[randallsquared]

The parent was arguing that recycling processes use too much water, which implies taking in fresh water and tossing it after "use". I didn't infer that the later energy discussion was part of that, since it seemed clear that filtering or distilling the water to clean it wasn't part of the assumed cleanliness of recycling. It would, of course, make it more expensive, but reducing externalities by such means makes the price reflect the true cost better, so that's all to the good, whether or not it turns out that recycling is really a good idea for a given material.