Turning yesterday’s news into tomorrow’s headlines…how does Aylesford Newsprint do it?
The good news is that a simple action, like recycling your used newspapers, really does make a difference. But how does it all work?
We first stop in the reclaimed fibre store – this is where all the used newspapers and magazines arrive from around Southern England. The paper is collected either from your house or from recycling banks that you find outside supermarkets, public car parks and other similar locations.
The store has a capacity of 10,000 tonnes and needs 8,000 tonnes of used newspapers and magazines every single week – that means we recycle more than 1,000 tonnes a day.
When the paper reaches the pulpers it is mixed with water at a temperature of 50°C and sodium silicate. Each pulper is a little like a giant washing machine and this is the first stage of 14 stages of cleaning.
The stock then goes into two presses where water is removed and hydrogen peroxide is added to whiten the fibres. The stock is then placed in a bleaching tower and passes through cleaners and washers.
Dirty water is sent to the water treatment plant for cleaning. Sludge made up of fibres which are too small to make paper, removed ink and unwanted solids goes to a combustor which generates part of the energy needed to run the mill.
Newsprint is manufactured on a paper machine that is over 120 metres long. Each machine roll is 9.4 metres wide and weighs between 30 and 40 tonnes.
Samples of the paper are taken for laboratory testing. Reels are cut to the dimensions required by the customer, wrapped and transferred to the warehouse, where automated cranes store them ready for loading.