Is there too much pollution when it comes to making/recycling paper products?

Question

Some say that we should use stryofoam instead of paper products because of the pollution that is produced with the making of paper products, as well as the destruction of trees and the animals that live within these trees. Does this outweigh the extremely long biodegrading process of styrofoam?

Answer 1

As most of the wood used to make come from plantation stock there is very little in the way of destruction of native forest. Plantation timber is now the prefered option as it is easier to maintain quality of the timber.

A lot of paper is now recycled. You would be supprised at the uses for recycled paper. I would stay very clear of styrofoam. In fact I changed fish and chip shop because they went from wrapping in paper to styrofoam containers.

Answer 2

who says to use styrofoam?  i dont think anyone says that.   its generally agreed that stuff is nasty.

Answer 3

the answer is simple: you can't replace paper with anything else more biodegradable and time resistant. Paper is made of wood. The problem is that for them to make that paper they have to cut trees. And there's the harm done. Find out more alternative ways of powering stuff and not pollute on http://www.greenoptimistic.com

Answer 4

Paper production has come along way from clear cut forestry practices of the past. Today with forestry management practices and the use of restricting  harvests near waterways erosion and euatropication has been minimized.Forestry management is an important part of the answer but not the end. News paper, cardboard and office waste are responsibly recycled today with the use of heat, grinding (pulping) and bleaching, the waste water is purified (settled) and returned to rivers at a neutral pH. By using wood products from responsible companies which maintain forest areas are locking carbon from the atmosphere from CO2 absorbed by living trees into a solid form the wood products that will become fixed in place as detritus in landfill, furniture and wood of a home and not a green house gas from burning(wildfires) or the many gasses derived from decomposition. Styrofoam Yuck. Habitat issues are debatable large and small mammals and birds need both forests and open areas to be sustained in numbers diversity offers stability as grasses and weeds offer early sustenance after a cold winter where as trees produce seed, nut or cone for fall and winter food.

Answer 5

We should be making paper from hemp, which is more sustainable than using wood pulp.  The use of wood pulp for paper is threatening one of the last large intact ecosytems in north america.  the boreal forest of Canada. We have a crazy law against growing hemp in the U.S. It serves no purpose.  I've read that it was originally banned to protect the cotton and or sythetic fiber industry.

People don't get high on hemp. The seeds are very nutritious, with protein and omega 3 fats.

It makes good clothing, rope etc

Plastics made from petroleum can mostly be replaced with bioplastics which are starting to come on the market.  It's just getting started but could  grow rapidly as some places are banning plastic grocery bags. A factory is under construction in Iowa that will produce bioplastics by next year.  Some very large corporations have interest in this.

Plastics from packaging that gets discarded improperly is endangering the ocean.  There are billions of tiny pieces of blastic in the ocean that algae at the bottom of the food chain are ingesting.