The diagram shows how paper is made from pine trees and how used paper is recycled.
Overall, the whole process has 11 main stages. Paper production begins with pine trees, which are cut and processed by several machines to create paper. After that, the recycling cycle has 7 stages, starting from collecting used paper and finishing with turning it back into pulp before it returns to the paper-making machine.
In the first four steps, the raw material is prepared. First, pine trees are thinned and taken to a drum that removes their bark. Next, the wood is sent to machines that chip it and refine it using heat. Then, the mixture goes into a paper-making machine with water, and fresh paper is produced.
In the recycling process, the paper made earlier – such as newspapers – is collected and sent for de-inking, cleaning, and fine screening. After these steps, it becomes a mixture of thermomechanical and recycled pulp. Finally, this pulp goes back into the paper-making machine, completing the cycle.