... consider that
[u]nfortunately, recycling consumer-level paper towels wastes far more resources than it saves, so recycling actually costs us twice. Not only does it waste resources in a primary way, because recycling paper uses more energy and resources than virgin pulp to make paper, but it turns out to waste paper in a secondary, consumer choice way: People actually use more paper in the first place, because it's going to be recycled!
Read more here and another brief post on the same issue here.
