Weyerhaeuser Promotes National Recycling Show in Seattle
Jan.14, 2002

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2002--"The movement to zero waste, how do you `build' a green building, and the realities of bio-based products, is this really a greener alternative? How much recycling is enough? Can there be too much?"

These are a few of the topics to be discussed in Seattle in the coming week.

The largest recycling trade show in the United States -- the National Recycling Coalition's Annual Congress and Exposition -- begins Monday, Jan. 14 at the Washington State Convention Center. Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY) will be a major participant in exploring new ways to increase recycling in the United States. In addition, editors and reporters can check Weyerhaeuser's website (http://www.weyerhaeuser.com/recycle.asp) for updates and news from the convention floor.

"Recycling in the Pacific Northwest has been strong, compared to other parts of the country," said Mark Starnes, vice president and general manager of Weyerhaeuser Recycling. "This country recycles roughly 46 percent of all paper products consumed. This is good, but we need to do better," he said. Starnes points to recycling rates of 60 percent to 70 percent in some parts of Europe. "There is huge demand in the market for recycled materials."

Consumer Research:
A national intercept survey of 200 mall shoppers, conducted by Leflein Associates, Inc. in March, 2000, found that:
-- 75 percent of consumers want products that are packaged in recycled materials.
-- 77 percent of consumers feel better about a company that uses recycled materials for its product packaging.
-- 80 percent feel that they are doing something good for the environment when they buy products packaged in recycled materials.

Benefits of Recycling

One need only look at environmental issues to be concerned that any type of conservation and recycling is important to the health and welfare of people around the world:

-- The 417 million tons of paper, glass, metals and plastic recycled in 2000 saved about 4.8 trillion BTUs(a) of energy, enough to power nearly 25,000 homes for one year.
-- At the same time, recycling reduced overall emissions of sulfur dioxide, a pollutant that causes acid rain, by about 26,000 tons, an amount equal to 12 percent of all such emissions from electric utilities.
-- Recycling efforts reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 3.5 million tons of carbon equivalent, equal to 20 percent of industrial greenhouse gas emissions.
(a) British Thermal Units: A unit of heat equal to about 252 calories; quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.

Economic Benefits of Recycling

Industry research shows that recycling and reuse add value to the U.S. economy:

-- 56,000 companies that employ more than 1.1 million people.
-- Annual payroll of $37 billion.
-- Annual revenues of $236 billion.

As a driver of economic activity, the recycling industry is as large as automobile manufacturing. Recycling far outpaces the waste management industry because recycling adds value to materials, contributing to a growing labor force.

Data on Recycled Paper and Paperboard

-- Americans consume 103 million tons of paper per year.
-- Nearly half of garbage is paper
-- 45% of paper waste is recycled.
-- In 2000, paper tossed into landfills totaled nearly 40 million tons.

About Weyerhauser's Recycling Program

Weyerhaeuser is one of the largest recyclers in North America. In 2000, it recycled more than 4.4 million tons of paper -- enough to fill almost 90,000 rail cars. Every year since 1974, when Weyerhaeuser entered the business, the company has increased the amount of paper recovered.

Typical recyclables include old corrugated containers, office wastepaper, old newspapers and printing papers. About half of the recycled material Weyerhaeuser collects is used in company-owned mills to make new paper. The rest is sold to customers around the world.

Recycled fiber comprises 36 percent of the content of new Weyerhaeuser paper, as averaged across all grades of paper produced by the company. The recycled content of Weyerhaeuser containerboard packaging is even higher -- 57 percent.

Paper at Weyerhaeuser's recycling centers is sorted into 50 grades and shipped as raw material to mills where it is used to make a variety of paper products, including tissue, paper towels, newspapers, containerboard packaging, molded containers, insulation, and paper for printing, writing and photocopying.

Facts

-- 1993 was the first year in which Americans recovered more paper for recycling than they sent to landfills.
-- In 2000, 75 percent of the corrugated boxes manufactured in the United States were recovered for recycling.
-- Weyerhaeuser's We-cycle Office Wastepaper (WOW) program serves three million participants nationwide and is continually expanding.
-- Weyerhaeuser collected, de-inked and recycled more than 200 million average-sized daily newspapers in 2000.
-- Weyerhaeuser Co. and MSS, Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., have developed a state-of-the-art-automated system called PaperSort that optically separates mixed loads of recovered paper into distinct product streams.
-- The Weyerhaeuser Company Foundation sponsors annual awards for Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon, North Carolina and Washington schools with the best recycling programs. The company also offers recycling education and resources to teachers and school administrators.

If you have writers/reporters attending the NRC meeting, Weyerhaeuser's vice president and general manager of recycling, Mark Starnes will be available to discuss recycling issues. Please contact Brian McDermott or Frank Mendizabal to make arrangements. Frank Mendizabal, frank.mendizabal@weyerhaeuser.com, 253/924-3357 or Brian McDermott, brian.mcdermott@weyerhaueser.com, 253/924-4337

About Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest integrated forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2000, sales were $16 billion. It has offices or operations in 17 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities.

Consumer Tips

-- Know what can't go: Things that can't be recycled are stickers, paper clips, wax paper, tissues, paper towels, paper cups, paper plates and envelopes with plastic windows.
-- Space to store: Make a special place to keep used paper for recycling, such as a cardboard box -- which is also recyclable.
-- Patch together a pad: Recycle by making a scrap-paper pad. Gather pieces of used paper the same size with the blank side up. Find a piece of cardboard the same size to use as a back. Staple the whole thing together.
-- Read, then recycle: Check with your local recycling center to see if it wants newspapers tied with string or packed in grocery bags for recycling. Anything that comes with the paper can also be recycled, but glossy magazines or advertisements must be recycled separately.
-- Take note: Old notebook paper is considered "white paper" and makes better recycled paper. Other white paper is writing paper, white envelopes, typing paper, index cards and computer paper.
-- Morning meal: Cereal boxes and egg cartons can be recycled; they are called "mixed paper." Recycled mixed paper can be made into paperboard.