recycling - is it realy such a good idea?

Question

Massive amounts of carbon can be removed from the atmosphere by young saplings planted in managed forests and planting trees seems to be an obvious method of solving or rebalancing the amount of carbon we produce through the burning of fossil fuels. Landfill of paper also locks carbon away. I can understand the arguement for recycling other materials e.g. glass but isn't recycling paper actually counter productive ?

Answer 1

One of the main benefits of recycling comes from reducing the amount of new material required. In theory, recycling allows a material to be continually reused for the same purpose, and in many cases this theory holds true, most notably in the recycling of metals and glass.

Since less raw material is required, recycling creates further benefits for materials where cost of the initial extraction or production is high—either economically, socially or environmentally. The recycling of aluminium, for example, saves 95% of the CO2 emissions—an environmentally harmful greenhouse gas—compared to refining new metal.

Concerns about limited resources such as raw materials and land space for disposal of waste have increased the importance of recycling. However maximum environmental benefit is gained by reducing the amount of waste produced, and reusing items in their current form, for example refilling bottles. All recycling techniques consume energy, for transportation and processing, and some also use considerable amounts of water. Both of these resources have an environmental impact which is why campaigners use the slogan Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to indicate the preferred order for waste management in the waste hierarchy.

You could get more information from the link below...

Answer 2

Do you want a new landfill in your neighborhood? They're running out of room. I recycle a tremendous amount of paper products. Better recycled then getting another landfill. I also recycle glass, newspaper, cardboard, plastic, phone books, magazines and steel cans. I don't recycle anything I have to wash out because using the water to rinse the articles defeats the purpose. I think recycling is a very good idea.

Answer 3

Probably. Recycling is just as much a matter of conserving energy as it is conserving resources. If it costs less in the way of energy and resources to recycle paper, then it is worth while. Think of the trees that are saved.

Answer 4

you think to much