Consumers of horticultural sphagnum peat moss use the commodityat a per capita rate of twelve pounds per year. Sphagnum peat isharvested from wetlands by the "ditching and draining" method. Peat landbogs are highly acidic, highly sensitive ecosystems. The U.S. Bureau ofMines commodity specialist for peat, Raymond Cantrel, reported in a 1990document that peat would be depleted in the US in as little as 20 years.NUPEAT will reduce the need to exploit these valuable wetlands, bysupplying consumers with an attractive alternative to peat moss. NUPEATis made entirely from waste paper or old newsprint (ONP). This projectwill determine the feasability of using NUPEAT as an alternative tosphagnum peat moss.
