Do you recycle?

[gwalchmai]

My county has a "convenience center" where I deposit our household trash every week. They have several categories such as "bagged garbage", cardboard, "mixed paper and plastic", "yard waste", and what I like to call "God knows what". They charge a dollar for each bag of "bagged garbage" (up to a 35 gal bag) but the other categories are free. I asked Larry, the ne'er-do-well who works there (he's really a good dude), how persnickety they are about categories and he said "if you're not sure just throw it in the bagged dumpster and it'll to the landfill". I also asked about old computers, monitors, etc. and he said to put it into the "God knows what" dumpster, which has old metal, mattresses, tires, and "other stuff". 

OK, so where am I rambling with this? I think most of us would like to recycle stuff like cardboard (which they seem to do, but from what I read the requirements are pretty strict) and plastic and e-waste, but it's really hard and labor-intensive and most localities wind up putting everything into the landfill anyway (or sending it off to the third world on a barge). 

OTOH, I've said before that I think maybe we could dedicate a relatively small portion of unused flyover country to all our waste and it wouldn't make nearly as great an impact as we've been led to believe.

Full disclosure - I leave the water running the entire time I'm brushing my teeth (take THAT, Min!)

[jmohme]

My first experience with recycling was back in the 80s when I worked for a towing company. I got called out to the truck scales for an overloaded truck. he was hauling large bales of plastic from a recycling center. I offloaded 1 9x9x9ft bale onto our flatbed. That got him legal. He paid us and I gave him our address to pick up the offloaded bale later, but they never came for it. My boss called them and they said they did not want it and that the whole load had just gone to the incinerator anyway.

Years later, I worked for a company that had a huge recycling plant. You would be amazed at how much of what people assume is being recycled, actually ends up in a landfill.

 

At my house, we really do recycle. Food waste is recycled. Our recycler turns the stuff into eggs.

[Mrs.Cicero]

Since China stopped taking our stuff, the vast majority of supposedly "recycled" items goes to the landfills anyway, except aluminum cans... and that's the only thing I recycle, because I want my dime back on each of those (hey, with a family of 4, I'm getting back over $100/year doing that).  We don't get a paper, cardboard gets used in the garden to keep down weeds or it gets burned, tires go to the garden, plastic goes to the trash (I try not to buy stuff in plastic, but some things cannot be avoided, and I try to only buy glass jars that I can reuse for canning, but since most companies switched to off-size lids (thanks to all the litigious assholes out there afraid of a seal failure) there's hardly any left anymore.  I think it's mostly a scam designed to make people feel good while actually doing nothing anyway.

[crockett]

I know for a fact that our recycling materials don't go to the landfill. I think that's a thing of the past. We get 2 garbage bins, a smaller black bin for regular trach, and a large blue bin for glass, cardboard, aluminum, cans and plastic. I recycle:

- glass bootless

- plastic pottles

- cans

- tetra packs with recycling symbol

- plastic cups from yogurt etc

- cardboard from shipping boxes and clean frozen pizza boxes

 

 

 

 

[MO Fugga]

Just watched this yesterday morning. Worth it!

 

 

[jmohme]

16 minutes ago, crockett said:

I know for a fact that our recycling materials don't go to the landfill. I think that's a thing of the past. We get 2 garbage bins, a smaller black bin for regular trach, and a large blue bin for glass, cardboard, aluminum, cans and plastic. I recycle:

- glass bootless

- plastic pottles

- cans

- tetra packs with recycling symbol

- plastic cups from yogurt etc

- cardboard from shipping boxes and clean frozen pizza boxes

 

 

 

 

Your facts are not 100% factual.

If a load of paper collected for recycling arrives at the processing plant with any contamination, it goes to the landfill. Contamination could be anything from a visible bag of smelly garbage to an improperly protected load that got caught in the rain.  The same goes for cardboard and those are two of most recyclable materials.

Some of the paper recyclers are even pickier and only want certain types of paper products. Ours was not one of those though

Glass is another one. Some bottles are a mix of real glass and plastics. Many recyclers will again reject a load if there is too much of the impure glass visible. It is not cost effective to have to sort out the trash.

Aluminum cans are probably the most recycled household items and the non aluminum is easily removed with magnetic head rollers on the conveyors, so those loads almost always are accepted.

 

The recycling center I worked at also had a landfill, and landfills would much rather not waste valuable space on things that are recyclable. A cubic yard of landfill space is a valuable thing, so if a load is rejected, then it's because it is more cost effective to bury it than it is to recycle.

