Is recycling paper really worse for the environment than landfilling?

Question

Whilst disposing of my waste paper in the recycling point I noticed that somebody had stuck an unauthorised notice on the facility.

This notice warned that recycling was such an environmentally damaging process that we should not do it. It was quite cleverly worded too, and in these days of "greenwash" it was quite easy to be sceptical at first. THE IMPORTANT THING IS, THAT IT IS MISLEADING!

This article sums it up pretty well:

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/paper_recycling.html

Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups give paper recycling their backing.

There's employment opportunities with recycling.

In fact, the only ones who suffer from recycling being chosen ahead of landfilling are those who manufacture paper from virgin wood, and those who cut down trees.

I just wanted to warn anyone who might (understandably) worry that they were not using the best environmental option to dispose of their waste when they recycle.

I'm really pleased that people have taken the trouble to read the article.

What I'm getting at is that some people have argued that PAPER recycling is worse environmentally than landfilling and creating paper from virgin wood.

They've argued their case in a way that could make the lay person believe their point. (I'll try to dig out a site with their claims on).

I'm glad all who have answered realise the role of Recycling (below Reduction and re-use!).

Answer 1

Very interesting article, thanks for sharing it!

While it's obvious that it's better to recycle than to dump used paper into a landfill, incinerators do pose an interesting alternative. This would be especially good if the incinerators were also producing electrical energy. Aside from the chemicals released to the air though, the article did talk about the huge amount of waste they need to keep the plants running. This is a major problem with it.

If employment virgin paper workers is a problem it would be more cost effective to provide job training so they can work elsewhere and to encourage other industries in those areas.

The major flaw with this article and the studies it was referencing is that it did not take into account the environmental impact of growing and harvesting wood for paper. As a former US Forest Service employee, let me describe a few things. First, although paper companies do grow trees on their own land, the Forest Service also grows trees for paper and sells them to companies. This takes up land that could otherwise be maturing into a more appropriate medium-age forest on already-owned government property, not to mention that paper tree lots are usually either aspen monocultures or aspen/balsam stands and provide very, very few benefits to the wildlife and none at all to endangered plants. Also, aside from the pollution caused by the logging machines and transportation, they also produce considerable ground compaction. This decreases the fertility of the soil over repeated clear-cuts because it is progressively harder for roots to grow. This negatively impacts the future of more natural plant communities there.

While I still think that recycling paper is better than the current alternatives, I think we should continue researching and improving the alternatives, reducing our consumption, and generally keep an open mind. The thing with science is that you can never prove something beyond a doubt, you can only disprove everything else. That means everything should be questioned, even the scientific answers that have become dogma to us.

Answer 2

As the person leading in the world production of paper, I hope
you get some incentives with forums like this, the truth, and
the importance of recycling. When paper is brought online
in the near future the next generation will be especially pleased
to find that the equipment used is environment planning. All
wood protected in land investments for furniture, paper, and
safety packaging shows signs of running low. Yet the long
range plant division is pleased to show that already young
families are finding the areas selected are a generous improvement in safety and express production. Husbandry must
gain for the world to get safer and smarter, this endless cycle
only disturbs those not willing to study, and pray to God. These
traditions cause our energies to be in peace and blessings that
are meant to be uplifting. I enjoy making paper, though I only
spend 6 hours a week, it is exceptionally digressive to ones
chores such as its remote location, and I especially enjoy the
many people that make a job of recycling products. To save
is to conserve, this is something nature is willing to support.
http://www.olympics.org

Answer 3

The article you mentioned says that Reducing Consumption, and Reusing More is better than Recycling.

But Recycling is definitely better than landfills. The debate is whether Recycling is better than other options such as incinerating.

Answer 4

I've heard people say recycling was bad because of "global warming" and the heat produced. But I say that saving trees is much more important than trying to play God and stop the climate from changing when it's quite unproven that we can even do so. I would keep recycling, even if trees are re-planted animals are still displaced from their homes and some are killed during the tree harvesting process.

Answer 5

Recycling paper is great for the environment. Instead of adding tons of paper to our landfills, we are reusing it to stop the destruction of trees. What could make recycling even cleaner is using energy from sources such as solar and wind to provide the electricity.

Answer 6

Conserving is always better than recycling. I laugh when I see the recycle bins at the landfill trucked and dumped into the landfill. If they were not getting Gov. grants, they would not be running recycling centers.

Answer 7

depends, if it is to be remanufactured into clean, white, smooth sheets, so much in bleaching.but then, it would be too costly too to recycle. But recycling paper to other ordinary form of paper is still the best option than landfills.

Answer 8

Just an add on....Most paper mills have adapted some if not all of their papers to some % of recycled content. It is pretty disconcerting to know that someone would take the effort to try and sabotage a movement like recycling.
Thanks for you article.

Answer 9

thats why the triple "R"s rated recycling last. reducing and reusing are much better than recycling.
tho recycling cuts down wastes but its a difficult process that takes up lots of energy and other resources.

Answer 10

We just need a hole new way of thinking . You can make paper out of grass, leafs any thing that grows . If we collected all the leafs that that fall in our yards and all the grass clipping that we cut out of our yards and used them to make paper we would probably save thousands upon thousands of trees .We just keep doing things the way our great grand parents did them . That was fine for them but times have changed and we need to change also and we could of there wasn't so much greed in the world.