Is Recycling Really a Clean Technology?
Some critics have argued that recycling of old newspapers yields few environmental benefits. First, much pulpwood used in the United States is grown on tree plantations, not in old-growth forests. Second, newspaper cannot be repeatedly recycled, so any upstream reductions in tree harvest are limited. Third, recycling systems cannot displace garbage collection completely, and the extra collection trucks thus add to urban air pollution. Fourth, de-inking newspaper is a highly toxic process; it is better to isolate that ink in a landfill where it is unlikely to leach anywhere. Finally, much of the new recycled mill capacity is being built as expansions to existing mills, close to forests and away from cities, which are the source of the raw materials. Thus here is little raw material transport savings associated with recycling. Response?