One of the largest reprocessors of paper and cardboard in the UK, Smurfit Kappa Recycling, is celebrating 10 years of successfully turning old editions of the Yellow Pages directories into new packaging materials at its paper mills in Birmingham and Kent. Thanks to the processes and technologies used at the mills, Smurfit Kappa Recycling was one of the first UK organisations to accept Yellow Pages for recycling, and as public recycling facilities for old directories improve, it is now receiving greater volumes than ever before.
Members of the public can recycle their outdated Yellow Pages directories alongside their newspapers, magazines, cardboard packaging, junk mail and envelopes at hundreds of Smurfit Kappa Recycling bring banks located throughout the UK. Additionally currently 96 per cent of UK local authorities now collect old Yellow Pages directories as part of their kerbside paper and card recycling services. These loads of "mixed paper" can be delivered by councils or their contractors direct to the Smurfit Kappa mills or via one of Smurfit Kappa Recycling's eight depots, located across the country.
Many local authorities also collect old Yellow Pages directories via schools as part of the Yellow Woods Challenge run by Yell, publisher of the Yellow Pages, working with the Woodland Trust. One successful example involved schools across Warwick District Council competing to collect the highest number of old Yellow Pages directories and create a piece of artwork. As a result of this single initiative, almost 11,000 directories (16 tonnes) were collected by Smurfit Kappa Recycling and ended up at the Smurfit Kappa mill in Birmingham where they were reprocessed and used to make cardboard boxes.
"We've been turning the Yellow Pages green for a decade. Our paper mills are set up to deal with all kinds of paper and card so directories are no problem to us. This means that councils can offer a very easy solution to their residents, which helps to drive up recycling rates," said Simon Weston, managing director of Smurfit Kappa Recycling.
"As a business committed to sustainability, it is important that residents can recycle their old Yellow Pages directories easily – either through Smurfit Kappa Recycling bring banks or local authority collection schemes. For many years, the directories have been recycled into new products such as insulation materials, animal bedding, cardboard packaging and newsprint, proving that the Yellow Pages directory really is green, "said Adam Billiald, environment manager for Yell UK.
Mike Challans, Business Development & Marketing Manager, Smurfit Kappa Recycling
Tel: 01827 892100 or 07771 834622
E-mail: mike.challans@smurfitkappa.co.uk
Demelza Fryer-Saxby, Yell Press Office
Tel: 0118 9506977
Mobile: 0783 4893174
Email: demelza.fryer-saxby@yellgroup.com
About Smurfit Kappa Recycling
Smurfit Kappa Recycling is part of the Smurfit Kappa Group, the world's largest fibre-based packaging group. Bringing together the resources and experience of two well known and respected recycling and packaging companies, Jefferson Smurfit and Kappa Packaging, the company unites increased coverage and improved technologies to provide high quality paper collection and recycling services. In the UK, Smurfit Kappa Recycling provides sustainable solutions for businesses and organisations of all sizes, including recovery of cardboard, office papers and plastics, security shredding and waste disposal. www.smurfitkappa-recycling.com
About Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages directories are published by Yell, a leading international directories business operating in classified advertising markets in the UK, US, Spain and Latin America through printed, online and telephone-based media. Yell's principal brands include: in the UK, Yellow Pages, Yell.com and 118 24 7; in the US, Yellow Book and Yellowbook.com; and in Spain, Paginas Amarillas and PaginasAmarillas.es. All these brands are trademarks.
http://www.yellgroup.com
Further information on where to recycle old Yellow Pages directories can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/recycling
Yell's online image library, containing product shots and logos can be found at: www.yellgroup.com/images