Recycling paper - Is it really such a good thing ?

Answer 1

There are pros and cons to recycling.

The Disadvantages and Costs:

• Contamination of paper with garbage or dissimilar materials, and
weather impacts increase handling costs.
• For some uses, recycled paper is of lower quality than virgin paper.
• De-inking plants are costly to build.
• Market value fluctuations make forecasting economic viability difficult.


The Benefits:
• More landfill space is saved by recycling paper, than any other material.
• Paper recycling reduces air and water pollution.
• Recycled paper serves as feed stock for existing and developing
'recycled-paper' mills.
• There is an abundant supply of newspaper and cardboard.
• Paper can not be recycled indefinitely but it can be recycled about
five times before the fibers weaken.
“Still, Breining was curious how much environmental benefit the
state was buying for the extra $22,000 his magazine spent on recycled
paper. The benefits turned out to be small: sixteen cords of pulpwood
-- about what you'd get by clear-cutting a single acre of northern
Minnesota aspen woods.
Breining grants that paper recycling has other benefits, such as
reducing the need for landfills and the pollution caused by
paper-making. Still, he had to question whether spending $22,000 to
prevent the clear-cutting of one acre that cost $400 on the open
market was a smart use of taxpayer's and subscribers' money.”

“This glut of recovered paper is made into everything from paper to
boxes to animal bedding. And while the relatively small amount of
recycled papers used for writing and printing are struggling with high
prices and sluggish demand, the dominant sectors of the market are
doing much better.”

“Another strong area is newsprint. About 5.4 million tons of this
material, used for newspapers, is recovered each year, generally to
make more newsprint. The market is so promising that the Natural
Resources Defense Council, an environmental group in New York, is
coordinating the development of a large recycling plant in the South
Bronx.”
“Reasons for recycling
To recycle makes economic sense because although it may not be cheaper
than ordinary paper:
• by not importing new pulp the UK can save up to 800 million on
balance of payments
• it saves on disposal costs such as burying in landfill sites or
burning in incinerators
• it provides employment for a large work force as waste management
including paper collection is a major industry
To recycle makes environmental sense because it
• reduces pressure for landfill sites
• reduces pressure on natural forests by encouraging planting of
managed commercial plantations

Answer 2

Yes it is a very good idea, look at how many trees have been cut down if we can conserve just a little paper and it can be recycled it would help a little with the green house affect it's not just air polution that is causing the problem it also the deforestation of our plant. and we really should try to recycle as my differant products as possible, even if you don't even feel like yours makes a difference, it does because if everyone recycled just the little bit that they have it would add up more than you could imagine.

Answer 3

Yes! I think it is. If we went towards "closed circle" recycling there's be a lot more trees 8-) That is I recycle my paper which goes to make recycled paper which gets made into something that you recycle and so on.

So recycle, buy products made from recycled when you can.

One thing is for sure, I always get toilet paper made from recycled paper products.

There is no way my *** is worth cutting down virgin forests ;-)

But then the "closed circle" recycling ends there ;-)

Answer 4

Yes for preventing the logging of trees, it somtimes allows for greater energy efficiency in processing, and it means less mass entering landfills.

No because the ink on the paper is burned and released into the atmosphere, more gas and resources are needed as the paper is collected from houses and buildings, and the money spent recycling could be reallocated for other environmental causes.

Answer 5

Its not a good thing its a great thing! I try and recycle cardbord products as well. Like old boxes of cereal, mac and cheese etc. Takes less energy as well to produce paper from recycle paper and cardboard products versus making new paper from trees. So get your recycle on.

Answer 6

Definitely a good idea. I make sure I use both sides of a piece of paper when printing from my printer. I then throw it into the recycle bin, but I will shred it first, if it has any personal information on it. So if I print something for my records, when I clean my files out at the end of tax season, I put back all of the reusable paper into my printer and use it as scratch paper.

Answer 7

Sure it is. It can help reduce the energy we use to actually make new paper. It can also decrease the amount of trees we use to make paper. Besides, there is so much paper waste by Americans that we can recycle the paper waste to make new paper.

Answer 8

Most definitely. In-order to conserve our forest, we should recycle paper products and save a few trees for the future. The trees have a whole sub culture and it effects our whole earth. We need trees for oxygen, in-order to breath, and filter unwanted carbons. We as humans have damaged the Eco system so bad that the road to recovery is almost impossible. Have a good day.

Answer 9

Well, no it's really not such a good thing. Not when there are still millions of trees left to cut down! Afterall, why do we need trees other than to help create the oxygen we need to breathe. And let's not forget about chopping down the rain forests so that more land can be cleared on which to graze cattle so McDonald's can see us billions and billions more cheap hamburgers! -RKO- 05/18/07

Answer 10

Recycling paper is good for two reasons:
1. it reduces waste that pollutes the landfills
2. it means fewer trees have to be chopped down to create paper.

What few people realize is that many lumber companies actually plant trees as they go, thus recreating what they destroyed, in a sense. If they did not, it would not be long before they were out of jobs because of lack of trees to cut.

One thing that bothers me is the senseless winter waste that occurs in many homes each year. So many people buy Christmas trees just to throw them out after the holiday. The wood should be used. I applaud the families who use the wood for firewood or to grill later in the year. Every city should have a special tree collection after Christmas for those who do not want to use the wood and recycle the trees into firewood for needy families or see if they could be used to make paper, then perhaps donate the paper to low income families who cannot afford school supplies for their children. Other possible sources of wasted wood-- scrapwood from building projects, limbs from trees people cut down, wood from demolished structures, etc.

Other possible uses for old wood-- making pencils, children's toys, shelves and furniture for the needy, and so on.

We need to start looking at our resources as precious.