[DAKA]

Yes, we separate, Garbage goes n the big Garbage can, Paper and cardboard go in the Yellow Bin, Aluminum and Glass go in the Blue bin

As far as what happens to it after that   ????? WE DO OUR PART

 

[crockett]

11 minutes ago, jmohme said:

Your facts are not 100% factual.

If a load of paper collected for recycling arrives at the processing plant with any contamination, it goes to the landfill. Contamination could be anything from a visible bag of smelly garbage to an improperly protected load that got caught in the rain.  The same goes for cardboard and those are two of most recyclable materials.

Some of the paper recyclers are even pickier and only want certain types of paper products. Ours was not one of those though

Glass is another one. Some bottles are a mix of real glass and plastics. Many recyclers will again reject a load if there is too much of the impure glass visible. It is not cost effective to have to sort out the trash.

Aluminum cans are probably the most recycled household items and the non aluminum is easily removed with magnetic head rollers on the conveyors, so those loads almost always are accepted.

 

The recycling center I worked at also had a landfill, and landfills would much rather not waste valuable space on things that are recyclable. A cubic yard of landfill space is a valuable thing, so if a load is rejected, then it's because it is more cost effective to bury it than it is to recycle.

 

Those are mostly issues stemming from ignorant consumers. In my case it states right on the recycling bin what is valuable material, and what not.

I used to work for a paper recycling plant that also made paper and cardboard out of it, all on the same premises, in the mid 90s while going to college. They accepted ANY material that was made of cellulose, even contaminated. They recover the cell by soaking it with hot water in a high pressure environment, so it doesn't matter if it was sitting in water.

They have been recycling since the 50s!

https://www.pkvarel.com/en/

 

 

 

[gwalchmai]

34 minutes ago, crockett said:

I know for a fact that our recycling materials don't go to the landfill. I think that's a thing of the past. We get 2 garbage bins, a smaller black bin for regular trach, and a large blue bin for glass, cardboard, aluminum, cans and plastic. I recycle:

- glass bootless

- plastic pottles

- cans

- tetra packs with recycling symbol

- plastic cups from yogurt etc

- cardboard from shipping boxes and clean frozen pizza boxes

 

 

 

 

OK, this video speaks to my point. Why don't "we" make plastic straws worthwhile to recycle? I mean, if recycling is really a worthwhile goal. Also, what she showed is that Sims Recycling sorts stuff and sell it to other companies which say they recycle it. Do they? We don't know. Most convenience centers I've seen want things in plastic trash bags, and certainly that's how consumers want to do it. Why not make recycling work for them? Heck, 16 barrels of oil is worth about $1600. That ought to make recycling a ton of plastic worthwhile.

[crockett]

Reality is, that almost all of today's products are made, at least in parts, with recycled materials. Many parts in your car for example, the glass bottles you drink out of, or anything made out of aluminum contains recycled materials. If we don't feed this cycle by doing our part, products will be much more expensive, we will run faster out of raw materials, and we will contaminate our environment for no good reason other than being lazy and / or ignorant.

Just one example. My company uses aluminum for almost all products. The biggest chunk we source is in fact recycled aluminum, not only because it is cheaper, but new aluminum isn't even available at times! We had issues sourcing aluminum a bunch of times, needless to say covid added to the most recent issue by screwing up our logistics. At first we couldn't get it picked up due to lockdowns, than our containers got stuck because all US ports are clogged.

[railfancwb]

23 minutes ago, DAKA said:

Yes, we separate, Garbage goes n the big Garbage can, Paper and cardboard go in the Yellow Bin, Aluminum and Glass go in the Blue bin

As far as what happens to it after that   ????? WE DO OUR PART

 

 

[Fnfalman]

I don’t recycle.  

[gwalchmai]

My convenience center doesn't recycle glass. I've heard that it's too much work separating the clear glass from the glass of color. Also, from what I hear it's not even worthwhile to get methheads to pick up aluminum cans anymore. 

[MO Fugga]

1 hour ago, crockett said:

Reality is, that almost all of today's products are made, at least in parts, with recycled materials. Many parts in your car for example, the glass bottles you drink out of, or anything made out of aluminum contains recycled materials. If we don't feed this cycle by doing our part, products will be much more expensive, we will run faster out of raw materials, and we will contaminate our environment for no good reason other than being lazy and / or ignorant.

