Lifecycle Project
TIMELINE:
Raise & Extract
The lifecycle of paper begins with the trees. You can obtain the wood needed to make paper from trees or find scraps of old wood. The wood fiber is the most important material used in the making of paper. Paper can also be made from different natural resources such as cotton, flax, bamboo, linen, etc .You can obtain this important fiber by cutting down trees and it is mostly found in the innermost layer of the trunk.
Process
The fiber from the wood is processed into chips before you can start the manufacturing. Paper making is a very long and technical process in which lots of other materials are used to get the final product. The wood is made up of small fibers called "cellulose". A natural glue is then used to stick the fibers together and after that the glue is removed from the cellulose. Once you organize and separate the fibers you can start the making of paper.
Manufacture
To make paper, the process starts when the wood is turned into a pulp to be used in the paper. Since the pulp is so watery the cellulose fibers are separated. The pulp is then made into a layered mat which gets dried so all the excess water can be removed. This mat of pulp is then pushed through heated rollers to make sure there is no more water. Lastly the paper is cut to size and then packaged to be shipped to other companies so they can get their use out of the paper.
Use
Paper is used in many different ways, shapes, and forms and serves lots of purposes in life. Many things we do in life have been made easier because of paper. Think about how much use schools get out of paper. Lots of different papers serve different purposes. Paper is used a lot for brown paper bags. Some stores have paper bags instead of plastic. Paper can really be used by anyone who needs it so there isn't a specific target market for the product. Paper is used by all.
Dispose
Paper is the largest component of trash in a landfill. Most of this paper can be recycled to be used in many other efficient ways. Paper is recyclable so instead of putting it in the trash can, recycle it so you have more paper next time you go to use paper. Many crafts can be made with recycled paper. Mostly anything can be made from the recycled paper.
As you can see there are many ways that paper can be reused/recycled. Most of the ways are crafts used from old newspapers ( shown above) that you can make if its not just recycled to be used as paper again. I also thought the idea of plant holders made out of newspaper ( shown below) was very creative.
SOURCES:
www.paperonline.org
www.thepaperlifecycle.org
www.madehow.com
www.tappi.org
www.wonderopolos.org
www.paperonline.org
www.thepaperlifecycle.org
www.madehow.com
www.tappi.org
www.wonderopolos.org
CONCLUSION QUESTIONS:
1) The lifecycle of a product is like the start and the end. It starts out as just materials but is then transformed into a product made of many materials. After the product is used up it is then thrown into a land fill or recycled. This rather much relates maybe to the life of the product.
2) It is important for the companies to research and make sure the product has a purpose and has a potential lifecycle because you don't want to make it just for a waste. You should make sure your product has a purpose to be make and that it can be recycled after its use so it just doesn't get thrown away and never used again.
3) Something I would change about the product I chose ( paper) would be a way not to harm as many trees. We need the trees to give us healthy air to breathe because without them we would all die. The more trees cut down, the less air we have. I know there probably isn't a possible way to fix this but I wish it was.
4) The product paper might have a chance that it will evolve and become obsolete over time because now there is lots more technology to be used so we might not even need to use it in the future. In schools now-a-days we do more and more stuff on the computer so why do we need paper? But there is also many different types of paper out there that we cant live without including toilet paper.
5) A trade-off can be known as a compromise between two people or things. Knowing that making paper is killing the environment, eliminating trees and the making of paper is a trade-off because it isn't necessarily killing the environment just harming it a little, but paper is made and can be used by lots of people.
6) Yes I think there were trade-offs being made during the design phase of paper because they probably had to compromise on lots of different options like going from the first way of making paper from the ancient Egyptians ( papyrus) and the newest way of making paper using trees.
7) I think recycling is very important to our environment because if we make wrongs moves we could be killing it. Keeping the earth clean is very important if we want to keep living here. If the airs become too polluted because of not recycling, our planet could be in trouble. Any way to recycle helps keep our planet clean. It could be something just as little as reusing the back of a piece of paper. If more people become aware of recycling we could save our planet.
8) The product designers have a role in recycling because if they think of the product they need to make sure the product can be reused or recycled. When its the time for them to decide what materials use when making the product, they better think wisely. It doesn't help the environment when we have trash just sitting in a landfill that cant biodegrade for many years.
9) Society has a big role in recycling. Its the societies actions that decide whether or not how safe our planet is. Someone cant make you recycle, the people chose for themselves if they want to recycle. I know for a fact many people don't like the work and the money used for recycling. Since I live in Ocean City I know that less people have been recycling since they stopped recycling in OC. It requires lots of more work for people so they don't feel like they need to do it. With peoples actions, we can make a difference in the environment we live in and not kill the earth.
10) I could help save the environment by spreading the word about recycling and getting everyone to make an impact. It could be as little as using a reusable bag when going to the grocery store instead of using lots of plastic of paper bags. Even using a reusable water bottle everyday in place of a plastic water bottle helps. In school it is really helpful that there are recycle bins for all the paper used and at lunch there is a bin for plastic water bottle to be recycled. If I could start using more containers in my lunch instead of plastic baggies that could save a lot too. Everyday I bring my plastic water bottle to school so that helps even if its just a little bit. Every little thing helps.