To Recycle or Not To Recycle

[KittenKoder]

You know what makes me feel good ... smoking ... yeah. Don't need to pretend to make a difference to feel good, never have, never will. As for the "benefits" of recycling, seriously, look into it more than just listening to the feel good slogans, it has no real benefit and in most cases harms the planet more than not recycling. Another rather disturbing thing I have noticed, in my area at least, most of these people who do it to "feel good" are also the same people who whine about sharing the road with bicyclers ... how odd is that?

What you should really do is throw your trash at the people who bicycle on the roads, then flick your cigarette butts at the people who are complaining about the bicyclers!


It's a win-win situation!

Eeep! Too complicated ...

 

[Sarah G]

I'm bored with the current threads, so I thought I'd start one that might stir things up a bit (Amanda!). So here you go:

Answer this for me:

Do you recycle?

Why or why not?

Where do you fall in the political spectrum i.e. liberal, conservative, fiscal conservative/social liberal?

Its my guess that conservatives generally don't recycle and liberals, well, I would hope that they generally do.
*****************************************************************
I recycle everything I can because I think that waste is stupid, the environment is the most important current issue and I do everything I can to minimize my impact; and I live by the categorical imperative that if I want everyone to recycle, I have to recycle. I'm very liberal.

I do recycle and normally only have a small bag of garbage to put on the curb each week. Iow, I recycle everything except packaging that could be harmful for workers to handle.

I'm a Leftie.

 

[auditor0007]

I never recycled anything until I moved recently. The community I now live in has a decent recycling program and it really is pretty easy to do. While I realize in some cases, recycling actually costs more, I do think it's a worthwhile thing to do, especially for non-biodegradable items.

Where do you live now? Was it the convenience of the recycling program that persuaded you to start recycling?

Do you think the cost of reycling is a reasonable deterrent?

It's very interesting, when I didn't recycle, we went through approximately six 30 gallon bags of garbage per week. Now, by recycling, I have two 30 gallon bags per week. So it does make a difference. As for my politics, I'm fairly moderate on most issues but fiscally conservative.

I live in Denver where we have a great recycling service and its free so if we didn't recycle we'd be extremely wasteful, lazy hypocrits. Not to mention that in Colorado, if you don't recycle, you aren't cool. That's not why we recycle, but I think that's why some people here in Colorado do.

Funny, I used to live in Colorado. Our complex of townhomes didn't have a recycling agreement with the waste management company. Now I live in Ohio. The community I am now in has a very good program for recycling. All you need to do is purchase one container for all of your recyclables. They take paper, aluminum/steel cans, glass, and #1 and #2 plastics.

 

[Seraega]

yes.....but then no choice really ....it is required by law.....

Wow. I've never heard of recycling being required by law. And I thought I lived in a liberal area! I don't disagree with it being required by law, though I don't know how it would be enforced.

the garbage men look in your garbage cans before the dump them.....if you don't have the correct stuff in the correct cans they don't take them and leave you a written warning.....eventually they fine you.....california is fun....wait till this summer if you use too much water or electricity....

What do you expect them to do? Too many idiots trying to grow a nice green lawn in the desert.

 

[editec]

I recyle bottles I pay a deposit on.

I compost.

I tend to buy used clothing whenever possible.

I eat leftovers.

But recycling requires someplace to take your recyclables.

Hell, I'm still sitting on bags full of batteries, computers, old paint and varnish, cleaning products and stuff like that, which I cannot throw away (because I know it ends up polluting some landfill someplace) and I cannot recycle because there's no place to take it.

So I don't really recycle, I just accumulate crap I cannot get rid of in any environmentally sound way.

 

[xotoxi]

I'm bored with the current threads, so I thought I'd start one that might stir things up a bit (Amanda!). So here you go:

Answer this for me:

Do you recycle?

Why or why not?

Where do you fall in the political spectrum i.e. liberal, conservative, fiscal conservative/social liberal?

Its my guess that conservatives generally don't recycle and liberals, well, I would hope that they generally do.
*****************************************************************
I recycle everything I can because I think that waste is stupid, the environment is the most important current issue and I do everything I can to minimize my impact; and I live by the categorical imperative that if I want everyone to recycle, I have to recycle. I'm very liberal.

I did when it was a choice, now that we are forced to I even go as far as littering on purpose.

Or do you go so far as to empty your chamber pots out onto the city street?

 

[xotoxi]

I'm a Leftie.

Cool! My wife is a leftie too.

I'm ambidextrious. I write with my left hand, but throw with both, scissors with both, eat with left, I throw sutures with left but tie with right, I golf right, tennis right, serve pingpong right but switch to left on the return and volley.

 

[xotoxi]

I'm bored with the current threads, so I thought I'd start one that might stir things up a bit (Amanda!). So here you go:

Answer this for me:

Do you recycle?

Why or why not?

Where do you fall in the political spectrum i.e. liberal, conservative, fiscal conservative/social liberal?

Its my guess that conservatives generally don't recycle and liberals, well, I would hope that they generally do.
*****************************************************************
I recycle everything I can because I think that waste is stupid, the environment is the most important current issue and I do everything I can to minimize my impact; and I live by the categorical imperative that if I want everyone to recycle, I have to recycle. I'm very liberal.

I recycle because it costs me $1.50 per bag of trash and recycling is free.

I consider myself moderate facing to the left.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I do not recycle. I consume less by making my own beer etc so I do not have bottles to recycle as I reuse them. i have my own soda carbonator and reuse heavy duty lexan bottles for my soft drinks. i burn most of my paper waste and all my organic waste goes into the composter.

But that said even if I did throw out as much stuff as the average American, i would not take my time to separate and sort my trash for the town. they charge me for my dump permit so they can do the dirty work.

