Recycling

[KissMy]

Since China stopped buying recycled materials, we now bury trash or burn it for electricity.

 

[ReinyDays]

Have you seen the clean up they're doing in the pacific ocean. It's pretty awesome, IMO.

There's tons of gold buried in land fields all over the USA from early computers and monitors being thrown away.

The plastic clean-up is pathetic ... yet another American "feel good" practice that's hopelessly naive ... scooping the bigger pieces off the surface doesn't excuse YOU pitching your candy wrapper off the stern of your yacht ... bitch ... (and I wish you'd reconsider the storage tank for the loo on your LearJet, Cleveland isn't that bad of a place now their rivers don't catch fire) ...

Here's a free clue ... the Great Plastic Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean is all microscopic pieces ... stuff you can't see with your eyes or scoop off the surface with a screen ... I don't think there's anyway to get rid of it, except let nature evolve a bacteria to eat the stuff ... it is reduced carbon after all ...

Sounds like you're letting commercial media drive your emotions ... those are heart-wrenching photos of plastic garbage covered beaches in Hawai'i ... fish caught up in 6-pac rings ... Paris Hilton ... all kinds of evil plastic crap in our world today ... as an experiment, go outside* and walk around the block ... count all the little plastic piece of garbage, anything big enough to see with your own eyes ... maybe plastic in the oceans is less of a problem than plastic in our streets and yards ...

... tons of gold ...

That's the weight limit on garbage trucks here in my community ... just one load ... how many truck loads do we make every day? ... and then the cost of extraction, the Chinese just simply smelt the whole lot, as killing off their people keeps the rest fed, and who cares about the envitorfonmeant in China ...

In times past ... gold was used to encapsulate copper, much like we use zinc to encapsulate iron ... both are used to prevent corrosion ... and this layer of gold was to be as thin as humanly possible ... to save money ... as we only need a layer a few million atoms thick ... today, conductors in IC chips are only a few million atoms thick, so it's cheaper to just make the conductors out of gold anyway ... I don't know how many trillions of miles of gold wire 2 nanometers in diameter would make up a single ton of material ...

* = not so much the poster I'm responding to, but for the rest of you: go upstairs, say 'Hi' to your parents and ask them to remind you of where the front door is ... it's important that you step outside and pause until your eyes ajust to the light ... and use sun screen ... even if you're an African-American, you'll still burn ... trust me on that last point ...

 

[YoursTruly]

The plastic clean-up is pathetic ... yet another American "feel good" practice that's hopelessly naive ... scooping the bigger pieces off the surface doesn't excuse YOU pitching your candy wrapper off the stern of your yacht ... bitch ... (and I wish you'd reconsider the storage tank for the loo on your LearJet, Cleveland isn't that bad of a place now their rivers don't catch fire) ...

Here's a free clue ... the Great Plastic Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean is all microscopic pieces ... stuff you can't see with your eyes or scoop off the surface with a screen ... I don't think there's anyway to get rid of it, except let nature evolve a bacteria to eat the stuff ... it is reduced carbon after all ...

Sounds like you're letting commercial media drive your emotions ... those are heart-wrenching photos of plastic garbage covered beaches in Hawai'i ... fish caught up in 6-pac rings ... Paris Hilton ... all kinds of evil plastic crap in our world today ... as an experiment, go outside* and walk around the block ... count all the little plastic piece of garbage, anything big enough to see with your own eyes ... maybe plastic in the oceans is less of a problem than plastic in our streets and yards ...

All of the garbage they're collecting in the pacific won't turn into microscopic plastic pieces in the pacific. Duh!!!!

... tons of gold ...

That's the weight limit on garbage trucks here in my community ... just one load ... how many truck loads do we make every day? ... and then the cost of extraction, the Chinese just simply smelt the whole lot, as killing off their people keeps the rest fed, and who cares about the envitorfonmeant in China ...

In times past ... gold was used to encapsulate copper, much like we use zinc to encapsulate iron ... both are used to prevent corrosion ... and this layer of gold was to be as thin as humanly possible ... to save money ... as we only need a layer a few million atoms thick ... today, conductors in IC chips are only a few million atoms thick, so it's cheaper to just make the conductors out of gold anyway ... I don't know how many trillions of miles of gold wire 2 nanometers in diameter would make up a single ton of material ...

