Impacts of Pulp Mill Effluents in Uruguay

Does the paper industry use too much water? As concern about plastic waste grows, many companies have switched from plastic packaging to paper, but how environmentally friendly is paper production?

Uruguay, in South America, has been suffering from drought and its forestry and pulp milling industries are coming under increasing scrutiny for the amount of water used.

We’ve been to an enormous new pulp mill in central Uruguay, capable of producing more than two million tonnes of pulp every year, to find out more.

Producer / presenter: Grace Livingstone

(Image: Water protests in Uruguay; Credit: BBC)