The diagram illustrates the process by which paper is produced from timber and subsequently recycled after use.
Overall, the system consists of two interconnected processes. Fresh paper is manufactured from wood through a sequence of six stages before being used to print newspapers, while the recycling process is considerably shorter, with used newspapers being converted back into pulp before rejoining the original production line. From the pulp-pressing stage onwards, both types of pulp undergo the same remaining procedures.
Paper production begins with the felling of trees, whose bark is first removed in a rotating drum. The debarked logs are then chipped into small pieces before being refined into pulp. This pulp is subsequently compressed in a pulp press and rolled into large reels of paper, which are finally used for newspaper printing.
After newspapers have been used, they are collected for recycling. They first undergo de-inking, after which the cleaned paper is repulped. Unlike virgin paper, recycled paper bypasses the initial stages involving timber preparation, including felling, debarking and chipping. Instead, the recycled pulp is transferred directly to the pulp press before following the same final stages as newly produced pulp, namely being pressed, rolled into paper, and used once again for newspaper printing.