Members chubrocker Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 Thought I'd put up a more positive titled thread than I started yesterday. Four months ago, my wife and I started making a much more concerted effort to recycle all we can. My daughter's school started a recycling program that takes paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastics 1-7 (basically all but tins cans and glass--which I take to our city recycling facility) as a fundraiser for the the school. I am AMAZED at how much I take to the big dumpster at my daughter's school each week. I'm happy to see it full each week with people recycling. On average, I take 4-5 very full brown paper sacks to the dumpster each week. 2-3 sacks are plastic and 2 sacks are cardboard and paper. I never noticed how much of our food is wrapped/packaged in cardboard and plastic until doing this. If you have a school in your area that is doing a recycling program, please try to take your recyclables there. My daughter's school raised enough in a few months to buy new carpeting for the auditorium! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Svi Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I love recycling, but after my husband told me the scam it is, I don't feel that way anymore Just ask him. He works for a major paper broker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted July 17, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I love recycling, but after my husband told me the scam it is, I don't feel that way anymore Just ask him. He works for a major paper broker. Really? What's the scam? They are not really reusing the paper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BoundandBlocked Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 [YOUTUBE]xNJ__Pw_jaY[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]oZQ41cceCD8[/YOUTUBE] [YOUTUBE]T0JtRIdamXs[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P1gg1e Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I love recycling, but after my husband told me the scam it is, I don't feel that way anymore Just ask him. He works for a major paper broker. Your such a Debbie Downer today :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Svi Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 Your such a Debbie Downer today :poke: PS-check your FB! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marko Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 Yeah, my understanding is that the process causes more pollution than it saves Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members perrydabassman Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 recycling paper is a real BIG money business. Almost all large manufacturers that use any kind of paper for packaging uses recycled. I think the let down point trying to be made here is that you are feeding a money machine by recycling. IMHO, it still beats burying it in a landfill somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t3ch Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 P&T: BS Damn, beat me to it. Good on you though, for trying to contribute positively to your surroundings. It's great to see the plastic recycled, if nothing else. Now if only we could figure out how to reuse Styrofoam... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banta Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I just took some aluminum to the recycler Wednesday, got $105. The last time I took some I got $350. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted July 17, 2009 Author Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 recycling paper is a real BIG money business. Almost all large manufacturers that use any kind of paper for packaging uses recycled. I think the let down point trying to be made here is that you are feeding a money machine by recycling. IMHO, it still beats burying it in a landfill somewhere. I already knew most of the things in the P&T bit. I guess it's the landfill component that really amazed me--in that, I have about two less 33-gallon trash bags a week now. That's quite a bit of trash the trash man is not picking up each week. Hopefully the recycling company is not trashing most of what they pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bryan316 Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm not going crazy about separating banana peels and chicken bones. But I separate the plastic and paper and metal and glass. I'll do a simple amount. Now if I really wanted to benefit, I'd start a compost pile and build me some hella-rich fertilizer. But I don't grow a garden, so {censored} that. But what CAN be done with styrofoam? We use so {censored}in much of that crap, and it exists for 1000 years, just sucking up space cuz it's mostly trapped air... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chris-dax Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 B&B - your post has got my weekend started on a decidedly up note... it's nice to know it's up there on the webz when I need it...thx and who's tougher than P&T...those guys rock... