Does Recycling Actually Work?

rickymouse
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Here, the wood goes into the landfill. I think they should use the wood to heat the landfill buildings myself. That will save them money. They could have a few guys, even prisoners, seperating the wood from the contractor trash. They could recycle roofing also. Some of the Tires are recycled, I do not know exactly what the do with them though.

You are right though, recycling is not that much more expensive. It also can create extra jobs.

tires are usually recycled into road compound and kids play equipment matting. its expensive but well worth it.

reply to post by Sinter Klaas


I appreciate your viewpoint and respect it.

But, using your analogy, recycling works because everyone makes money out of it, why is there still fly tipping, oceanic gyres and illegal dangerous landfill going on?

One example where easy money is made is with hazardous waste "disposal", it enables a contractor to charge the earth but, even with so-called accountability trail, unidentified waste is easy to dump, and when exported, well, unless you have worked with export licensing or end use controls you will not understand what a waste of paper certificates of disposal or end use are, just that, waste paper.

Cobaltic1978
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Okay, then why has my home City been rewarded by the 'Rockerfeller Foundation' for it's job in getting the people to recycle more and more? We have just been announced as a resilient city and as a consequence stand to receive funding from this organisation.

As I said, recycling is important, but it's the extent that we have to seperate everything and we have seperate boxes for everything.

I appreciate not everything is a conspiracy and you really shouldn't go around assuming that people do. What I am stating is my personal observation.

edit on 27/12/13 by Cobaltic1978 because: (no reason given)

You can call it whatever you want, personal observation, delusion, conspiracy theory, paranoia....

By claiming the government is trying to control people is going into the absurd territory.

First off, recycling is done municipality by municipality.

I am sorry that yours is being cheap by forcing the separation of recyclables on you. But that is all it is, they are forcing it on you, they are passing on the costs.

And what does the extra funding have to do with anything?

reply to post by nixie_nox


Many years ago, journalists, in Canada, found out that some recycling enterprises were simply burying in the ground what should have been recycled, as if it was "common" garbage stuff.

Also, how many times have we heard that a school, an hospital or a park for kids had been built over contaminated land, either by enterprises, with some very very nasty chemical residues, or simply on a landfill that was covered as it was easier and cheaper to do.

Of course not everything is a conspiracy, on a grand scale.

But human nature being what it is, and seeing how much corruption has invaded the politics, we can sadly be confident that there ARE conspiracies to screw people for a little more bread. There has always been, and there will always be...

We have leaf, paper. plastic and glass bottle recycling where I live. In the spring we have spring clean-up where we're allowed to throw one large item at curb side a week for 5 weeks to be taken away to the landfill. Half the time if you put anything made out of metal, scavengers come around and take them and throw them in the back of their pick-up trucks so they can cash in on the scrap metal. So it does help prevent the amount of tonnage going into the local landfill.

I'm concerned for our children's future. We can't keep on throwing our garbage in massive landfills. This is a dire problem for the entire world. You would think the brightest minds in the world would come together and try solving some of these environmental problems that are facing this planet.

reply to post by Shuftystick


In Brevard County Florida we have this whole recycling thing wired pretty tight
Things I can think of recycled here:
All the usual via our contracted curbside recyler. cans aluminum and steel. glass, paper cardboard packaging and newsprint. plastic containers. aluminum foil yard waste limbs grass leaves and so on.

From our regular trash pickup: wood such as posts, 2x4 and other processed materials. Concrete, steel and other ferrous/non ferrous metals, tires, appliances

Then there are the local independant scrapers that will not let the "sun set" on a TV set, computer moinitor, computer, appliance, bike or aluminm screen door , lawn furniture BBQ grill and so on.
*I have made side money since I was 8y/o this way!

Brevard county has a place to turn in unwanted household products paints, pesticides, cleaning products.
Anyone is allowed to forage through their "turn-ins" and take home paints and other items that they can use. I never buy WD-40, Paint thinner, House paint, brake fluid etc. because I visit my local turn-in spot about once a month. (hope I'm not killing the goose here!)
They also have a spot to get all the free yard mulch made from ground up tree limb and other yard waste you can haul away.

Private businesses now sell mulch made from ground up tree limbs and yard waste. Gravel made from crushed recycled concrete. ground cover from old shredded car tires. The mulch is the same quality as Lowes or your local hardware store, dyed black, brown/red or left natural.

**Almost forgot........The County landfill captures the methane gas offed from the landfill and uses it to generate electricity via a diesel generator. This electricity is sold to Florida Power and Light.

reply to post by Shuftystick


I understand. But that doesn't mean that recycling doesn't work.

