daleleelife101.blog

9 thoughts on “who gives a toss?”

1. I don’t know about other cities, but in New York City, 40% of “recycled” garbage actually ends up in landfills anyway. Source: http://www.wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2002/apr/18/city-council-holds-hearings-on-saving-recycling/

   The city of Santa Clarita, California was paying $28 per ton to put garbage into a landfill. The city then adopted a mandatory diaper recycling program that cost $1,800 per ton. How can anyone possibly claim that this saves resources? Source: http://freeliberal.com/archives/000001.php

   I live in Pennsylvania, which is the United State’s #1 garbage importing state. We keep approving new landfills, because we love the jobs and tax revenue that it gives us. Source: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-02-19/news/0202190037_1_landfill-garbage-pennsylvania-rules

   Over the next 1,000 years, all of the garbage in the entire United States could fit into one landfill that was 100 yards deep, on a piece of square land which was just 35 miles on each side. Today’s modern landfills are well sealed, and when they are full, they get turned into parks. Source: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/30/magazine/recycling-is-garbage.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

   Plastic can be made from plants, so we can never run out. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioplastic

   Most of our paper comes from tree farms – it’s not like we’re cutting down old-growth forest to make paper.

   Now in the case of metal, that’s the one thing where recycling makes sense. We can’t make more metal. There truly is a finite amount. And recycling metal uses far less energy than mining new supplies.

   LikeLike

   Reply

   1. I’m sceptical also but any efforts we make are better than none.

      The City of Sydney’s website notes:

      “In 2010, the City collected more than 15,000 tonnes of paper, cardboard, glass, metal and plastic containers for recycling, saving enough energy to power over 1,100 households for a year and enough water to fill over 4,500 backyard swimming pools.

      The City sends 40,000 tonnes of domestic waste per year alternative waste treatment facilities where it is sorted and partially recovered. By doing this, the City of Sydney is closing in on its Sustainable Sydney 2030 target to ensure that two thirds of our City’s domestic waste is no longer dumped in landfill sites by 2014”

      Thanks for the insightful & informative comment 🙂

      http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/Aboutsydney/YouveGottaLoveThisCity/HowWeCareSydney/WasteandRecycling.asp

      LikeLike

      Reply

2. That’s interesting. But how do you know what to put in the recycling one? And then does it get sorted?

   I’m sure I remember that MLC Centre – or am I hallucinating. In the centre somewhere in those straight grid streets that you have?

   LikeLike

   Reply

   1. I just posted a reply to a comment about does it all really get recycled? City of Sydney says a lot of it does, and they’re working towards achieving higher targets. Anything is better than nothing in my book. There’s piccies on the signs/bin lids which tell us what we can recycle but most people know they can throw in cans, empty glass/plastic bottles & containers, cardboard & paper wrappers. Your recollection of MLC is correct, it’s between Market St & Martin Place (where it features a long outside staircase), and Pitt & Castlereagh Sts, adjacent to Pitt St Mall on the Quay/North side of the centre part of the CBD… I think I do need to get out more 🙂

      LikeLike

      Reply

      1. I saw the pix, and it looked to be mostly bottle type containers eg plastic cartons tins and bottles. In Spain we have separate recyclers for glass bottles, and another one for tins and cartons (eg drink/milk cartons). Paper is separate again. That’s why I was curious about the sorting. The comment above about metal was interesting, inasmuch as it supports my point that endless new cars are not necessarily a good thing.

         LikeLike

         Reply

3. I’ve never seen bins like that either. It is good to get out of your comfort zone, we should all do it more.

   LikeLike

   Reply

   1. Thank you. I’m glad my bin sign discovery wasn’t only new to me. I must take a few more photos on my secondment days while I’m in that end of the CBD 🙂

      LikeLike

      Reply

4. Totally agree Ella: Every effort we make are better than none.In the western countires we are producing so much waste you can’t believe it. Landfills are not allowed anymore in Norway (create CO2 and pollution) so they burn (which produce dioksins and other pollutions) what is not recycled. Personally I recycle almost everything and we have a very good system for this on the norwegian countryside. My very little food waste is decomposed at home making very good soil.
   We have different system for different components: food, paper, plastics, metall, glass, clothes, electronics, batteries, dangerous waste/chemicals etc…

   LikeLike

   Reply

   1. I hope the rest of the world follows Norway’s path, and with less rubbish being created there is less burning of it necessary. All our recyling goes into a single bin but is sorted at waste transfer facilities. It’s not a perfect system but there is focus on achieving better and greater results and also is reducing packaging and waste in general. I’d guess how you deal with your waste is similar to country people generations ago, and the way my grandparents did. We had no garbage collection. They bought a loss less stuff, and what they did had less or no packaging, anything that could be was recycled, and what remained was burnt in a drum every now & again. Thank you for the interesting comment. It got me thinking and about what we used to do…

      LikeLike

      Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.