* = not so much the poster I'm responding to, but for the rest of you: go upstairs, say 'Hi' to your parents and ask them to remind you of where the front door is ... it's important that you step outside and pause until your eyes ajust to the light ... and use sun screen ... even if you're an African-American, you'll still burn ... trust me on that last point ...

None of that changes the fact that there's still a lot of gold and other metals buried in landfills all across this country.

 

[jwoodie]

A feel good scam? Let's see, you can easily make plastic 2 X4's out of waste plastics. Or you can use tree's. Both have a process. Both takes money and energy to complete. Sure, we have plenty of both.
but the plastics last forever. And wood doesn't. Termites won't eat your plastic deck or fence.

I was referring to home trash disposal/recycling. Most people don't know what to put in their recycling containers, and many of these are mixed together at the dump.

 

[YoursTruly]

I was referring to home trash disposal/recycling. Most people don't know what to put in their recycling containers, and many of these are mixed together at the dump.

Changing even the slightest bit of one's routine is pretty hard. It takes effort. Importance is also a must.
If we got a discount on gas, by the amount of plastics we recycled, it would be important. But most people think that recycling only helps someone else make money. Why put forth the effort to help others make money, when we get no obvious benefit?
Although it needs to be done, without any obvious benefits, very few will do it.

 

[Sunsettommy]

Plastic recycling is mostly a lie. We used to send it all to China because the air pollution produced from recycling plastic makes it impossible to do without violating domestic emissions laws. And it only produces about a 10% yield. Though I have to admit I've never heard of it being converted into a fuel source. If it actually can be done, that probably would yield some kind of environmental benefit. Or, at the very least, an economic one. But I suspect that the Putin funded environmentalists will probably be against it, saying that lower fuel prices are bad for the environment.

Plastic is normally made from oil derivatives.

 

[Woodznutz]

By the way, the recycling rules prohibit you from putting plastic grocery bags in the recycle big. (face palm)

That's because they foul up the sorting machinery.

 

[Woodznutz]

I was referring to home trash disposal/recycling. Most people don't know what to put in their recycling containers, and many of these are mixed together at the dump.

There is a switch in people's brains. Most have it switched to "I don't know and/or I don't care." It takes some time for them to turn the switch to "I will be a more responsible person". Sadly when they do they find themselves pretty much alone.

 

[Woodznutz]

Since China stopped buying recycled materials, we now bury trash or burn it for electricity.

Controlled burning is the best way to 'recycle' trash. We create more pollution by devising goofy ways to deal with it.

 

[Concerned American]

I think recycling should be a LOT bigger than what it is.

I was watching for off the grid folks turning plastics into diesel and burning it in their generators. And during the process, was actually getting some liquid that burns almost as good as gas.
There was another video about what they do with old tires. Turning those into all sorts of stuff

Then it got me to thinking about all the computers that got taken to the dump. All those metals, including gold that got buried.

Seems almost all that stuff can be turned into something else. But it's just getting wasted.

I agree. Government recycling efforts are a joke. Especially states like OR where they charge excessive deposits for beverage containers ostensibly to promote recycling, and then they refuse to return the deposit if the container has a dent or is from out of state. I believe CA is a "little" more on the mark although their program is has its problems too. WA and ID don't even really bother. Virtually no plastic recycling in WA and glass doesn't rate in ID. OR is so bad with their program that it is a wonder that people who can't recover their deposits don't just throw that crap back out on the road.

 

[Concerned American]

Have you seen the clean up they're doing in the pacific ocean. It's pretty awesome, IMO.

That kid has his head in the right place. I wish more governments would get behind his effort.

 

[Concerned American]

There's tons of gold buried in land fields all over the USA from early computers and monitors being thrown away.

I have seen videos on You Tube that demonstrate how to remove the gold from computer board edge connectors. It is time-consuming, but with some common chemicals and a couple of 5 gal. buckets it is not difficult. I believe there are folks online that will even sell you the boards for a pittance.

