When you purchase recycled paper products your are doing a great thing for the environment, right? Maybe not. recycled paper products may not be all that we think they are. In fact, they may be more harmful to the environment than are paper products made with virgin paper. Here is why.
Production of both recycled aper and virgin paper take energy resources away from the environment. Sometimes recycled paper can be more carbon based than virgin paper. Large paper centers in many parts of the United States, such as in Maine, use Hydro power to produce new paper. They also replant trees to replenish those that are cut down for new paper.
Even when you count in the emissions from cutting down trees, this method of creating new paper can release fewer emissions than many plants that process recycled paper. This is because most of these plants are located in large urban centers. They may not have the alternative energy sources available (or they choose not to use them) and therefore, they use less efficient energy sources in creating recycled paper versus some plants that make virgin paper.
You can read more about this from Climate Culture’s website (www.climateculture.com). They released a top ten list of green myths, and this fact about recycled paper was on the list.
Using recycled paper often makes us feel as though we are off the hook concerning paper product use. We purchased the recycled paper, often for more money than virgin paper products, and then we feel good about our choices. Recycled paper products may make us feel complacent. But we really need to be innovative and responsible for using the least amount of paper products that we possibly can. Using cloth towels, for example is much more environmentally friendly than using any sort of paper towel, made from recycled paper or not.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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