A shred of evidence.

The document destruction industry continues to be a critical source of recovered fiber, according to a panel convened at the fall meeting of the Paper Stock Industries (PSI) Chapter of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc.

PSI members met in Bonita Springs, Fla., in October.

At the session titled "Document Destruction: Mill Concern For Quality," speakers agreed on the document destruction industry's importance as a new source of fiber.

Paper mill buyers, such as Jon Ashley of International Paper and David Knight of SCA Tissue, cited quality and contamination concerns. The mill buyers observed that material from fixed site shredding plants was often of better quality than that from mobile shredding operations.

Robert Johnson, executive director of the National Association for Information Destruction, said the primary service provided by document destruction companies is security, with fiber quality being a secondary issue.

The meeting also featured a presentation by PapiNet, a global paper and forest products industry e-business initiative found on the Web at www.PapiNet.org.

Several European and North American paper producers and consumers are cooperating through the PapiNet site to "develop, maintain and promote the implementation of standard electronic transaction standards to facilitate the flow of information amongst the parties engaged in the buying, selling and distribution of forest, paper and wood products."

(Additional news about paper recycling markets, including breaking news and pricing, is available online at www.RecyclingToday.com.)

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