 

[Concerned American]

Make electric cars half the cost of gas powered cars and make charging much quicker and 1 million times more available, and you might be onto something.

Elon Musk is making cars. I just drove from central CA to WA on I-5 and between Sacto and the OR border, I counted a dozen car-carrier trucks--all loaded with brand new Teslas.

 

[Concerned American]

In some countries they're using waste plastics to build roads. Cool

We are using ground up tires in pavement in this country among other things. LOL, Walmart makes their associate vests out of recycled plastic bottles--six bottle for each vest is what it says on the vest.

 

[BluesLegend]

That's because they foul up the sorting machinery.

The point is green Dems are morons.

 

[jwoodie]

There is a switch in people's brains. Most have it switched to "I don't know and/or I don't care." It takes some time for them to turn the switch to "I will be a more responsible person". Sadly when they do they find themselves pretty much alone.

Recycling glass, cans, paper and plastic bottles are simple concepts, but having individuals transport them to various recycling centers is grossly inefficient and may even be counterproductive. In addition there are dozens of articles that are marked with recycling symbols, but there are no instructions as to what to do with them. In practice, home recycling has more to do with feeling good than with saving the planet.

 

[Dekster]

I think recycling should be a LOT bigger than what it is.

I was watching for off the grid folks turning plastics into diesel and burning it in their generators. And during the process, was actually getting some liquid that burns almost as good as gas.
There was another video about what they do with old tires. Turning those into all sorts of stuff

Then it got me to thinking about all the computers that got taken to the dump. All those metals, including gold that got buried.

Seems almost all that stuff can be turned into something else. But it's just getting wasted.

Just depends on where you are and what the demand is. It doesn't make economic sense to ship it 1,000 miles but maybe if it can be used within 75 miles it might make it feasible. My city has electronics recycling but makes no money off it. Some guy comes once a week with a truck, picks it up and tries to harvest the metals from them. They stopped taking TVs though. We don't have curbside recycling but we have several drop off points around town for #1 and 2 plastics, cardboard/mixed paper, glass, and aluminum. The glass is given to a local plant that processes it and then donates the value of the materials to local schools. Certain types of plastics get shipped to a city up the highway and the rest gets sent to the power plant furnaces to be used as fuel.

 

[YoursTruly]

Just depends on where you are and what the demand is. It doesn't make economic sense to ship it 1,000 miles but maybe if it can be used within 75 miles it might make it feasible. My city has electronics recycling but makes no money off it. Some guy comes once a week with a truck, picks it up and tries to harvest the metals from them. They stopped taking TVs though. We don't have curbside recycling but we have several drop off points around town for #1 and 2 plastics, cardboard/mixed paper, glass, and aluminum. The glass is given to a local plant that processes it and then donates the value of the materials to local schools. Certain types of plastics get shipped to a city up the highway and the rest gets sent to the power plant furnaces to be used as fuel.

It's a change of lifestyle for most people, that's for sure.

As far as getting it 1,000 from point A, obviously the final product must be priced to cover the overhead. There are no pipelines for used tires and old laptops.
The demand will increase when they come up with a way to profit from it. But that'll mean we will have to start buying American products again.

Recycling and buying American are two things Americans aren't very good at.

 

[YoursTruly]

The point is green Dems are morons.

Maybe you don't realize it, but the US doesn't have that much oil. During the oil boom cycle, we just produce the hell out of what little we do have.
Example, Russian oil fields take up more land mass than the entire USA.
We need to be recycling as fast as we're pumping oil.

 

[Dekster]

It's a change of lifestyle for most people, that's for sure.

As far as getting it 1,000 from point A, obviously the final product must be priced to cover the overhead. There are no pipelines for used tires and old laptops.
The demand will increase when they come up with a way to profit from it. But that'll mean we will have to start buying American products again.

Recycling and buying American are two things Americans aren't very good at.

Used tires do have a high recycling rate. In the US it isn't as high as Europe's but we are in the upper 70's to low 80's percent depending on whose numbers you use.