturer, reduced the volume of
packaging materials for finished goods by switching to returnable packaging and
changing packaging design. This activity resulted in the reduction of 270 tons of corru-
gated containers and boxes and nearly 8 tons of polystyrene packaging filler, saving
$422,000. Herman Miller also eliminated 40 tons of panel textiles and 27.5 tons of tex-
tiles for chairs through a lifecycle analysis process and saved $407,300.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 725 tons
Recycling Collection 10,273 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 37,423 tons
Total Cost Savings $91,059,300
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
MIDSIZE CORPORATION
(500 TO 999 EMPLOYEES)
Southern Mills, Inc.
Southern Mills, a textile company of 575 employees in Senoia, Georgia, manufactures
thermal protective fabrics with end-use applications such as outer shells of firemen's
turnout coats and garments used in the petroleum, electrical, and gas utilities industries
among other products. Southern Mills saved 8.5 tons of corrugated material by switch-
ing to reusable plastic cones and tubes and by initiating a plastic tube return program
with customers. The company also reduced 1,100 pounds of coated paper drums by
switching to a tote and delivery system for dyes and chemicals.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 10 tons
Recycling Collection 450 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 7.5 tons
Total Cost Savings $9,500
Schlegel Systems, Inc.
Schlegel Systems, a Rochester, New York, manufacturer of foam weather stripping, EMI
shielding devices, and plastic trim for automobiles, worked with suppliers to reuse
incoming pallets for outgoing shipments, conserving more than 12.5 tons of wood
pallets and $6,500. The company also conserved more than 20 tons of fiber board,
steel, plastic, and boxboard by switching from single-use cores and spools to reusable
materials, saving more than $13,000.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 36 tons
Recycling Collection 570.5 tons
Total Cost Savings $22,850
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
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SMALL BUSINESS
(1 TO 499 EMPLOYEES)
Guardian Industries—Ligonier Plant
GUARDIAN
A Company of Vision
The Seydel Companies
Guardian Industries' Ligonier Plant in Ligonier, Indiana, a manufacturer of vehicle glass
and exterior trim systems for the automotive industry, eliminated more than 2 tons of
textiles from the waste stream by laundering intact used gloves for reuse and instituting
a glove return program. These activities resulted in a cost saving of $39,600. The com-
pany also switched from paper towels to reusable wiping clothes, saving 1.5 tons of
paper towels and $7,200 in purchasing costs. Guardian also prevented the incineration
of 100 tons of scrap wood by reusing it as animal bedding.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 107 tons
Recycling Collection 125 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 2 tons
Total Cost Savings $87,900
The Seydel Companies in Pendergrass, Georgia, manufacture chemicals used in tex-
tile processing including fabric preparation, dying, printing, and finishing, and garment
laundering and finishing. The organization and its 100 employees reduced 500 pounds
of copier paper and saved $500 by encouraging double-sided copying, setting up
phone lists and edits on e-mail, and using overheads in meetings instead of distribut-
ing handouts. The Seydel Companies also conserved 500 pounds of catalogs by con-
tacting vendors who mail multiple catalogs and circulating magazines and articles
instead of making personal copies.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 4 tons
Recycling Collection 191 tons
Manufactured Recycled-Content Products 120 tons
Total Cost Savings $4,150
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
U.S. Postal Service—Northeast Area
UNITED STATES
POSTAL SERVICE
The U.S. Postal Service Northeast Area's 74,135 employees in 3,114 post offices
throughout the New England states and upstate New York continued to demonstrate
their strong commitment to reducing the generation of undeliverable standard mail
throughout 1998. The Postal Service reduced 1,087 tons of bulk mail and saved
$76,000 by promoting the national change of address program to major mailers. It also
reduced the generation of solid waste at 25 vehicle maintenance and 29 processing
and distribution facilities by 50 percent over fiscal year 1992 generation rates.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented
Recycling Collection
Recycled-Content Purchases
Total Cost Savings
1,087 tons
44,175 tons
415 tons
$2,378,700
STATE GOVERNMENT
State of Ohio
The State of Ohio, with 56,000 employees participating statewide, reduced paper
usage by 10 tons and saved $47,700 through numerous paper prevention activities
such as database development and form consolidation. Other accomplishments,
spearheaded by recycling coordinators in Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, and Toledo,
included refurbishing 18 tons of toner cartridges and 94.5 tons of computers.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 123 tons
Recycling Collection 1,487 tons
Total Cost Savings $47,900
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
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Tennessee Department of Correction
