Inc. Recycling advocates argue that recycling cuts down on the amount of dioxin released into the environment from bleaching of virgin pulp, for example. Recycling paper also saves trees. Trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide present in the environment that contributes to global warming. The federal government's Climate Change Action Plan includes paper recycling as one way to cut down on greenhouse gases, but the issue may be more complex than it first appears. Recycling newsprint is a good idea, says Linda Gaines, a systems analyst at Argonne National Laboratory.
Newsprint is a clear winner.
It does take more fossil fuels to make newsprint from trees than from recycled paper. But when it comes to recycling office paper, the situation is different. When such paper is made from trees, part of the process is fueled by wood by-products of the pulping process. Instead of recycling office paper, Gaines says, it should be used to generate energy in coal-fired power plants. Then you burn less coal and displace some of the coal emissions.