November 30, 2011
CONTACT: Jessica McFaul
(202) 463-2587
jessica_mcfaul@afandpa.org

2012 American Forest & Paper Association Recycling Awards Call for Entries
Competition selects "best of" in business, community and school paper recycling programs.

WASHINGTON - If your business, community or school has an outstanding paper recycling program, the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) wants to hear from you.

AF&PA is now accepting entries for their 2012 AF&PA Recycling Awards, which recognize businesses, communities, and schools across the country for new and innovative programs that aim to increase the amount of paper recovered for recycling.

Winners each receive a $2,000 cash prize, a piece of original paper art, and are promoted in local and national media outlets. Award descriptions, criteria, and entry forms are available at www.paperrecycles.org. The deadline for entries is Feb. 10, 2012.

Three awards are given per year, one each for business, community and school (K-12) paper recycling programs. 2011 winners included MGM Resorts International, Las Vegas, Nev., Onondaga County, N.Y. Resource Recovery Agency, and Purdy High School in Purdy, Mo. Among the previous winners are Hewlett Packard and Continental Airlines; the cities of Seattle, Wash. and Virginia Beach, Va.; and the school districts of Parkway in Chesterfield, Mo. and Wake County, N.C.

In 2010, 63.5 percent of the paper used in the U.S. was recovered for recycling - roughly 334 pounds for each man, woman and child in the country. AF&PA and its members have committed to increasing this recovery rate to more than 70 percent by 2020. The awards program helps support that goal by recognizing and rewarding outstanding paper recycling programs and facilitating the sharing of best practices nationwide.

For more information about paper recycling - including statistics, educational materials, interactive features, and guides for starting or improving a paper recycling program in your area - visit www.paperrecycles.org.

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The American Forest & Paper Association is the national trade association of the forest products industry, representing pulp, paper, packaging and wood products manufacturers, and forest landowners.  Our companies make products essential for everyday life from renewable and recyclable resources that sustain the environment.  The forest products industry accounts for approximately 5 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing GDP.  Industry companies produce about $175 billion in products annually and employ nearly 900,000 men and women, exceeding employment levels in the automotive, chemicals and plastics industries.  The industry meets a payroll of approximately $50 billion annually and is among the top 10 manufacturing sector employers in 47 states.  Visit AF&PA online at www.afandpa.org.