Our local members of the fourth estate must have failed Economics 101,
because a ten percent purchasing preference means, in plain English,
goverment agencies within Idaho will be allowed to spend up to ten percent
MORE of our hard-earned tax dollars on paper, as long as it's recycled.
What a great idea -- NOT!
Did it ever occur to anyone why virgin paper is less expensive than
recycled? It's because recycling paper is like recycling sand. If my
toddler decides she wants a sandbox this summer, after I can't talk her out
of it I'll head to a nursery and buy some sand. I will NOT go to East City
Park and pick up the individual granules that have been cast aside by
enthusiastic sand-castle builders. Why will I not do this? Because sand
is cheap and the time required for the labor-intensive sand-recycling task
isn't worth my while. Guess what? Recycled paper isn't worth our while,
either! There never was and never will be a virgin paper shortage.
Although I grow weary from pointing it out so frequently, I must add that
Relene Johnson of Moscow Recycling is completely wrong when she says leaky
(error #1) landfill space is filling up (error #2). But I suppose
fact-finding would be asking too much from the Daily News, especially when
writing about the recycling religion.
Before anyone writes this page to excoriate me for my heresy, read "What A
Waste" in the June 30, 1996 New York Times Magazine. I myself am going to
thank my lucky stars for our neighbors in southern Idaho who have no doubt
elected legislators who will kill this extremely stupid bill.
Sincerely,
Briana LeClaire