Is it greener to burn paper or recycle it?

Question

I'm going to be moving to the countryside this year and I'm thinking about buying a log maker so that I can make logs out of my household paper waste. Then I can burn them in an open fire. My question is... would this be better for the environment than recycling my paper waste? I know it's usually better to recycle but I'm guessing having a fire would cut down my fuel consumption.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Answer 1

Dear Jenny,

I highly reccomend saving your recycling. Don't burn it. Just save it. Every once in a while when you're driving into town, load up your car (or truck) and take in the recycling. That way, you're not cutting out any special time slots. Same times too.

Sincerely,

Liz A.

Answer 2

You are going to heat your home by burning something which produces CO2 so it might as well be something that's free and has already been used. The amount of CO2 produced per kilowatt hour of heat is much the same whatever the fuel, unless you heat with electricity in which case it's a lot worse due to the energy lost in distribution (grid).  Reusing is almost always better than recycling.

Just one thing to watch - when you make logs from paper this involves making the paper wet, compressing it, then drying it out.  It can take more heat to dry them than they will produce when they burn.  So make sure you only use solar energy to do the drying out. i.e. leave them to dry in the sun, don't burn anything, producing more CO2, to dry them.

Answer 3

I would recommend recycling it, it will save more trees and fuel than you think. Plus, if you burn it, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will increase, and you probably know that it is a really bad issue. You can burn it if it's really old or already has been recycled if you want to, though.

Answer 4

The actual answer is very case specific.  Paper is a renewable material made from wood so burning it is actually C neutral.  However, recycling the fibre is better from a life cycle energy point of view compared to always using new wood for paper and throwing the paper away.  From the technical point of view, if your waste paper is at all contaminated with things like food residue, oil or grease, trhen it is better for the environment to use it as a fuel in a proper combustor when you need the energy.  Clean waste paper is better recycled but dont waste a load of transport fuel just to take a few kg of paper to the recycle point.  If you want to do the best, separate clean waste paper from dirty, stack the clean and keep it clean and dry until you are next going to be near a recycle point.  Mash the dirty stuff and make artificial logs from it then leave it to dry for ages then burn it only in a good combustor when you would have burned something else for the energy.

Answer 5

Catch 22 I guess?, better to recycle but using a burner obviously puts fumes in the air but if you weren't doing that you'd be using other fuels like gas & electricity. I run a Waste Transfer Centre & we regulary have people who take away our wood for log burners to heat ther houses that can only be a good thing?

Answer 6

Recycle.. it can be made into something else and if you burn it smoke will go into air etc etc :)

Answer 7

Burn it. You'll be conserving valuable fuels. That electricity or natural gas you're not using can power someone else's heater, who is not lucky enough to have a fireplace. CO2 is produced by other fuels,too. also,if you live in the country, you'll find that garbage service is more expensive, or more of a hassle if you haul it yourself. burrn or compost what you can, and save your recycling efforts for other stuff .

Answer 8

definitely burn if you are burning anyway, but;

i had one of those but found it a right palaver, you have to soak the paper, the press it really hard in the mold otherwise they dont come out dense enough and burn - well, like paper. then they take months to dry out. i soon gave up, i collect a lot of wood anyway from local sources.

another thing, an open fire is only about 20% efficient, most of the heat goes up the chimney and you cant control the air flow so the fuel burns too fast.

an ordinary wood burning (or dual purpose) stove will give 40% odd, and a super dooper swedish one with an after-burner to make full use of the flammable vapours may give up to 60%, making it comparable with a gas fire.

http://www.jotul.com/en/wwwjotulus/Main-...

as for sustainability, as a previous poster has mentioned, that depends on you planting more trees to compensate for those burned.

Answer 9

Recycling creates so much pollution!

you need to burn something for your heating so why not burn your surplus paper, makes perfect sense.