TRIBAL GOVERNMENT
Blue Lake Rancheria
The Tennessee Department of Correction employs 5,776 people and supervises more
than 16,000 inmates throughout its 13 prisons. Many of the inmates participate in the
department's waste prevention activities. The inmates helped eliminate 13 tons of com-
puter waste by refurbishing and repairing 475 PC units at three computer repair cen-
ters located in the prisons. The department also conserved nearly 28 tons of textiles
by repairing inmate clothing, saving more than $100,000 in avoided new clothing
purchases. Activities also included composting 837 tons of organic materials and
using the compost on the grounds of the department's buildings.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 878 tons
Recycling Collection 985 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 125 tons
Total Cost Savings
$500,100
The Blue Lake Rancheria, Blue Lake, California, made impressive inroads to develop-
ing a solid waste reduction program in its first year of participation in the WasteWise
program. The tribal office, which had no solid waste reduction program prior to joining
WasteWise, conserved 25 pounds of copier paper by double siding all new documents,
and 44 pounds of printer paper by using the back side of single-sided copies for draft
printouts and in the fax machine. The tribal office also reduced 60 pounds of second-
ary packaging by switching from nonrecyclable PVC/vinyl plastic bags to recyclable
PET containers.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 129 Ib
Recycling Collection 2,500 Ib
Recycled-Content Purchases 396 Ib
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Washoe County Government
The Washoe County Government in Reno, Nevada, believes that government must
lead by example and is doing just that by making itself an environmental role model. Its
2,500 employees reused thousands of large mailing envelopes for internal mail, saving
approximately $50,000. The county agency also conserved 900 cases of tires by
returning worn tires to be retreaded for nonsteering wheels of trucks and saved
approximately $250,000.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Recycling Collection 45 tons
Total Cost Savings $625,000
UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE
Eastern Illinois University
ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Eastern Illinois University, located in Charleston, Illinois, is committed to saving natural
resources through the volunteer efforts of the university's 2,000 faculty and staff and
10,790 campus residents. The university also hires young adults with learning disabili-
ties to help with its environmental program. The university composted 94.5 tons of yard
trimmings onsite and used it to mulch flower beds and around trees, reduced the
amount of computer paper used on campus by 10 percent, and reused 13 tons of
office supplies through an internal exchange among employees.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 163 tons
Recycling Collection 385 tons
Recycled-Content Purchases 8.5 tons
Total Cost Savings $33,300
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WASTE WISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
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SCHOOL/SCHOOL DISTRICT
Alden Central School
Alden Central School, which educates children from K through 12 and is located in
Alden, New York, implemented a comprehensive waste reduction program at all cam-
pus buildings: high school, middle, intermediate, and primary education buildings, and
the grounds department. Students and 250 staff members eliminated 400 pounds of
polystyrene cafeteria trays and dishes by switching to reusable products and compost-
ed 850 pounds of cafeteria waste and 100 pounds of yard trimmings for use as mulch
on building grounds.
1998 WasteWise Accomplishments
Waste Prevented 2,450 Ib
Recycling Collection 2,900 Ib
Recycled-Content Purchases 2,250 Ib
1999 PROGRAM CHAMPIONS
/ery Large Corporation
Bell Atlantic
Target Stores
Walt Disney Wo rid Co.
Large Corporation
Allergan, Inc.
Amgen, Inc
Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.
Battelle Memorial Institute
Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc.
Dow Corning Corp.
Florida Power & Light
Millipore Corp.
Pitney Bowes, Inc.
Russell Corp.
Public Service Electric & Gas
Company
UTC Carrier Corp.
Virco Manufacturing
Midsize Corporation
AIRPAX
Grolier, Inc.
Small Business
First National Bank & Trust Co.
of the Treasure Coast
University/College
Seattle University
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WASTEWISE FIFTH-YEAR PROGRESS REPORT
NOTES
1. Disposal fees based on an average 1998 tipping fee of $33.60. Source: Biocycle. April 1999.
2. Avoided purchasing costs are based on the 1998 average costs of $777.50 per ton of high-
grade office paper and $322.92 per ton of medium-weight corrugated. Source: Pulp and
Paper Week 1998 price histories.
3. Disposal fees based on an average 1998 tipping fee of $33.60. Source: Biocycle. April 1999.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
• WasteWise Helpline: 800 ERA-WISE (372-9473)
• WasteWise E-mail: ww@cais.net
• WasteWise Web Site: www.epa.gov/wastewise
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United States
Environmental Protection Agency
(5306W)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
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