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If recycling were stopped today and everything started going to landfills, how many jobs would be lost? Has anybody done research on that?
A lot of people for many years have made a living handling the stuff most of us want minimal exposure to.
Besides, if there were no trash haulers, would we have ever had “The Sopranos”?
Recycling is being exposed for the seeming fraud that it has become. We westerners dutifully sort through our garbage and send plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper waste to the recycling bin, and everything else to the garbage bin. Garbage goes to the landfill, and recyclables get recycled, right?
Now we find out our "recyclable" stuff was being sent overseas to go into their landfills. We think that it is getting recycled, but much isn't. It gets burned, buried, or left to rot. Thus, third world countries are pushing back against the buyers of our trash who are trying to get rid of it in those countries. Recycling may have been viable in small amounts, but the amount of rubbish exceeds the ability and desire to "recycle" it.
In my hometown, the recycling contract was coming to an end and the county commission requested bids for the next five-year contract. Previously, the county paid around $308k per year for the curbside recycling contract. They solicited two bids, both north of $680k per year. This would cause an increase in the monthly recycling bill of at least 2.5 times. Knowing that county residents wouldn't spring for that kind of increase, the county decided to do their own recycling by installing bins at collection points, hiring a full-time employee, buying a truck, and canceling curbside pickup. Know how many country residents will dutifully sort and haul their recyclables to a collection point? Hahahaha.
The reason for the massive increase in recycling bids is that the two companies stated that it is getting harder to find a buyer of the recyclable material since many third world countries are refusing the importation of it. I guess we westerners are going to have to deal with our trash ourselves from now on. Who wants to sort through the stuff that is getting sent in through the recycling bins?
So, economics is going to force a solution to this massive pileup of "recyclable" trash.
Recycling is being exposed for the seeming fraud that it has become. We westerners dutifully sort through our garbage and send plastic, glass, aluminum, and paper waste to the recycling bin, and everything else to the garbage bin. Garbage goes to the landfill, and recyclables get recycled, right?
Now we find out our "recyclable" stuff was being sent overseas to go into their landfills. We think that it is getting recycled, but much isn't. It gets burned, buried, or left to rot. Thus, third world countries are pushing back against the buyers of our trash who are trying to get rid of it in those countries. Recycling may have been viable in small amounts, but the amount of rubbish exceeds the ability and desire to "recycle" it.
In my hometown, the recycling contract was coming to an end and the county commission requested bids for the next five-year contract. Previously, the county paid around $308k per year for the curbside recycling contract. They solicited two bids, both north of $680k per year. This would cause an increase in the monthly recycling bill of at least 2.5 times. Knowing that county residents wouldn't spring for that kind of increase, the county decided to do their own recycling by installing bins at collection points, hiring a full-time employee, buying a truck, and canceling curbside pickup. Know how many country residents will dutifully sort and haul their recyclables to a collection point? Hahahaha.
The reason for the massive increase in recycling bids is that the two companies stated that it is getting harder to find a buyer of the recyclable material since many third world countries are refusing the importation of it. I guess we westerners are going to have to deal with our trash ourselves from now on. Who wants to sort through the stuff that is getting sent in through the recycling bins?
So, economics is going to force a solution to this massive pileup of "recyclable" trash.
Recycling was important as long as we could ship it to somebody else's backyard. It's just like nuclear waste: Not in my backyard; but it will look great in your backyard!
In Denmark they have a new ski slope, restaurant, and garbage incinerator: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2019...sh-incinerator. It burns considerably more efficiently and cleaner than most of our older US incinerators. Unfortunately our time is up on recycling; we need solutions now that work. The easiest way to solve our problems is to look at how others have solved theirs. Keep in mind that we are producing waste at an ever increasing pace. Online shopping produces tremendous amounts of waste in the packaging needed to get the products to our doors.
What’s the point of recycling all those K cups, and everyday plastics if it just goes to a landfill in Asia.
The question, in theory, answers itself. My own view is that Moderator cut: some want us plebs to feel guilty about consumption so they want to make garbage disposal a complex, ditsy project.
Last edited by harry chickpea; 09-30-2019 at 01:08 PM..
Reason: Use of stereotyping word in a way counter to the forum sticky rules.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Just yesterday we got a flier in the mail about a free electronics recycling even Saturday at the local high school.
We will be taking in an old dead microwave and an old inkjet printer. There must be something of value in them because it advertises that the proceeds of the recycled goods will go to charity. The gold in those items is probably not worth more than $1-2.
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