Information Seeking

I think that the biggest mistake the cell phone searcher made was relying too much on one place. Consistently, that user used Google as square one. I didn't realize what a big deal that was until I made the same mistakes.  As I started looking for information about paper recycling, I first performed a Google search for Paper Recycling Process! I am no better than cell phone guy!

I moved away from Google and tried other search engines that I knew. I found an informative website that talked me through the step by step of recycling. You can check it out by clicking here. 

I also found a somewhat geeky YouTube video that explains the whole process, if you don't feel like reading:

My next logical step was to find possible harmful effects of paper recycling. I found an article called Rethinking Recycling that is a little dated (1995). You can read the whole article, but I am including the gist of it here:

"Critics say that what seems at first to make a great deal of sense doesn't always stand up to a close examination. For instance, some critics argue that collection costs make recycling a bad bargain for many localities because the costs often exceed the prices that the recyclables bring on the open market. They also charge that operating additional trucks to pick up recyclables increases toxic diesel emissions, offsetting any environmental gains.

Recycling advocates are quick to respond that economics are not the only consideration and that recycling is essential in managing America's solid waste. They say that using recycled instead of virgin materials benefits the environment by cutting back on a wide range of pollutants and preserving biodiversity. And, they add, recycling may make economic sense by delaying or lessening the need for landfills so that land can be put to more productive uses."

Because this seemed a little dated, I decided to pinpoint more timely information, this time using a GoogleScholar search. I am including the link, even though I did not find any results with which I was happy. I went back to my standard Google, this time adding dates as a delimiter. The first site to pop up was one from the American Forest and Paper Association, displaying the 2009 recycling awards. 

It seems, so far, that I can only find recycling information from companies who somehow benefit from recycling. It also seems as though this is not a topic that people are talking about anymore. That, or perhaps I am not information literate!?