WASHINGTON, April 22 (UPI) -- An American Chemical Society report says a growing shortage of high-quality paper for recycling is threatening the supply of soft toilet paper.
The article by Melody Voith, senior editor of the ACS journal Chemical & Engineering News, explains the decline of newspapers and magazines and the growth of electronic communications have combined to reduce the availability of good white office paper, newsprint and other traditional recyclable paper that has been used to make soft bathroom tissue.
Voith explains recycled office paper itself is containing increasing amounts of recycled paper and that, in turn, decreases its usefulness for making high-quality personal paper that is soft enough to satisfy many consumers.
She says chemists are responding to the paper crunch by searching for new coatings, resins and other additives to improve the softness, strength and performance of today's recycled paper.
The story is available in the journal and online at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/88/8816cover.html.
