Reply to: Recycling, yes or no?

[Jog On]

Yes, but should be done by convicts or, in due course, robots at recycling depots.

I always thought this would be a good activity for the hoody asbo types

Great idea. The unemployed could have a go too (at different depots).

Yes them as well - the long term professional unemployed that is, would soon get them looking for something better

[ThomasSoerensen]

In chez minestrone I try to make sure everything is recycled, cans, bottles, plastics, batteries, paper etc. What we put in the land fill bin is probably about one quarter of a black bag a week.

To the credit of my council they do actively help out on this providing bags and boxes for all the recyclable groups.

Anyway, my friend comes round for a few beers last night and we get onto this topic during conversation. His view is that he pays tax to buy the product and he pays council tax to take the waste away, therefore it is not his problem.

So..

Recycling, yes or no?

It all goes to the same landfill anyway - there is no point to it - except to make you feel good if you are dim.

[Cheshire Cat]

We have to get away from a culture of disposables.

China imports oil to make plastic cutlery that gets shipped to us who use it once then chuck it in the plastics bin. The used plastics then get shipped to Bangladesh to get separated by hand.

Is it not better just to have metal cutlery?

Yes, sheffield steel has a smaller "carbon footprint" too.
But it costs 'Pret' less when customers nick their plastic spoons.

[minestrone]

We have to get away from a culture of disposables.

China imports oil to make plastic cutlery that gets shipped to us who use it once then chuck it in the plastics bin. The used plastics then get shipped to Bangladesh to get separated by hand.

Is it not better just to have metal cutlery?

[Cheshire Cat]

I think the media place far too much emphasis on the recycle aspect of conservation, and far too little on reduce or reuse.
However, these first two are more effective and result in an overall reduction in consumption, which is almost treason in our "current economic climate".

[PAH]

Landfill sites done properly aren't exactly bad either there is a great thick membrane between the rubbish and the environment around it that stops the really bad tulip getting out.

I've seen the monster bug movies and know what suckers are going to be emerging from these landfills in about 20 years.

The ironic thing is the monster bug isn't the threat, it's all the micro bacteria stuck to its arse that mutated from all and everything we've been dumping.

Forget astroids, global warming, or the lock ness monster. It's the ickle bugs that are going to finish us off.

[deano]

Tell 'em that you don't landfill your bags. You have a big bonfire and burn them!

You can have a lot of fun with these sort of humourless, non-thinking drones if you want.

Actually, we should incinerate more of our rubbish anyway. Let's build more incinerators. In Wales and Scotland where nobody is.

[SantaClaus]

Ok, you got me started on this subject!

Don't even go shopping in Crouch End without a canvas shopping bag. The plastic bag police will be after you.

When the checkout lady in Waitrose patronises me off for asking for plastic carrier bags, I ask her why my fruit and vegetables have been air-freighted from Argentina and are packaged in thick plastic. Why do we need to import apples for gawds sake!

Unfortunately, my questions aren't usually understood.

As for recycling, we are unpaid workers for the council, sorting our waste, when the council used to do that anyway. Its simply about them saving money.

[deano]

I don't bother because in the long run it's all futile anyway. Once the current holocene interglacial comes to an end it's all going to get a bit parky.

[Ardesco]

cans and glass are worth recycling, however paper is a waste of space (most paper is made from forests specifically grown to make paper now, they wouldn't be grown if there was no demand for it). Plastic is so rthing we really shouldn't recycle. The recycling process produces a tulip load of highly toxic crap that screws the environment up more than just chucking it in a landfill.....

Landfill sites done properly aren't exactly bad either there is a great thick membrane between the rubbish and the environment around it that stops the really bad tulip getting out.

[BrilloPad]

ex

IGMC...

Except she lives in Bexley.......

[shoes]

You do all know that the council puts it all in landfill anyway?


The whole thing is ridiculous, and sits appropriately alongside the looks of utter horror I get from the minimum wage supermarket numpty when I place those overpackaged goods in an additional wafer thin plastic bag.

Shame these highly qualified environmental scientists are all working on supermarket checkout counters these days.

[FiveTimes]

we do our stuff of recycling, but things like orange/apple juice cartons can't be done. So we could reduce our land fill waste by buying different juice, but can't be arsed.

[PAH]

In Greenwich we seperate food from other stuff : the food gets made into compost. which is great.

They do that in the north too. Except the food gets put back on the shelves, with a new sell by date label.

[AtW]

In Greenwich we seperate food from other stuff : the food gets made into compost. which is great.

ex

IGMC...