Just one example. My company uses aluminum for almost all products. The biggest chunk we source is in fact recycled aluminum, not only because it is cheaper, but new aluminum isn't even available at times! We had issues sourcing aluminum a bunch of times, needless to say covid added to the most recent issue by screwing up our logistics. At first we couldn't get it picked up due to lockdowns, than our containers got stuck because all US ports are clogged.

The video I posted is pretty in depth, explaining how recycled plastics are not only inferior in every metric, but more expensive as well. It's a giant scam propped up by the plastics industry to cover their asses.

[LostinTexas]

We were "Green" when I was young. We turned in bottles to be cleaned and reused. Recycling glass is feasible. We used paper bags that could be reused and were. Worst case, they would compost. We gardened, dried clothes on a line, cooked at home, raised chickens and other live stock (even in town), and a host of other things the greenies gasp over. Newspaper was recycled, reused, and repurposed.

Lots of other things, but everyone didn't.

[crockett]

1 hour ago, MO Fugga said:

The video I posted is pretty in depth, explaining how recycled plastics are not only inferior in every metric, but more expensive as well. It's a giant scam propped up by the plastics industry to cover their asses.

 

1. He talks about the world's plastic recycling system being broke. That is not true and misleading. The US isn't the world, its not even the only country in the western world.

2. Many other countries in the western world recycle plastic under law. In many countries, the industry is forced to reuse recycled material including plastic, in order to protect both the environment and raw material resources.

3. The entire video is only based on profitability because oil is cheap, so new plastic can be made cheaper than processing recycled plastic, IN THE US, IN ONE CASE. Tell me if the plastic recycled in Florida goes the same route.

4. We are running out of fossil fuels, including crude oil, while demand keeps going up. First semester economics: What will happen when demand goes up AND supply slows down? Oil, hence new plastic becomes (much) more expensive, and more expensive than recycled plastic. Just a matter of time, and with the Dems at the wheel, you may see this within the next 3 years.

5. Recycling is not about profitability, it is about sustainability. Using all our resources as fast and as dirty as possible is the most arrogant, and ignorant, way of thinking I'm aware of. Do you really think we have unlimited supplies of crude oil? Do you really think that our ever growing landfills don't have an impact on nature AND our health once it trickles through into the groundwater?

We have 8 BILLION humans trampling this small planet. Population is increasing. BY 2100 we may be sitting at 18 billion. Do you have any idea how our environment will look like when we double the impact?

6. The guy who made this video is only in one business: making shocking videos for views, aka AD revenue. Do you think he is motivated to be objective and all inclusive, let alone a capacity in ANY field? Look at his other videos! A few months ago he made a video on the topic of "How to start an Airline". This guys has no clue! He is a narrator that collects some info somewhere for a couple days, steals ALL his video material from other YouTube videos, and edits his own video that gets him 1 million views in average, making him $7,000 in ad revenue, in average! Always question and judge your source of information. Otherwise your opinion is based on junk.

[crockett]

On January 1, 2021 the EU introduced a plastics tax of Eur800/mt on plastic packaging that is not recycled. The levy is just one example of policies being enacted by governments across the world to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.

 

Various governments, beginning with Europe but more recently in the US and across Asia, are mandating that participants in certain industries, predominantly those that work with plastic packaging, decrease their reliance on virgin plastic and increase their use of recycled material.

 

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/blogs/petrochemicals/031121-recycled-plastics-global-market-commoditization-standards-pricing

[GT4494]

We recycle but...   The county didn't separate where they took stuff for almost two years because they couldn't find a company that would  do it for a reasonable price, IE. without the county having to raise taxes.  

So, we do put out two separate cans as asked but your guess is as good as mine if it all goes to the landfill or actually get separated and recycled..

[holyjohnson]

yeah, i fling it out the window on the Highway and it goes back to Nature.

i recycle some stuff but i`m not picking through my garbage like a racoon.

i`ll break down boxes and separate plastics.

but that's as far as i`ll go.

[gwalchmai]

3 hours ago, crockett said:

On January 1, 2021 the EU introduced a plastics tax of Eur800/mt on plastic packaging that is not recycled. The levy is just one example of policies being enacted by governments across the world to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.

 

Various governments, beginning with Europe but more recently in the US and across Asia, are mandating that participants in certain industries, predominantly those that work with plastic packaging, decrease their reliance on virgin plastic and increase their use of recycled material.

