Recycling...why do I bother?

I bother because I care, but seemingly my efforts to recycle are scupperred by Joe Public at No 33 just down the road from me.

I've just listened to some discussion on Radio 2 whilst out in the car, here are some facts I managed to hear.

Over 200,000 tonnes of recycled rubbish (sorted/cleaned by the public at home) went to landfill this year.

Its more environmentally friendly to cut down a tree to make paper, rather than collect, transport, sort, process, bleach transport recycled paper from our homes.

If Joe Public at No 33 does not wash out his Heinz baked beans tin when he's had his snack and then recycles it dirty...then that contaminates the whole streets recycling and it off it goes to landfill..THE WHOLE STREETS !! Sometimes even the whole lorryfull is considered contaminated and is dumped.

So what resources of water have been used, how much detergent has gone through the system if we clean up our recycled waste to dispose of properly...only to have it go to landfill....like I said...WHY DO I BOTHER !

Your thoughts?

Steve...

 

My thoughts are yours Steve... but we shall still do it........

 

Interesting thoughts Steve R!

Certainly at this point in time it is difficult to keep a balanced outlook towards saving the planet when half the population don't appear to care, judging by the litter and rubbish left about in the streets. Worse than that I think it appears unfashionable and undignified these days to have any kind of respect for authority! Just to compound the problem, a lot of authorities don't deserve any respect anyway!

Human nature being what it is, I don't think that suddenly changing a culture to work in a different way stands a chance of working and it takes many years, even generations to develop new habbits. Eventually, with a bit of luck, technology will reach a stage to solve these problems and when we have N-billion pound state of the art equipment that can deal effectively with No. 33's bean tins then we can start to move on.

Until then, I feel that we must do our best to adapt to the new ways even though some of it is bound to be illogical in the short term.

Better stop now, think I have said enough!:D

 

Thinking onwards a bit about this and I guess there is no real way to check on recycled waste, save for an expensive Policing of sorts.

However, I wonder if some sort of "Household" certification might apply or work here. Those households taking part could be given a council tax decrease and those who are not could be given an increase. And yes I know that this would be open for abuse but I guess someone much smarter than me could easily figure a way around that problem. It just seems such a waste that a collected load of recyclables are dumped in landfill because of a small minority.

Maybe even a self certification (without the council tax application) so that at least some of the collected recyclables get collected and recycled seperately. Maybe a reward for this could be that once a year those who do recycle well, are allowed a certain ammount of council compost for free.

There must be many ways and incentives to make it work fully, but there has got to be a way to filter out those who dont or wont "play ball"

Another thing I forgot to mention in my initial posting is that recycling has become much more expensive with this credit crunch/recession we are currently in, again making it non-viable.

Steve...

 

I'm completely mystified how anyone would know if Joe Public hadn't washed a solitary baked bean tin out properly. Is this perhaps a trick to get us all to wash the empty tins out better?! I do it anyway, I hasten to add.

I heard the other day that although some recycling has lost its profit incentive, plastic and metal are still doing well - so don't give up.

I've been recycling for so long I just couldn't go back to the old ways. I feel guilty if I even think about it!

 

Yes I agree Flinty, how would they know and in any case our street is only 30 dwellings long and the refuge lorry certainly don't go back to the depot after each street collection! Surely the vehicle dumps it's load and eventually the waste works it's way along convenyors where No. 33's bean tins can be spotted by somebody who is awake! A lot of contaminated tins must get thro' but that surely can't ruin the whole process? When they eventually melt the tins down there will be a lot of impurities that have to be skimmed off and what about the labels?

Then it is too late to talk about the whole street!

Perhaps it is just a wind up or trick as you say, but we do wash our tins out fairly well which also has the advantage of keeping our bin cleaner. I like to think that everybody does the same and I am sure most do!

 

I like Steve's idea regarding rewards and 'certification' a carrot often works better than a stick.:gnthb: Our council runs a 'win a bike' draw for folk taking their own garden waste for recycling. They have at long last just started a three-bin roadside collection scheme in our village.
I remain uncertain about the 'carbon economics' as there are so many differing claims regarding the 'carbon costs' of the various recyclates.

The one thing I am certain about is that composting as much as we can at home saves carbon emissions carting stuff away and earns us some valuable stuff to feed the veg we grow and saves us a few trips to Tescos too

 

Steve, shocked by reading that the recycling I go to great efforts to do (even walking to the recycling bins to remain carbon neutral!) might well be in vain....but like others I will continue to do it.

I'd like to see some sort of "reward" for us recycling more-perhaps in Council Tax reduction. Unfortunately, humans being as we are, the way to encourage us is through our wallets. I don't think people should be punished for not recycling or filling their bin with potential recycling materials, but there should be a reward for doing it. Carrot versus stick. Might also make councils more aware of what happens to recycled waste, rather than just dumping in landfill.

Still, in a few years time, there won't be many landfill sights left to use. Maybe that will force a decision?

 

I thought that part of the process of recycling the can involved washing it anyway so why are they so bothered about a few that might have gone into the bins unwashed..

I recycle whatever I can, if I must put something in the black bin I make sure there's nothing else it can be used for so as you say, why do I/we make such an effort to sort through out rubbish(not literally) washing tins and glass jars only for it to end up in land fill with the small amount I actually put in my black bin as since I got my green bin my black bin is very rairly more than a quarter full.

Our local council was on about weighing our black bins and charging us by weight for refuse collection, which would work for me who religiously recycles.

round our way black bin is household and green is recycling and we now have a funky green bag for glass but the rest of it all gets mixed up in the green bin.

 

i just need to get this off my chest!

Our recycling is collected fortnightly... on a Thursday.. but not Christmas Day, so we have to wait til the 8th of January.... a month's worth, over Chrismas...... it's all going into a skip today!... i feel guilty!

 

Quercus, you have to wait until the 8th? Our rubbish is collected on Thursdays, but this week it will be collected Saturday. Are you positive they`ve shut down for a fortnight?

 

Would agree with David. Check you council website-ours have their alternative collecting dates for the holiday period, by checking your postcode.

 

I am very dubious about the tin can washing business. During the original smelting process from the ore a lot of impurities have to be burnt off or separated. Logic suggests that when you melt down a batch of old tins any residual food or label will burn off pretty early in the process and the rest will mix with the clinker. I am prepared to be corrected, but I tend to feel that this recycling business is run by administrators, not by Engineers, Chemists and Accountants!

 

I agree Prastio, we are just asked to give the tins a quick swill out and not worry about the labels. Our council also recycles carrier bags, so why is there such an uproar about them?:(