I APPRECIATE Mr Tsang's quick response (South China Morning Post, November 30) to my letter urging the Government to switch to recycled paper.
However, some of his points are dangerously misleading.
First, renewable forests. While it is true that much (not all) paper pulp comes from ''renewable'' tree plantations, these are not forests, and in many cases natural rainforests are being destroyed to make room for pulpwood plantations.
Also, the fact that a resource is renewable is no excuse to waste it.
A tree that is not used for paper can be used for timber, taking some of the pressure off the natural forests.
Second, de-inking. It is true that paper must be de-inked to be recycled, and the resulting sludge is highly toxic.
Better that these toxins be extracted at one point and dealt with appropriately, than be leaked out of landfills or incinerated into the air as they would be if the paper is not recycled. Third, bleaching. Yes, bleaching produces toxic wastes. Virgin paper has to be bleached as well.