 

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/blogs/petrochemicals/031121-recycled-plastics-global-market-commoditization-standards-pricing

No need to shout. Remember, most of us have been hearing these doom and gloom stories all our lives. We've seen oil prices fluctuate wildly due to what can only be political whim. We've heard experts tell us we'll freeze in one decade only to be told we'll boil in another. I grew up reading The Limits to Growth and Ehrlich & Carson's predictions that we'd all be dead before the 21st Century, yet here we are. Heck, Malthus had us extinct before the last century. The one thing I know for sure is that every time I hear someone say we're going to run out of something or we need to do something, it's time to hold on to my pocketbook. Judicious moderation and a jaundiced eye are still as good as they ever were.

[crockett]

13 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

No need to shout. Remember, most of us have been hearing these doom and gloom stories all our lives. We've seen oil prices fluctuate wildly due to what can only be political whim. We've heard experts tell us we'll freeze in one decade only to be told we'll boil in another. I grew up reading The Limits to Growth and Ehrlich & Carson's predictions that we'd all be dead before the 21st Century, yet here we are. Heck, Malthus had us extinct before the last century. The one thing I know for sure is that every time I hear someone say we're going to run out of something or we need to do something, it's time to hold on to my pocketbook. Judicious moderation and a jaundiced eye are still as good as they ever were.

 

Not shouting, those are citations from the article.

The world is not black or white, its also not an on or off switch. Doom and gloom stories are at the far end and have nothing to do with reality or recycling. It is reality that many raw materials don't grow back. And it takes millions of years for crude oil to build. What we are sourcing and using won't be magically resourced, let alone in time, let alone after removing already 33% of our forests, world wide.

If you use some whacko doom and gloom stories to justify not being resourceful, discussing this topic makes no sense to begin with. You asked, I answered. 

[gwalchmai]

4 minutes ago, crockett said:

 

Not shouting, those are citations from the article.

The world is not black or white, its also not an on or off switch. Doom and gloom stories are at the far end and have nothing to do with reality or recycling. It is reality that many raw materials don't grow back. And it takes millions of years for crude oil to build. What we are sourcing and using won't be magically resourced, let alone in time, let alone after removing already 33% of our forests, world wide.

If you use some whacko doom and gloom stories to justify not being resourceful, discussing this topic makes no sense to begin with. You asked, I answered. 

Oh, sorry. I thought the bold was yours.

Well, the forests are renewable, especially the pulp we use for paper and the softwood we use for building. If I'd been in charge I wouldn't have let all the old-growth get eaten by the log barons, but all that's done. Oil is essentially non-renewable, but we're finding more of it as we're finding more efficient ways to use it. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I was raised poor because all my folks were poor, and they stretched a dollar, thus all resources. That falls under personal thrift and I approve of it. OTOH, I think that if we're going to have community based recycling it should do what it says it's going to do and recycle stuff. And if we're going to put everything into a landfill we should be up front about it. 

[crockett]

11 minutes ago, gwalchmai said:

Oh, sorry. I thought the bold was yours.

Well, the forests are renewable, especially the pulp we use for paper and the softwood we use for building. If I'd been in charge I wouldn't have let all the old-growth get eaten by the log barons, but all that's done. Oil is essentially non-renewable, but we're finding more of it as we're finding more efficient ways to use it. 

Now, don't get me wrong. I was raised poor because all my folks were poor, and they stretched a dollar, thus all resources. That falls under personal thrift and I approve of it. OTOH, I think that if we're going to have community based recycling it should do what it says it's going to do and recycle stuff. And if we're going to put everything into a landfill we should be up front about it. 

 

Call around and ask where your recycled materials go. I highly doubt that it goes straight to the landfill.

[crockett]

This is the info video from our county.

 

 

[MO Fugga]

4 hours ago, crockett said:

On January 1, 2021 the EU introduced a plastics tax of Eur800/mt on plastic packaging that is not recycled. The levy is just one example of policies being enacted by governments across the world to tackle the issue of plastic pollution.

 

Various governments, beginning with Europe but more recently in the US and across Asia, are mandating that participants in certain industries, predominantly those that work with plastic packaging, decrease their reliance on virgin plastic and increase their use of recycled material.

 

https://www.spglobal.com/platts/en/market-insights/blogs/petrochemicals/031121-recycled-plastics-global-market-commoditization-standards-pricing

Enforcement of unsustainable bullshit at gunpoint. Hopefully technology evolves, and makes it possible without major price increases or outright robbery, as in taxes. I believe easily biodegradable plastics are totally possible and will be the norm, we're just not there yet.