WASTE PAPER

Evening Star, Issue 23832, 12 March 1941, Page 11

WASTE PAPER

MANY TONS RECEIVED DEPOT WORKING AT PRESSURE Since the receiving depot for waste paper was opened in Crawford street five weeks ago, something like 100 tons of scrap paper and cardboard have been taken in. In the first fortnight only small quantities were received, but since then waste at tho rate of three or four tons a day has been delivered, mainly from manufacturing houses. A visit paid to the depot this morning showed that the greater part of the scrap consisted of ends and cuts of 'printing paper and light cardboard such as is used in the manufacture of cartons. All of this reduces to first-class pulp, and is readily accepted by Australian mills. Tons of this material take up considerable room, and the men engaged in pressing it into bales have little room in which to work, but they already have more than 80 bales packed, these averaging six to the ton. The material received is inspected, •and all unsuitable waste, cellophane, and dirty odds and ends are thrown out. Where quantities of clean white paper are found these are put aside and baled for despatch to the paper mills at Mataura, hut this is practically the only type of waste that these mills will accept. A little more money is paid for clean white, but the quantity received is rather too small to make sorting worth while. Apart from the mountains of waste in the depot, which is situated in the premises formerly occupied by tho Neil Manufacturing Company, there are heaps of discarded legers, journals, and invoice files from offices, and also heaps comprising novels, magazines, periodicals, etc. These are not baled, because of. their weight, but are put into bags and sent away in that form of package. While most of the scrap received has been derived from business places, private persons have brought in small lots, principally newspapers, books, and so on, and these are as acceptable as anything else. The Salvation Army is responsible for the packing, Major Taylor supervising. The proceeds, which amount to £3 Is Gd a, ton, from the Australian mills, are almost equally divided between the Otago Provincial Patriotic Council and the Army, the Army’s' share going towards the upkeep of the building and tho paying of the men employed. The great quantity of waste which is now to be put to important use causes one to wonder how much has been destroyed in the past. Very little of that reaching the depot could be used for any purpose, consequently thousands of tons of palpable scrap must have been consumed by fire. If the war has done nothing else, it has forced an economy which should not be dropped when peace reigns again.