Well maybe for some materials, recycling is a waste. But not for paper. My uncle, a former VP at International paper says they profitably recycle paper up to 4 times - each time losing a quality grade in the finished product. So heavy parchment paper becomes newsprint which later recycled becomes paper cups, which ends up as paperboard for consumer items.
If recycling paper was such a complete waste, then I can assure you IP would not be doing it.
So heavy parchment paper becomes newsprint which later recycled becomes paper cups, which ends up as paperboard for consumer items.
Just remember the next time you drink out of a paper cup that it used to be a newspaper in the bottom of some bird cage or lining some cat litter box. :^)