Every horizontal surface in my office is frequently three inches deep in the stuff. I think I could disappear, and if someone kept the paper flow going the world at large would hardly know the difference. Paper is our society's most voluminous waste product, comprising about 40 percent of solid landfill waste.
Problem is, there are only a few plants that can do the recycling - far too few.
Building new plants is an expensive and slow process, not without risks, so we'll still be packing it into Miramar for some time to come. We routinely communicate with colleagues across the country with electronic mail sent via America On-Line and the Internet. Messages are sent from San Diego to New York in minutes - with no paper. When FAXes come in they are picked up by the computer and displayed on the screen. Still, trading electrons for wood pulp is a good bargain, and I've never gotten a paper cut from my keyboard.