In the past there have been posters who were concerned about all of the wasted photo paper. That is, all the prints that are made, but aren't purchased. Their concerns seemed centered on the paper that is destined for landfills. Fear not tree huggers. I have found out what happens to all of that photo paper. It all gets recycled, and not in the way you'd think.
Usually, paper recycling involves grinding, soaking, and creating pulp. Not so with photo paper. Each ship is equipped with a machine that takes all of those unpurchased photos, and gives them a chemical bath that removes the ink from the paper. Actually, sometimes, not all of the previous image is removed, and your photo looks layered on a previous picture. I hope this allays any worries that so many photos are wasted. 
One reason photos are so expensive, is we all pay for this process because so many go unpurchased.
