Hello Everyone!
Thank you for subscribing to the new Looney Labs Eco list.
And thank you for reading the Entreaties from the Green Fairy.
I have been doing some research of my own and found out that
recycling paper actually uses a bit less energy than to
harvest it from scratch. Although both processes have pros
and cons. It seems everyone so far in this list has the sense
that recycling paper might not be as economically feasible as
recycling aluminum, but it is still worth it. I am glad some
governments actually have taxes on trash collection to
encourage people to think about what they are throwing out.
Thank you all for your postings!
I have cut a paragraph from the web site of "Energy
Information Administration, Official Energy Statistics from
the U.S. Government" <http://www.eia.doe.gov/>
Begin quote
So does paper recycling save energy?
Yes it does, although the energy savings are not as
spectacular as they are with aluminum and steel recycling.
A paper mill uses 40 percent less energy to make paper from
recycled paper than it does to make paper from fresh lumber.
However, a recycling mill may consume more fossil fuels than
a paper mill. Paper mills generate much of their energy from
waste wood, but recycling mills purchase most of their energy
from local power companies or use on-site cogeneration
facilities.
Making recycled paper does require fewer chemicals and
bleaches than making all-new paper. Although recycled paper
is less polluting than paper made from wood fiber, both
processes produce different by-products. Paper mills may emit
more sulfur dioxide, but recycling mills may produce more
sludge. Deinking at Cross Pointe?s Miami, Ohio mill results
in 22 pounds of sludge for every 100 pounds of wastepaper
recycled.
Paper recycling does mean fewer trees are used to make paper,
but all-new paper is almost always made from trees
specifically grown for papermaking. A tree harvested for
papermaking is soon replaced by another, so the cycle
continues. ?We are not talking about the rain forest or old
growth in the Pacific Northwest,? says Champion Paper?s
Martin Blick. ?Most of the trees cut for paper come from
fifth or sixth generation pulp-wood forests.?
End quote
So I recycling paper is still a good thing with a net energy
saving. But producing some pulp from scratch is a good think
too as we need it to increase the fiber length of the
recycled paper, and the growing trees take up lots of CO2.
And when we buy paper, we can get the one that says "chlorine
free and acid free" and "soy based ink".
Also, looking at the above US energy site I found that
sometimes plastic is not energetically feasible to recycle,
so we don't. For those of us who live in the US, we know that
we can only put plastics #1 and #2 in the recycling bin...
those are the ones that can easily be recycled. Plastics #4
can be recycled at the grocery store (grocery bags, bread
bags, etc.). The other plastics we just throw to the trash
because, for now, it is more energy intensive to recycle.
What can we do about this? We can buy products that come in
containers that we will reuse, or in containers that are
recyclable. And we can certainly bring our own reusable bags
to the store!
Check this out!
<http://www.rocketboom.com/vlog/archives/2007/01/rb_07_jan_19.html>
Peace to you and yours,
Luisa the Green Fairy