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Old 05-16-2013, 08:15 AM
 
Location: the Beaver State
6,464 posts, read 13,442,036 times
Reputation: 3581

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Quote:
Originally Posted by turquoise1 View Post
That is pretty gross about the rats. In NYC, rats own the place, as do roaches... there are overflowing dumpsters everywhere... of course, it doesn't also help that Second Avenue is being dug up.

What I'm confused about in Portland is... why do facial tissues go in the garbage, but used paper napkins go in compost? Also, why are only some types of plastic recycled? Why do compostable containers go in the garbage instead of compost?

Does the city make money from recycling, if so, how much?
Portland has one of the very first garbage sorting machines. It's a collection of conveyor belts and sensors that use a variety of techniques to sort types of garbage out, this includes a piece where it's hand picked over by low wage workers.

I do not know why tissue goes in the garbage, and paper napkins go into the compost - but would assume it has something to do with disease control. I do know that paper napkins add bulk to the compost and helps it "burn" faster as it's decomposing.

Some types of plastic are not recycled because there is not a market for the post consumer products. Compostable (plastic) containers do not go into the compost because they actually have a long break down time - 5-10 years. I made the mistake of putting a few of these into my compost thinking it would be ok, but three years later I'm still picking them out.

The city does make some money from recycling, but not a lot. On some recyclables they actually lose money. They also sell sorted garbage to another company who runs it through another round of sorting.

I can not find it now, but a few years ago Willamette Week sent one of their reporters to work in a facility for a story.
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Old 05-16-2013, 12:49 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,406,112 times
Reputation: 11042
Quote:
Originally Posted by turquoise1 View Post

What I'm confused about in Portland is... why do facial tissues go in the garbage, but used paper napkins go in compost?
The assumption is tissues may contain bio-hazardous waste whereas paper towels generally would not. Pretty silly assumptions if you ask me. Either could contain some pretty nasty stuff.
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Old 05-21-2013, 03:46 PM
 
Location: Portland, OR
1,012 posts, read 1,543,983 times
Reputation: 523
I usually blow my nose in soft paper towels when I am sick (not to be gross)
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