Info on recycling plastics

[Rianne]

I now feel the need to put recyclables into the dishwasher. It's more efficient than me trying wash out the extra food. I'd waste more water washing recycled items. I now worry, are we wasting water or creating too much garbage. A never ending cycle of waste.

 

[Midpack]

Our county is the exact opposite. They say if you're not sure, put it in. If we get enough of whatever product, we'll find a market for it. No sorting either.

Wonder where, UK, MD, other - and are you sure you’re current? They were all saying that, but the recycling landscape changed radically about a year ago, and many industry people didn’t notice until they had so many bales of sorted recycling stacking up that they had to take them to landfills. Many consciously chose (or still choose), not to tell customers for fear they’d get out of the habit of recycling at all.

 

[Spock]

Landfill degradation of organics in garbage creates methane (natural gas). Modern landfills are built to collect that methane and use it for beneficial uses, generally as a fuel source.

Also, modern landfills are constructed with a leachate collection system to capture and collect liquids that could migrate into groundwater beneath the landfill. These collected liquids are generally taken from landfill sites to be properly disposed of at a water treatment facility, if necessary.

Try telling that to the person who sued me for selling a house with a well near a landfill.

 

[aja8888]

Try telling that to the person who sued me for selling a house with a well near a landfill.

I did say modern landfills. Older ones (and there were plenty of them) were not designed this way and, like you experienced, could easily create well water contamination issues. Sorry to hear about your experience, and hope you came out OK.

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Wonder where, UK, MD, other - and are you sure you’re current? They were all saying that, but the recycling landscape changed radically about a year ago, and many industry people didn’t notice until they had so many bales of sorted recycling stacking up that they had to take them to landfills. Many consciously chose (or still choose), not to tell customers for fear they’d get out of the habit of recycling at all.

AA county, MD. What’s ironic is that neighboring Howard county has a state of the art recycling center that was featured on modern marvels and has a terrible program.

 

[Midpack]

AA county, MDf. What’s ironic is that neighboring Howard county has a state of the art recycling center that was featured on modern marvels and has a terrible program.

I’m surprised but I looked at the AA recycling website and it certainly supports what you’re saying. This article suggests that Montgomery County in MD may send sorted recycling to domestic sites, avoiding the China National Sword issue. Maybe other MD counties do as well. https://www.citylab.com/environment...gement-us-china-national-sword-change/584665/

I still hope we can move more people to reduce and reuse first and recycling second, but I’m not optimistic (yet).

 

[imoldernu]

No question that the members here are well informed, schooled and intelligent beyond the "average" person, and yet the subject is anything but clear cut or understandable.

I wonder that with all of the emphasis on global warming, dying oceans, environmental damage, and the like, that this subject is not in the forefront of education. Not taught in schools, very little attention in the news, and little government support.

A single thing that the average citizen could do that would have relatively little cost, with great results. Yes, we have hundreds of individual projects to save the environment as this
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/09/10/the-worlds-largest-ocean-cleanup-has-officially-begun/#1b1e7b7d2738

... but why not an education program... benefits for taking recycling class...
public school, imagination to make it worthwhile.

More like... too late...what the hell!

 

[Spock]

No question that the members here are well informed, schooled and intelligent beyond the "average" person, and yet the subject is anything but clear cut or understandable.

I wonder that with all of the emphasis on global warming, dying oceans, environmental damage, and the like, that this subject is not in the forefront of education. Not taught in schools, very little attention in the news, and little government support.

A single thing that the average citizen could do that would have relatively little cost, with great results. Yes, we have hundreds of individual projects to save the environment as this
https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevor...an-cleanup-has-officially-begun/#1b1e7b7d2738

... but why not an education program... benefits for taking recycling class...
public school, imagination to make it worthwhile.

More like... too late...what the hell!

Kids are already completely indoctrinated. Earth Day was just last week.
Its adults that make the product choices.

 

[Jerry1]

Kids are already completely indoctrinated. Earth Day was just last week.
Its adults that make the product choices.

Given that many of the indoctrinated have already become adults it must not be working very well

OTOH, as was pointed out, it’s not the same in this highly educated society as it is in the rest of the world. I think we’re doing pretty well but the majority of the rest of the world is struggling with disposal of waste.

Agree with the reduce and reuse concept. In the US, we certainly do have issues with our per capital use of the things we have issues with like plastics and electronic waste.

 

[Winemaker]

The problem is we have a new boogie man every 10 years; everyone has their own soft spot/idea/thought process. Members on this forum can't decide when to take SS after hundreds of articles/discussions/opinions. Why would we expect anything different about food choices or even garbage/recycling efforts. We all try to do what is right by our own point of view, and frankly I'm tired of some politician shoving their opinion/mandate down my throat. I believe NY City is going to ban processed meats to attack climate change.

 

[Lawrencewendall]

My understanding is that any landfill in the county needs to create a lake bed that has a 6" wall of clay on all sides to prevent seepage and and methane vents to extract the gasses produced. Don't see them harvesting the the gas but it seems so to be working. Oh Mo Co is NOT MD!.

 

[travelover]

...........More like... too late...what the hell!

Sadly, this seems to be the prevailing sentiment. I'll check out within the next 30 years, but sad for the next generations.

 

[USGrant1962]

The problem is we have a new boogie man every 10 years; everyone has their own soft spot/idea/thought process. Members on this forum can't decide when to take SS after hundreds of articles/discussions/opinions. Why would we expect anything different about food choices or even garbage/recycling efforts. We all try to do what is right by our own point of view, and frankly I'm tired of some politician shoving their opinion/mandate down my throat. I believe NY City is going to ban processed meats to attack climate change.