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t3ch Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'm not going crazy about separating banana peels and chicken bones. But I separate the plastic and paper and metal and glass. I'll do a simple amount.Now if I really wanted to benefit, I'd start a compost pile and build me some hella-rich fertilizer. But I don't grow a garden, so {censored} that.But what CAN be done with styrofoam? We use so {censored}in much of that crap, and it exists for 1000 years, just sucking up space cuz it's mostly trapped air... It's all floating in the pacific ocean, let me see if I can find the link... edit -- http://blog.modernature.ca/?p=90 http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Editorial-Page.htm?Info=0030840 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hi.flyer Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 It's all floating in the pacific ocean, let me see if I can find the link... edit -- http://blog.modernature.ca/?p=90http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Editorial-Page.htm?Info=0030840 Eww, nasty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members misterhinkydink Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 We recycle most everything except glass in Albuquerque but here in Menlo Park most of the time they don't pick the stuff up. They do mail out lots of junk mail telling me what a wonderful recycling program they have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JovialEvil Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 My city provides a recycling bin that is picked up every other week. Ours is always full and most of my neighbors set theirs out too. I do save the aluminum can and water bottles for myself to take and get back the CRV. What convinced me was the Dirty Jobs episode where Mike went the San Fran Recycling plant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members s4001 Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 But what CAN be done with styrofoam? We use so {censored}in much of that crap, and it exists for 1000 years, just sucking up space cuz it's mostly trapped air... Thermal repolymerization can take care of the problem if it catches on. Even though we should stop burning stuff for energy, the composite hydrocarbons can still be used for all the other stuff we use oil for, like plastics and petrochemistry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members birdboy7007 Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 Thermal repolymerization can take care of the problem if it catches on. Even though we should stop burning stuff for energy, the composite hydrocarbons can still be used for all the other stuff we use oil for, like plastics and petrochemistry. Thanks for that, I wasn't familiar with the thermal depolymerization process, but I just went and took a look into it. I've done some academic design work on the production of styrene industrially, so I have a bit of an interest. CWT claims that their process only uses about 15% of the energy which it creates, so from that perspective it seems fairly sustainable. It looks like the major issue right now is the limited profit return. They're creating a fairly low-value product, and the operating costs seem pretty high. (Just based on the wikipedia entry/case study on the plant operating on a turkey waste feedstock). I'd imagine if you could economically gather and transport used styrofoam to a facility, the margins could be more attractive to producers. I'll have to see if I can find more solid information on what's being done with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JovialEvil Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I'd imagine if you could economically gather and transport used styrofoam to a facility, the margins could be more attractive to producers. I'll have to see if I can find more solid information on what's being done with it. Is there a reason why styrofoam is still being used? I would think it would have been outlawed by now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P1gg1e Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I think from what I got from P and T is that the government "sponsoring" ( aka us the tax payer.) is what makes it not cost effective... We though reduce our waste , reuse at home and recycle last. We only have one bag-o-trash for a week plus for a family of 4. I'm not doing it for environmental reasons...I'm just a miser and the less we buy and throw away the cheaper it is for us LOL..but often the more environmentally friendly way of doing things is the cheaper way...unless its subsidized by uncle sam I still recycling! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Svi Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I think from what I got from P and T is that the government "sponsoring" ( aka us the tax payer.) is what makes it not cost effective... We though reduce our waste , reuse at home and recycle last. We only have one bag-o-trash for a week plus for a family of 4. I'm not doing it for environmental reasons...I'm just a miser and the less we buy and throw away the cheaper it is for us LOL..but often the more environmentally friendly way of doing things is the cheaper way...unless its subsidized by uncle sam I still recycling! ONE bag of garbage for a family of 4? Holy crap. You're going to hate us when you see how much we go through! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P1gg1e Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 ONE bag of garbage for a family of 4? Holy crap. You're going to hate us when you see how much we go through! I wont hate you! I will though have to control my urge to save things... Its not a judgment on others....you pay for your own trash Oh I forgot we have 3 extra kids during the week so I guess 4 out of 7 days we have a 7 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bassplayer7770 Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 I wont hate you! I will though have to control my urge to save things... Its not a judgment on others....you pay for your own trash She ain't judgmental, but I am!!! :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t3ch Posted July 17, 2009 Members Share Posted July 17, 2009 ONE bag of garbage for a family of 4? Holy crap. You're going to hate us when you see how much we go through! No kidding, I think we go through 1 bag in a day and a half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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