re: Recycling

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Same.

Now i need a rain barrel.

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If you ever want some brewing grains to compost... I can give you plenty, once or twice a month.

It's pretty easy to recycle in N.O. so we do it. And, yeah, it's more about landfill than energy, imo.

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I recycle probably twice as much stuff as I throw in the trash.

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I need a recycle bin the size of my trash can. And it never fails that a holiday falls on recycle day, so I end up with an overflowing recycle bin and a trash can that's barely got anything in it. We compost as well, so there's not a whole lot that goes into the actual trash can. I go weeks without dragging it to the curb, but I'll be damned if I'll miss a week bringing the recycle bin out.

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I've never recycled anything in my life.

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+1
Recycling is a scam. It's not cost efficient. It's part of the deep ecology movement from the 70s. I do have a compost pile for my garden. That's efficient over buying new soil every year.

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Now i need a rain barrel.

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I have a 250 gallon rain barrel that provides enough water until the summer.....and except for my small veggie garden, I don't water much at all. My lawn and ornamental plants are all native/ drought tolerant. But to have enough water for the summer I would need at least 1000 gallons.

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but I really need about 5 more to be really helpful.

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Drew up plans the other day for a 500 gallon cistern that gravity feeds into my garden. Now lets see if I can implement those plans before spring.

Small rain barrels are more feel good than useful.

In Jefferson Parish, we pay for it, might as well use it!

We have 2 full bins every week and very little garbage.

I know of no such provided opportunity or service to recycle things around here. Most folks probably think it means ride your bike again.

A lot of myths to debunk up in here.

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If all of it was tossed we would be out of landfill space.

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. There is not really a shortage of space for landfills. Yes, landfills get full, but there is no shortage of space, not by a loooong shot. Municipal landfills are now a rarity. Landfills are a big business and we pay for that with our taxes. What we should really be investing in is incinerators that use the heat generated to make electricity. Now we are really talking conservation, but for some reason, the green lobby opposes them.

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All cold formed metal is recycled steel and most appliances are majority recycled steel from existing appliances or cars. Plastic bottle are recyclable and most water bottles have a big portion of recycled plastic. Same with glass, cardboard and paper products.

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Most steel recycling and other metal recycling is done whether you throw it in the recycle bin or in the garbage. Most waste management companies utilize the metal and other profitable waste material on their own, using their own sorting methods. All of that is great.

What is a scam is that many recycling programs are an added expense to tax payers and it gives you the idea that it is benefitting the earth somehow. Only a tiny percentage of plastic material that is gathered for recycling is actually used. The rest is incinerated or buried, after energy is wasted to collect it, sort it, and shred it. But hey, it makes us feel better, right?

More emphasis needs to be placed on the other two R's: Reduce and Reuse

We have WAY too much packaging on our products. It's ridiculous. And we have far too few items that are made to last anymore, much less be reused.

We actually spend tremendous amounts of R&D on how to make products break down faster and in ways that seem more palatable to the public. Appliances are made to last a precise amount of time, to look good the entire "short" life span, and then have one part break such that the cost of replacement is a motivator to buy a new one, but not obviously so.

Companies know that we tend to shift the blame in our minds onto ourselves as consumers for "choosing" to buy a new refrigerator at $1,000, instead of repairing it which would cost $475. The companies actually research the exact price point of the replacement part and cost of service to maximize this effect. That's why your salesman and repairman will both suggest that "it's time to buy new" often before knowing the problem, just because it's been 8 years.

I know I have taken this discussion on a tangent, but it's relevant.

Municipal landfills are filling up and municipalities are shipping across country and yes it is big business but it's getting to be nimby business. And incinerating for energy is both recycling and conserving as well as generating. I agree it should be done and have no clue why the green lobby would oppose-well yes I do.

Louisiana has a mandate to reduce landfill solid waste and BR still has a municipal landfill which is the second location. I don't care about feeling good for saving the earth. As I said, it's just a tool and if looked at it like that I see no reason not to especially since it is as hard as dropping into a recycle bin or garbage bin both of which are side by side in my garage and then rolling to the street.

As long as there is a market for recycled bails it is sold and the majority is sold overseas but yes if no market is available it is disposed of.

I agree with reduce and reuse. The packaging is very bad now as opposed to the standard cardboard box of my youth. Not to mention I need a chainsaw to get into most of it.