+1

 

[John Galt III]

+1. Indeed. I watch people in stores walk out with one or two items in a single use plastic bag. Why?

I am glad some municipalities are outlawing or having merchants charge for single use plastic water bottles, plastic bags, straws, etc. Can't come too soon for me. YMMV

A lot of places will ask me if I want a bag if I am only buying one thing. I say no, of course. Two grocery stores I go to are 'bring your own bag' places. Aldi and PriceRite.

 

[Jerry1]

A lot of places will ask me if I want a bag if I am only buying one thing. I say no, of course. Two grocery stores I go to are 'bring your own bag' places. Aldi and PriceRite.

I get a bag. I used to not get a bag but then I dropped something and won’t do that again. I was at HD and got a couple light bulbs. You know how they are in a sleeve of two? Well, on of the slipped out and shattered on the ground. Since I use the bag as a garbage can liner, I feel okay with putting that one item in the bag to prevent my clumsiness in the future.

 

[John Galt III]

Electronic waste is a big thing now. A few years ago you take your old electronics to the county's annual recycling event and drop off anything for free (including tv's). Then they started charging $5 for any size TV. Now they are charging $40 (yes, forty) for any old fashioned TV over 21 inch diagonal! ANd a bunch of different prices depending on type and size, for other screens/monitors, etc. Yagottabekidding me........

 

[John Galt III]

I get a bag. I used to not get a bag but then I dropped something and won’t do that again. I was at HD and got a couple light bulbs. You know how they are in a sleeve of two? Well, on of the slipped out and shattered on the ground. Since I use the bag as a garbage can liner, I feel okay with putting that one item in the bag to prevent my clumsiness in the future.

I do end up with a lot of plastic bags from shopping in general, and I reuse them for all sorts of things, but still end up bringing a big bag of plastic bags back to the store and stuff them into the plastic bag recycling box, if they are clean.

 

[ncbill]

Electronic waste is a big thing now. A few years ago you take your old electronics to the county's annual recycling event and drop off anything for free (including tv's). Then they started charging $5 for any size TV. Now they are charging $40 (yes, forty) for any old fashioned TV over 21 inch diagonal! ANd a bunch of different prices depending on type and size, for other screens/monitors, etc. Yagottabekidding me........

Whenever I go by there the large lot behind our city's "e-waste" drop-off building is filled with pallet after pallet of shrink-wrapped CRT (& old-style projection) televisions.

Supposedly they go to a U.S.-based recycler...

As for plastic bags/bottles/whatever, I try to avoid them since I know most here I put in the recycle bin will simply be trashed, even though I don't consider myself an especially "green" consumer.

 

[samclem]

I pay about $10/mo extra for curbside recycling bin/pickup. It's optional, I could just pay for the trash roller and dump everything in there.
I don't mind paying extra for the recycling (to do the more responsible thing), but if the company is really dumping almost everything in a landfill anyway, then:
1) They have a disincentive to tell me that. They make money on this "recycling" biz.
2) I'm actually wasting resources and causing more pollution.
a) These separate recycling trucks burn fuel, rinsing the cans uses clean water, etc.

b) I could be saving up the truly marketable recyclables (e.g. AL cans) and dropping them off myself.
c) I could be sending that $10 a month to a cause that would actually do some environmental good.


I probably need to look into this.

 

[Winemaker]

on a par with recycling dryer sheets, I use the plastic shopping bags as bathroom trash can liners, paint tray liners and to tie up my many, many extension cords.

 

[Midpack]

A lot of places will ask me if I want a bag if I am only buying one thing. I say no, of course. Two grocery stores I go to are 'bring your own bag' places. Aldi and PriceRite.

I look forward to seeing that myself. We went grocery shopping yesterday, and the old guy in front of us bought 3 cans of soup (about 14 oz ea), and the cashier put it in a single use plastic bag. As he walked out he dropped that bag into another bag, double bagging for himself. Completely idiotic, but a common mindset? We never say anything, as it's proven completely pointless...

 

[travelover]

on a par with recycling dryer sheets, I use the plastic shopping bags as bathroom trash can liners, paint tray liners and to tie up my many, many extension cords.

I'm saving all my plastic bags. Eventually they will be banned and therefore quite valuable in the future. These bags, along with my Beanie Bear collection will be a tidy inheritance for the kid.

 

[aja8888]

I'm saving all my plastic bags. Eventually they will be banned and therefore quite valuable in the future. These bags, along with my Beanie Bear collection will be a tidy inheritance for the kid.

What about your collection of Olympic Pins (or was that someone else here?)? Those too, should be real money getters in the future.

 

[JoeWras]

I'm saving all my plastic bags. Eventually they will be banned and therefore quite valuable in the future. These bags, along with my Beanie Bear collection will be a tidy inheritance for the kid.

What about 100W incandescent bulbs? Save those?

As for this topic: our mere existence on this earth impacts everything.

 

[GravitySucks]

I do have one plastic question: so if basically everything in the world is packed in or stored in plastic, why is it that straws are the new evil?

Personally I think this is an area where ingenuity is really needed. What can be invented to replace plastic and not harm the environment?

Straws are the new evil because someone got a photo of a turtle with a straw in its nostril. Could have been the turtle has a coke problem.
Someone on NPR last fall said the straw ban is based on a very bad study that was actually conducted by a school children for his or her science fair. The person being interviewed said he found over 80% of the articles he researched cited the data from this kid even though the hard science didn't back it up.