  Also you can use your paper, card, clothes etc as a mulch around trees and plants, lay it down thick, cover it in compost, green manure, horse manure, inverted turf, top soil and you will have an excellent soil within a reasonably short time.

People would do well to get off the recylcling band wagon - Reduce what they use, reuse as much as possible and as a last resort recycle if they still have anything left.

Answer 10

Recycle!!!

The fire you burn will not last long enough to substantially cut your fuel consumption.  Meanwhile, factories will be spending energy and polluting the air to create more paper.

Answer 11

Well f you burn paper, it doesnt release toxins (provided theres no nasty dyes in the paper giving it a colour) it releases Carbon Dioxide and Water, which are not polutants they're the gasses plants need to live. The evidence for CO2 driven global warming is shaky so dont take that nonsense into account, bacteria make more CO2 than we do. Your making CO2 right now by breathing

If you can use it by burning it then I see no reason not to, it doesnt burn for all that long so its not going to heat your house but it makes good kindling. Making it into a log is a fantastic solution, you dont have to go out and buy wood then which would probably save you money in the long term and a few trees too.

Every time you recycle paper, your going to loose some of it due to the fibre quality degrading as its processed so it can really only be recycled once. It's not 100% efficient where as burning it is, you put all of that paper to good use.

Answer 12

I think recycling it is better because when your burning it it still produces greenhouse gasses

Answer 13

Recycle. Burning is not only dangerous, it releases loads of carbon dioxide gas into the atmosphere, as well as allergens like dust and ash.

Answer 14

recycling is better for the environment.

Answer 15

at least with a log maker you can use dirtier paper also which could not normally be recycled.

i think usunbg paper to make logs is good as it is using something you already have rather than buying new.

obviously recycling is good but you still need to consider your lifestyle and make adaptations that will be advantageous to yourself, environmentally and financially

good luck :-)

Answer 16

I would have to say recycle the paper. When you burn it reaguardless of what form its in it will still relase pollutants into the environment. Good idea though.

Answer 17

I can't say i am sure but if you have a composter you can put it in there also.

Answer 18

its pretty much better if you would recycle it than burning. recycling it can  made many things, and always remember this 3Rs- reduce, reuse, and recycle,while burning it causes also warming, its smoke causes pollution and join other substances in our atmosphgere then it will cause global warming or greenhouse effect. reduce,

Answer 19

RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE!

Answer 20

I would say recycle

Answer 21

I'd say re-cycle it, because burning paper only adds to the atmosphere, isn't that what we are trying to avoid.

Answer 22

stuff the enviroment if it saves you money by burning paper

well burn it .

Answer 23

Spray paint it green

Answer 24

Recycle :)

Cause it can be made into something else, rather than just ashes

Answer 25

DEFINITELY RECYCLE!

Answer 26

COMPOST!!!  If you have any plants at all, you don't you compost?  You feed new trees anyway, a kind of indirect recycling.  If you live in urban place, give it to your nearest gardener friend or dump it in a park.

Answer 27

may i add my twopenneth worth .

Everyone who believes they are helping to reduce global warming by recycling paper is mistaken . If you want more trees , use more paper and do not recycle it ! Forestry is a commercial crop .    Part of that crop is 'pulp' for paper mills.

This pulp can be the difference between profit and loss.

Ironic or what. sorry if i've not explained it very well .

Hope you enjoy the countryside.

Answer 28

Recycling would be great seeing as it could be reused again, however, using logs and wood, are you prepared to perhaps plant some trees in their place?  Choice is up 2 u, but I say RECYCLE!!! : )

Answer 29

Trust me just burn it. Don't buy the big environmental con it is all about control

Answer 30

Recycle..

it's better for the environment

Answer 31

I burn all the stuff I can't recycle, like the odd paper plate, hamburger and fry boxes, ripped paper bags, or whatever when I forget to take stuff in for recycling.   Too much paper doesn't burn well though and makes lots of ash.   Use newspapers to start the fire, then recycle whatever is left.