Paper Mill Waste Treatment From Making Facial Tissues

Terrace Bay, Ontario. Kenogami forest

This aeration pond is part of the effluent treatment system. The primary task of the treatment is to remove organics (wood fiber) from the water before it is returned to its source. Water pollution from paper mills contains such toxics as lead, mercury, chlorine compounds and dioxin.

The cutting of an old growth forest to make tissues and toilet paper is emblematic of our disposable economy. For the profit of a few, we destroy something of immense value and benefit for the many.

The Kenogami National Forest in Canada, source of the wood for this mill, is home for a multitude of species from wolves and bears to the moss on the forest floor. It is an immensely diverse and complex ecosystem that gives us clean air and water, and it will be replaced by a monoculture of factory farmed trees and a polluted river.