Waste paper

As part of National Recycling Week, Working Lunch visited paper manufacturer Smith Anderson in Leslie, Fife.

The company is the largest paper recycler in Europe.

It's recycled paper is used to make products like notepaper, envelopes and paper bags.

The firm's operations have the approval of the charity Friends of the Earth.

Picturesque

There's been a mill tucked away in the narrow steep-sided valley at Leslie in Fife since the 1700s.

Parts of the original old stone building still exist and the process of producing the paper has changed little.

But the 18th-century miller might be shocked by some of the sights of the modern operation.

The sprawling complex of Smith Anderson stretches along the valley, and the area is dotted with the company's warehouses.

Outside are thousands of bales of waste-paper, small scraps of letters and envelopes, discarded cardboard, all bundled together.

But instead of being thrown away, they are themselves about to become the raw material for paper making.

Because despite its long history, this is a company that is very modern in its approach to recycling.

Integrated

Smith Anderson is the biggest integrated paper recycling operation in Europe.

The word 'integrated' is the key here.

It means the firm collects waste paper, takes it back to the mill, recycles it back into usable paper and then uses it to make paper goods like notepaper, envelopes and paper bags.

A fleet of wagons visit council offices and businesses to pick up the waste.

Clients include local councils and government offices as well as banks and other major firms as far away as Edinburgh and England.

The company collects around 140,000 tons of waste paper every year.

Around 60% of that is recycled at the Leslie plant, the rest is graded, sorted into bales and then sold on the open market to other mills which will do the recycling.

As a result, 98% of the company's output is made from recycled paper.

Charitable approval

The operation has the approval of the charity Friends of the Earth.

"Recycling waste paper only uses about a third of the energy that's used to make paper from scratch," says Duncan McLaren from the charity's Edinburgh office.

"In addition, it's very labour intensive and creates far more jobs than it would if we put the paper into a landfill site.

"So it's good for the environment and it's good for the Scottish economy too," says Duncan.

Expansion

Smith Anderson is looking to extend its operation still further.

"We've got a lot of major banks as clients and what we are now doing is taking the stationary they are throwing out, recycling it and then printing it back into letters and notepaper with their letterheads and logos," says Stephen Hutt , the company's commercial director.

"That means we are taking their waste and sending it back to them brand new, in other words we are closing the recycling circle."

"We have to overcome a reluctance from some people who think if it's recycled it won't be as good as if it's brand new.

"But people are becoming more and more aware of the benefits of recycling and we think the future is looking very promising," says Stephen.

Future

Meanwhile, Friends of the Earth want the Scottish Executive to encourage more organizations to recycle.

"The executive could do much more," says Duncan McLaren.