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That's the only way besides not producing non biodegradable products in the first place if not very much is recyclable anymore.
A lot of it comes from takeout foods or restaurants that serve such huge portions that they have to pack the rest of it up for you to take home. Then there are all the plastic jars and plastic bottles.
Would you get off the large portions! I hardly ever see people take leftovers home and I eat out about once a day. A full grown working man needs fuel.
Would you get off the large portions! I hardly ever see people take leftovers home and I eat out about once a day. A full grown working man needs fuel.
This country is known around the world for the huge portions. People are always taking leftovers home with them--in a styrofoam clam or a plastic clam. My husband got two full meals out of one Chinese restaurant meal the other night and loads of plastic packaging to take it home in. (Besides not all of us are full grown working men, lol. Some of us are dainty, demure sweet women.)
You cannot blame towns, if there is no buyer for certain recyclables to offset the expense of collecting them. Our town has a separate recycle collection, but now, it only accepts #1&2 plastics and paper. In case you don’t know, that is not much.
In my opinion, the recycle needs to start at the source. I want cities to prohibit business from using non recyclable or biodegradable products.
The plastics. Whether the consumer wants it or not, we get it. I admire the few grocery stores, like Aldi, that don't make you feel like you're crazy if you bring your own bag. All the other stores load you down with plastic bags.
The restaurants. If they served meals in normal sized portions, instead of this practice of packing it up for you to take home, a lot of plastic would be saved. I just threw a bunch of plastic containers from last night's Chinese meal into recycling and would have been much happier just getting the ONE serving that I ordered instead of food that overflowed the plate.
I'd rather buy water in glass bottles and pay a return fee, but I seldom see water in glass bottles anymore. Besides, you buy it in one state and you aren't able to return it in another state. Need federal laws, but of course, some states will refuse to comply.
Packaging! The online buying is producing even more disposable packaging than before. It was bad enough when we saw the item in a store all wrapped up in plastic but now things aren't available in stores, you have to buy online, and you receive it in its original plastic PLUS more plastic and more paper and another box.
It would have to start at the federal level if we're going to stop these companies from so much plastic in packaging. I imagine the increase in plastic use goes back to plastic being a by product of the petroleum industry--and no one can stop them. Follow the money, the greed.
In Oregon you now can return plastic drink bottles and cans for a 10 cent refund, no matter which state collected the deposit. That's double the amount of deposit from the past. There is a growing number of other states which are adopting this reciprocal refund policy. It will have a big effect on the number of drink containers that are tossed out.
But the poor bottle-collectors who used to squeeze out a living by rifling through the recycling baskets people put out on the curb, are out of business. There's no longer enough of the containers being discarded, with the 10 cent deposit.
Recycling is now being economically exposed for what it is - a hidden tax that was placed to increase the bottom line of cities and certain businesses.
No, the secondary market has changed and this is a recent development in the last couple of years. One of the very first sentences in the article you quoted is "Now that other countries won’t take our papers and plastics." Cities and waste haulers used to be able to make a little money selling tons of recyclable materials to China. Now China not only won't pay for them, they outlawed accepting them! That's not a market that was fraudulent to begin with, it's a market that has undergone a seismic shift! Recycling programs can no longer be counted on to generate revenue.
The cost (and ability) to recycle is going to continue to be a problem, unless waste haulers and cities can find a new place to send recyclables.
The plastics. Whether the consumer wants it or not, we get it. I admire the few grocery stores, like Aldi, that don't make you feel like you're crazy if you bring your own bag. All the other stores load you down with plastic bags.
The restaurants. If they served meals in normal sized portions, instead of this practice of packing it up for you to take home, a lot of plastic would be saved. I just threw a bunch of plastic containers from last night's Chinese meal into recycling and would have been much happier just getting the ONE serving that I ordered instead of food that overflowed the plate.
I'd rather buy water in glass bottles and pay a return fee, but I seldom see water in glass bottles anymore. Besides, you buy it in one state and you aren't able to return it in another state. Need federal laws, but of course, some states will refuse to comply.
Packaging! The online buying is producing even more disposable packaging than before. It was bad enough when we saw the item in a store all wrapped up in plastic but now things aren't available in stores, you have to buy online, and you receive it in its original plastic PLUS more plastic and more paper and another box.
It would have to start at the federal level if we're going to stop these companies from so much plastic in packaging. I imagine the increase in plastic use goes back to plastic being a by product of the petroleum industry--and no one can stop them. Follow the money, the greed.
I too admire Aldi's and our small local grocery store pays you a nickel for each cloth bag you use. There are times when I want a few plasctic bags, but we are even using less zip lock bags. I use more storage containers that can be used over and over. I am not a nut case when it comes to the enviorment but I do try and use common sense. I do buy water in plastic bottle but we re-use them quite a while.
Economics trump poorly implemented idealism. It has happened to countries, religions, businesses, and now recycling.
I never considered forcing doctors and scientists worth hundreds of dollars an hour and focused upon bettering our lives to rummage through and clean their garbage was an effective or smart idea.
Recycling is now being economically exposed for what it is - a hidden tax that was placed to increase the bottom line of cities and certain businesses. I've no problem with the idea of recycling things, but the onus needs to be targeted on those creating excess packaging and poorly designed products instead of consumers.
This is a great post and thanks for the information. I have long had an instinct that recycling was a waste; it was something society does on a 6th grade mentality of "we have to start somewhere." Except possibly for paper it is a feel-good worthless activity. Better to spend money and time on other things than sorting garbage.
Economics trump poorly implemented idealism. It has happened to countries, religions, businesses, and now recycling.
I never considered forcing doctors and scientists worth hundreds of dollars an hour and focused upon bettering our lives to rummage through and clean their garbage was an effective or smart idea.
Recycling is now being economically exposed for what it is - a hidden tax that was placed to increase the bottom line of cities and certain businesses. I've no problem with the idea of recycling things, but the onus needs to be targeted on those creating excess packaging and poorly designed products instead of consumers.
About the "hidden-tax". Where I live, we have private trash pickup. The company that services my home charges an extra $60 a year to allow me to recycle. The owner tells me he makes little or no money off recycling, the charges are for his truck expenses and labor costs.
I've been paying the fee for several years now. I don't mind the fee so much, but it's just sad that these recycling companies (the ones who buy it, sort and resells it) doesn't make more money. I wonder if it's really worth the extra work on my part and the people/companies down the chain.
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