Waste Paper Brings Profits as Conservation Increases

An estimated 10,000 firms are recycling wastepaper in the United States today, but that’s only the tip of the the trash pile, according to Stan Litman.

These firms, he said, are able to handle only about 10% of the paper wasted in the country.

Litman’s four-year-old medium-sized Daltex firm, which employs 19 people, recycles 2,500 tons of waste per month. That is 5 million pounds of paper per month and Litman said he probably could double or triple that load if he had the facility.

“You won’t believe the amount of waste in this country but we don’t know any better,” said Litman.

In many cities of India it is a common sight to see poor people and hungry cattle racing each other for an occasional scrap of paper or a rag lying on the street. Housewives seldom trash anything because almost anything will find a market with the neighborhood junk dealer.

Litman, whose recycled paper bales are exported to paper mills in India and other Asian countries including Japan, says conservation efforts are slowly catching up in the United States, which explains why his business is thriving.

“Paper recycling is not new but it did not get into full swing until recently. A lot of good paper that can be recycled is not being recycled. Most of them still get dumped in the landfills. People just don’t want to bother bringing their waste paper to a person like me. But they could make money if they did.

“I will take anything, even one sheet,” Litman said.

Daltex pays one penny per pound of waste paper.

“Conservation is catching up. A retired person or a high school student can make about $30 to $40 a week by bringing the waste paper to me. That’s not bad money,” Litman said.

The recycled paper is sent to paper mills where it is turned into secondary fiber products ranging from paper towels, napkins, diapers and facial tissues to roofing material.

Valuable Computer Paper

Litman, who quit a lucrative sales job with a major chemical company to operate Daltex, will not say how much he invested in the business or how much he is making.

But he drives a Cadillac, plays golf during the week, has a nice home and employs his son, Joel, as his manager.

“Yes, I am quite comfortable,” he said.

He said computer paper and newspapers contribute the most to the paper waste in the country.

“In the computer industry, a lot of times the people won’t even read the printouts. They throw them away because of a minor mistake and error. That paper is very valuable if it is recycled.

“Other companies do not like their sensitive office and business documents to fall into wrong hands and they trash them but throwing them in the city dumps won’t help . . . . Our firm has the facility to quickly and confidentially destroy those documents.”

Litman said many of his suppliers are not interested in money but like to help in the conservation effort.

“Recycling helps save one of America’s most valuable resources, trees. These folks who bring me their paper are mostly retired. They do it because they want to save the trees. It also gives them a chance to do something instead of being locked in their homes.”