Throwaway culture: The truth about recycling

[rangerrebew]

Feature

19 July 2017
Throwaway culture: The truth about recycling

 

By Bob Holmes

Which materials are worth recycling?

From the most basic environmental point of view, all materials are worth recycling, because this reduces the need for energy-intensive mining and smelting of virgin materials. That makes a huge difference for some things – notably aluminium – but even recycling glass leads to a small energy saving and consequent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling can also provide a reliable, non-imported source of scarce resources such as the rare earth metals that are crucial parts of touchscreens and other high-tech devices.

[catfish1957]

I blew off recycling when I noticed the garbage man throwing the trash can contents and both recycle bins into the same truck.

[rodamala]

I blew off recycling when I noticed the garbage man throwing the trash can contents and both recycle bins into the same truck.

Anything burnable, I burn.  Glass and steel cans get thrown in the township recycle dumpsters.  Food scraps get composted.  Everything else gets bagged in plastic grocery bags and dropped in the gas station of convenience store trashcans.

[Joe Wooten]

Once, while working at Watts Bar, I measured the volume of the paper recycling bins outside the main office and got to look at the trucks hauling logs to the local pulp mill. It turns out that given the density of waste paper and logs for pulping, production costs, and transportation costs, it is cheaper for the overall cycle to use virgin paper than it is to recycle, which is why it has to be subsidized.

[Suppressed]

Once, while working at Watts Bar, I measured the volume of the paper recycling bins outside the main office and got to look at the trucks hauling logs to the local pulp mill. It turns out that given the density of waste paper and logs for pulping, production costs, and transportation costs, it is cheaper for the overall cycle to use virgin paper than it is to recycle, which is why it has to be subsidized.

Did you account for the additional landfill space costs in your calculation?

[Joe Wooten]

Did you account for the additional landfill space costs in your calculation?

Yep. Why do you think paper recycling still has to be subsidized? The biggest problem with all recycling programs by the government is that they do not look at the entire cycle, only that part which supports their mission and gets the biggest appropriations for building their little bureaucratic empires.

[bolobaby]

Did you account for the additional landfill space costs in your calculation?

You may be surprised to learn that paper - which is largely made from trees - is 100% biodegradable.

[Frank Cannon]

Once, while working at Watts Bar, I measured the volume of the paper recycling bins outside the main office and got to look at the trucks hauling logs to the local pulp mill. It turns out that given the density of waste paper and logs for pulping, production costs, and transportation costs, it is cheaper for the overall cycle to use virgin paper than it is to recycle, which is why it has to be subsidized.

Got a lot of free time on your hands, eh?

[Joe Wooten]

Got a lot of free time on your hands, eh?

The nuke testing world has a lot of downtime while waiting for things to happen. The measurement of the bin was done during work, but the analysis was done at night at home.....

[catfish1957]

Got a lot of free time on your hands, eh?

He calculates sanitation engineering problems at a bar?   Bet he is hoot to drink with.  /s

[Free Vulcan]

Bottom line is if prices ever rise or costs drop enough to make recycling economically feasible, it will be done.

[Sanguine]

Link:  https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg23531352-000-throwaway-culture-the-truth-about-recycling/

[Joe Wooten]

Bottom line is if prices ever rise or costs drop enough to make recycling economically feasible, it will be done.

Yep, though by market forces, not government fiat.

[RoosGirl]

The county I live in started forcing everyone to recycle by dropping garbage pick up to one day per week.  Recycle is picked up a different day of the week.  They delivered a garbage can and a recycle can to everyone in the county and that is the only can that will be emptied at the road side.  The trucks that come by have only a driver.  An arm swings over from the truck to pick up the can and empty into the truck.

[guitar4jesus]

He calculates sanitation engineering problems at a bar?   Bet he is hoot to drink with.  /s