 

[xotoxi]

I do not recycle. I consume less by making my own beer etc so I do not have bottles to recycle as I reuse them. i have my own soda carbonator and reuse heavy duty lexan bottles for my soft drinks. i burn most of my paper waste and all my organic waste goes into the composter.

But that said even if I did throw out as much stuff as the average American, i would not take my time to separate and sort my trash for the town. they charge me for my dump permit so they can do the dirty work.

Do you melt all of your plastic down to make fleece?

 

[Skull Pilot]

I do not recycle. I consume less by making my own beer etc so I do not have bottles to recycle as I reuse them. i have my own soda carbonator and reuse heavy duty lexan bottles for my soft drinks. i burn most of my paper waste and all my organic waste goes into the composter.

But that said even if I did throw out as much stuff as the average American, i would not take my time to separate and sort my trash for the town. they charge me for my dump permit so they can do the dirty work.

Do you melt all of your plastic down to make fleece?

don't buy a lot of plastic, but i just toss what I don't reuse. as i said i pay the town for my dump permit so they can do the sorting.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

I recyle bottles I pay a deposit on.

I compost.

I tend to buy used clothing whenever possible.

I eat leftovers.

But recycling requires someplace to take your recyclables.

Hell, I'm still sitting on bags full of batteries, computers, old paint and varnish, cleaning products and stuff like that, which I cannot throw away (because I know it ends up polluting some landfill someplace) and I cannot recycle because there's no place to take it.

So I don't really recycle, I just accumulate crap I cannot get rid of in any environmentally sound way.

I'm surprised they don't have some kind of recycling program in Maine. Do you live in the sticks?

 

[Coloradomtnman]

I do not recycle. I consume less by making my own beer etc so I do not have bottles to recycle as I reuse them. i have my own soda carbonator and reuse heavy duty lexan bottles for my soft drinks. i burn most of my paper waste and all my organic waste goes into the composter.

But that said even if I did throw out as much stuff as the average American, i would not take my time to separate and sort my trash for the town. they charge me for my dump permit so they can do the dirty work.

Does your city dump sort through the trash for recyclables? If so, that's a nice system. I wouldn't sort either.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

Funny, I used to live in Colorado. Our complex of townhomes didn't have a recycling agreement with the waste management company. Now I live in Ohio. The community I am now in has a very good program for recycling. All you need to do is purchase one container for all of your recyclables. They take paper, aluminum/steel cans, glass, and #1 and #2 plastics.

There is a public service called Denver Recycles that delivers a large recycle bin and picks up recycling twice a month for Denver residents. You have to contact them and set it up, but its free and they take almost anything and sort it themselves. Its a good system, though conservatives probably don't like it cause it bites into the city budget.

 

[Skull Pilot]

I do not recycle. I consume less by making my own beer etc so I do not have bottles to recycle as I reuse them. i have my own soda carbonator and reuse heavy duty lexan bottles for my soft drinks. i burn most of my paper waste and all my organic waste goes into the composter.

But that said even if I did throw out as much stuff as the average American, i would not take my time to separate and sort my trash for the town. they charge me for my dump permit so they can do the dirty work.

Does your city dump sort through the trash for recyclables? If so, that's a nice system. I wouldn't sort either.

everything gets trucked to a transfer station where it is sorted. very few towns actually bury their own trash anymore.

 

[strollingbones]

i am with skull i dont recycle....think it is funny when people get all upset about it..saving cans..for this...saving can tabs for cancer...on and on the feel good shit goes...

Mandatory recycling programs,” he wrote, “…offer mainly short-term benefits to a few groups -- politicians, public relations consultants, environmental organizations and waste handling corporations -- while diverting money from genuine social and environmental problems. Recycling may be the most wasteful activity in modern America…”

Do the Benefits of Recycling Outweigh the Costs?

i dont think we are being told the truth about the cost and benefits of recycling...again i think it is just a "feel good" program

 

[Coloradomtnman]

everything gets trucked to a transfer station where it is sorted. very few towns actually bury their own trash anymore.

The small town I lived in the Rockies, Leadville, still buries trash (except things like furniture, batteries, cars, etc.) you know, household trash. They had a recycling center just outside the town dump's front gate, but you were required to sort yourself. Not a bad system but probably not as good as the system where you live.

 

[strollingbones]

trash is a huge problem...i dont down play that...but i think trying to cut your personal production of trash...ie trying to buy products with the least boxing etc...you would be amazed how much useless packaging goes on...just start noting it..we compost...so much of our waste goes into that..including most paper which is shredded for composting or used for mulching...organic waste goes to compost bucket..proteins go to the dogs...but i dont sort trash or anything like that

 

[Coloradomtnman]

trash is a huge problem...i dont down play that...but i think trying to cut your personal production of trash...ie trying to buy products with the least boxing etc...you would be amazed how much useless packaging goes on...just start noting it..we compost...so much of our waste goes into that..including most paper which is shredded for composting or used for mulching...organic waste goes to compost bucket..proteins go to the dogs...but i dont sort trash or anything like that

Oh, I know! Packaging or over-packaging gets my goat! Just think about how much you spend on just the packaging when buying products. I heard, and I haven't verified the truth so I treat it as a rumor, that when you buy a drink at the store such as soda or Gatorade or Rock Star or some other such "drink" (blegh) you pay more for the packaging than you do for what comes in the packaging! If that's true then does that extend to cereal, chips, and who knows how many other products. Just speculate on how much we might save if it was all bulk!

 

[kakarothusain]

recycle is one of the best technique through which we can protect our environment from pollution.I recycle all my waste product to some useful thing so that i can create less amount of waste..