It means that there are still people and companies, that prefer to dispose of their waste another way.
Maybe because the energy to do it right is seen as a boring time consuming effort.
Maybe they don't give a crap about the environment ?
Maybe they don't have the manpower or finances, to clean up their mess.
Maybe their waste exists of non recyable materials.
The profits that can be earned by recycling, are so small that it doesn't pay for the efforts they need to recycle.

To recycle a material, you also need a market that buys the end product.
Gold will be melted and sold. The plastic grains you get from recycling, can be used for other products, but that will only work if there is a need for it.

What you see is that there are companies that recycle only one product, because the amount of material needed, will only be profitable at enormous amounts.

There will always be those that dump their waste where it won't be noticed.

Unfortunately all the good intentions in the world, won't be enough to make every company sort out their waste and ship it through a recycle unit.
Forcing this by law would bankrupt to many companies, that can't afford to invest to adapt to a certain norm. The local economy might be so difficult , that any investment could be a death sentence...

Or are there answers or constructions available that will pay for the necessary investments, for the good of the world ?
I think there are to many greedy, selfish people around to make a difference.

I'm starting to believe I should have added a rider to the OP header...or maybe changed it completely to something along the lines of Recycling is all down to PROFiT and sod all to do with the ENVIRONMENT - discuss...

Guess as I progress through my ATS years I will become more or less cynical depending on my viewpoint and experiences of life?

I don't think Recycling is working given the overwhelming evidence that exists.

My particular area of interest is related to the Oceans, but I do not discount other areas e.g. Space, Underground, Landfill, Nuclear and particularly Flytipping or Illegal Landfills.

An offshoot is the carbon footprint of recycling, to support my contention that recycling is not working either in practical or financial terms.

It is a given that we should be looking after "Mother Earth" and the future of mankind, trouble is not many people are undertaking their stewardship in this matter. It's human nature to leave it till another day or for someone else to sort out. Try that with a fess pit and see what happens!

reply to post by Shuftystick

Have you read, indepth, all of the replys to your OP?
Your answer is there already.

I think what you want are not anecdotal or factual responses from a variety of people and places sighting their personal observations and opinions.
Rather you seek something more controversal and entertaining.

No Springer
Yes Cronkite

Recycling works.
Refining a raw material is more energy intensive than recycling an already refined one.
That's simple physics.

As far as effectiveness of programs, the failings lie in the human element and the desire for profit.

The simple laziness of individuals is a factor as well.

It costs a hell of a lot more to separate bulk trash than to process trash that has been separated before pick up or drop off.

The world would save trillions if people would just separate their trash.

reply to post by rickymouse


To answer the questions about tires, they are reused in many ways, for example they get sorted by grade and quality some of them will get retread and sent to 3rd world countries, some get shredded for making roads, and some are used to make road side barriers and other items. There are also some places that use tires to produce electricity buy burning them, I believe this is out in California.

I work in the industry and understand a great deal about what goes on.

reply to post by Cobaltic1978


I guess the United Kingdom is a little behind in the times, here in the states the majority of us have what we call single sort recycling, you through everything into one trash can and when it gets too the Material Recovery facility it is sorted automatically by machine. Look up MRF on YouTube.

badgerprints
Recycling works.
Refining a raw material is more energy intensive than recycling an already refined one.
That's simple physics.

As far as effectiveness of programs, the failings lie in the human element and the desire for profit.

The simple laziness of individuals is a factor as well.

It costs a hell of a lot more to separate bulk trash than to process trash that has been separated before pick up or drop off.

The world would save trillions if people would just separate their trash.

I rarely agree with you, but your post on this topic absolutely nails the issue.
Well said.

Mmm...

It would be crass and arrogant if I were to create a post and not read its contents or replies, so hopefully that puts that assumption to rest.

Whether I understand, comprehend or agree with them though is a completely different issue. Given the ravings that exist throughout ATS that is not so easy, the phrase "see the wood for the trees" springs to mind.

Notwithstanding the vagaries of human nature, there have been many informative postings in response and the thread has certainly illustrated a divergence of opinion on the OP.

To intimate that I seek something more controversial or entertaining shows a poor grasp of human nature, sensationalism I leave to the true keyboard warriors, shills and ne'er do-wells that inhabit the dark, slimy areas beneath damp stones.

However, back to reality, the various responses, as would be expected with such a question, have raised further questions. As indicated, there will be a follow-up new post related to this along the lines of what can we do about it, please hold your answers to that for that time. I will cross refer on this thread when that happens.

Thank you all for your replies, it would have been a disservice to any of you had I not fully READ each one!

Intelligent debate is just that.

If our governments were really serious about saving the planet then why are they not building these plants at every landfill site?



garbage to oil


I saw a youtube video about this several years ago and sent the link to the relevant MSP, it was ignored and still the councils get big landfill charges. With this plant we could solve the landfill problems, create cheap local fuel and save the council and residents a lot of money.