How often do you recycle? (Lakeway: salvaged, disposal, live)

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I've been wondering for some time, at what point does it cause more harm to the environment to recycle, versus disposing of an item in a landfill?

If I could just put everything in the dishwasher to clean it along with the dishes, before recycling it, that wouldn't seem so bad, but I can't do that with everything.

Take a peanut butter bottle for example. It is difficult to wash adequately unless I do it by hand. Just putting it in the dishwasher does not get it clean, I have to wash it by hand. Aside from the additional labor I have to put into it, washing by hand requires considerably more water, which produces more wastewater, requires more energy to produce the clean water and to clean the wastewater. It requires additional human and mechanical labor to collect, sort and bundle it up for shipment to plants where it can be reused. if they can even be found. More energy and natural resources are required to build, fuel, operate and eventually dispose of the recycling trucks. Also the recycling crews have to be housed, clothed, fed and cared for, etc., etc.

That is a lot of energy, labor, expense and natural resources that goes into recycling that peanut butter bottle. I suspect that it is not worth it and we would be better off just throwing somethings away.

IF you don't have any hot water running anyway, fill the PB container halfway with water and one lone drop of liquid detergent. In the microwave it goes for 20 seconds(provided you don't have any metal along the rim)...put the top back on and shake it for 20 seconds and it's pretty darned clean.

I go through at least one jar a week and this is my MO(with 'natural' PB....the goo in the other stuff might not be so easy to remove)

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

IF you don't have any hot water running anyway, fill the PB container halfway with water and one lone drop of liquid detergent. In the microwave it goes for 20 seconds(provided you don't have any metal along the rim)...put the top back on and shake it for 20 seconds and it's pretty darned clean.

I go through at least one jar a week and this is my MO(with 'natural' PB....the goo in the other stuff might not be so easy to remove)

Never tried this before. Interesting.

This reminds me of the time when I was a kid and microwaved some raisins. The microwave began making this high pitch whining sound and DING! ...The Microwave was done. My parents were so pissed off. I think it was more so the packaging the raisins came in.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

IF you don't have any hot water running anyway, fill the PB container halfway with water and one lone drop of liquid detergent. In the microwave it goes for 20 seconds(provided you don't have any metal along the rim)...put the top back on and shake it for 20 seconds and it's pretty darned clean.

I go through at least one jar a week and this is my MO(with 'natural' PB....the goo in the other stuff might not be so easy to remove)

Thanks for the tip.

I'll give it a try. Hot water and a drop of detergent has not been adequate in the past. But my point remains, we can't assume recycling is a good thing if we don't include the total cost of energy and resources in the equation.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

Thanks for the tip.

I'll give it a try. Hot water and a drop of detergent has not been adequate in the past. But my point remains, we can't assume recycling is a good thing if we don't include the total cost of energy and resources in the equation.

Cost can be define many ways, but often fails to consider long-term costs - incremental increase in landfills over time, increased transportation costs, the reduced load on traditional waste collection that partially off-sets recycle collection, reduced cost of goods that are made out of recycled material vs. virgin material, etc.

[Snowpacked]

I recycle first, then trash the rest. It’s an extremely simple task. People are unwilling to think differently and put their effort into complaining instead of doing the right thing.
We have a huge desire to latch onto what’s convenient and forget the consequences associated with it.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Cost can be define many ways, but often fails to consider long-term costs - incremental increase in landfills over time, increased transportation costs, the reduced load on traditional waste collection that partially off-sets recycle collection, reduced cost of goods that are made out of recycled material vs. virgin material, etc.

I think you know that I understand all of that. I have recycled diligently for years. But the latest news I'm hearing is that the market for recycled materials has drastically decreased and the cost has gone up. China has been refusing U.S. waste. Prices for recycled materials have dropped 70% in some cases, some materials that used to sell at a profit can't be sold at all, the recycling centers are having to pay to dispose of it.

Last month California’s largest recycling operator shut down its 284 centers and laid off 750 employees.

With such drastic changes in the market we need to re-evaluate how and what we are trying to recycle. We absolutely need to dispose of our waste properly, but we aren't doing ourselves any good if we try to include things in the recycling stream, that could pollute it and just end up in a landfill anyway.

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2019/08...scourge-grows/



Edit to add: For Example: Glass should not be recycled.

A Melbourne council has banned residents from putting glass in their recycling bins, forcing them to either travel to recycle the items or to let them go into landfill.
Macedon Ranges Shire Council has warned residents that if they place glass in their yellow bin then its whole contents will have to be thrown in landfill.
The council was forced to implement the sudden ban after the company behind Victoria’s largest recycling processor went bust.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/e...30fe8657906221

GREENCASTLE -- Waste Management has announced it will stop accepting glass bottles and jars for recycling.

Waste Management, one of the largest waste haulers in the region, will be contacting its customers about the change that the company wants to implement by Nov. 1, according to Waste Management spokeswoman Lisa Kardell.

Transportation costs can make used glass virtually worthless. Glass weighs about 10 times more than the same volume of aluminum cans or plastic bottles.

It’s a sign that the recycling industry is in trouble, according to Jeff Geesaman, Washington Township manager. The township operates a small recycling center open to residents and businesses in the three-state region.

“Glass, cardboard, metal, aluminum cans are not worth what they used to be,” Geesaman said. “It’s tough breaking even on plastics.

“There’s no feasible outlet for glass,” said Joe Sardone, manager of the Apple Valley recycling plant. “The market dictates how we can get rid of it. It’s not feasible to recycle glass right now. It’s been like that for quite a while. More than a year. As a private company we can only take losses for so long.”

https://www.publicopiniononline.com/...led/713686001/

[Trainwreck20]

Glass is an odd one - some glass has value, other glass does not. And it actually creates more pollution to use recycled glass than to create virgin glass. Of course, recycle glass does not create holes in the ground.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Glass is an odd one - some glass has value, other glass does not. And it actually creates more pollution to use recycled glass than to create virgin glass. Of course, recycle glass does not create holes in the ground.

I've heard that Glass never decomposes, it will outlast even plastic from what I have heard.

[Skipito]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Glass is an odd one - some glass has value, other glass does not. And it actually creates more pollution to use recycled glass than to create virgin glass. Of course, recycle glass does not create holes in the ground.

I reuse a lot of glass, but I do a lot of homemade stuff that I can store in those.

Another way is to use tumbled glass in mulch beds. Slows down the critters a little.

[Trainwreck20]

Originally Posted by Skipito

I reuse a lot of glass, but I do a lot of homemade stuff that I can store in those.

Another way is to use tumbled glass in mulch beds. Slows down the critters a little.

Yeah, reuse is a good option for some materials. We are also trying to get away from plastic bottles of water/drink as much as possible, mainly to 'de-normalize' it for the kids heading forward. Yes, we use them when it makes total sense to - it isn't some kind of self-imposed ban - but we never use them around the house or for school.