Author Topic: Recycling may become a thing of the past  (Read 6486 times)

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #15 on: November 30, 2018, 02:02:35 PM »
Very small NC town:

Recycling costs drive up solid waste bills

http://www.dailyadvance.com/News/2018/11/30/Recycling-costs-drive-up-solid-waste-bills.html

Quote
Officials say dramatic changes in the recycling market are driving Waste Industries’ request for the higher rate increase. Not too long ago, solid waste disposal firms could make money from collecting recyclables like aluminum cans, glass, plastic and paper. The revenue usually was enough to prevent county and town governments from having to pay landfill fees.

Today, recycled aluminum and steel still have some value, but the other materials do not, waste officials say.

The bottom has fallen out of the recycling market largely because China, once an importer of foreign recyclables, has all but banned them. China said it’s done so, particularly with recyclables from the U.S., because they claim the materials are contaminated with other waste.

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9255
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #16 on: November 30, 2018, 06:47:24 PM »
Quote
Now, my friend Jorge
  Jorge the Peruvian ? If so a fine Gent.

That's the one. I think you'll agree - the US is lucky to get him.

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9255
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #17 on: November 30, 2018, 06:49:01 PM »
Recycling costs drive up solid waste bills

This was one of the main points of the Outside/In episode. When recyclables had cash value and actually lowered the cost of carting off solid waste, people could feel eco and also save money.

As we move, at least in the near term, to a world where it costs money to cart off recylcing, it is going to test people's values

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #18 on: December 18, 2018, 02:46:46 AM »
UK: Waste plan floats bottle deposit scheme - BBC News

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46594380

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #19 on: December 18, 2018, 03:53:43 PM »
Companies in England to pay packaging waste costs under new proposals | Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-waste-idUSKBN1OH00J

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #20 on: December 27, 2018, 03:47:40 PM »
Plastic bag fee 'to double to 10p' and include every shop - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46689684

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #21 on: January 24, 2019, 09:26:41 PM »
Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate

Quote
The rate has jumped from 64 percent just two years ago and the total number of bottles recycled reached an all-time high of 2 billion in 2018.

https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-bottle-deposit-redemption-rate-2018/

littleman

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6531
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #22 on: January 24, 2019, 10:05:53 PM »
>90 Percent Redemption Rate

That's impressive.

>Companies in England to pay packaging waste costs under new proposals

We really need to do that in the States.

A few years back we had a conversation about reusing glass bottles -- that would be a good start.  All that plastic leaching into beverages isn't healthy anyway.

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9255
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #23 on: January 27, 2019, 12:52:06 AM »
A few years back we had a conversation about reusing glass bottles

Many years ago I met a guy who was involved in launching the Sunny Delight product for P&G (I think it was P&G). He said they looked into reusable glass bottles because one of their mandates was to reduce the energy footprint (we would now say carbon footprint).

The problem with reusable glass bottles was they used a lot more petroleum than plastic bottles made from petroleum! They were heavy to ship, so trucks used more fuel for a given amount of product. Then you had to collect them and ship them back to the bottling plant, which also took more fuel than an empty truck. Then they needed to be washed and sterilized, which also took a huge amount of energy.

So reusing glass solves the landfill problem, but it makes the carbon footprint worse. Obviously, that equation changes if you switch to electric trucks and washing machines fed with solar power. But in most places, we're many years from that.

And thus one of my mottos: For every solution, there's a problem.

The real answer is that people should drink more tap water and less stuff from bottles, plastic or otherwise. As ,uch as possible, people should use powders that you reconstitute at the point of use, whether for laundry soap or beer (just kidding! For every solution, there's a problem)
« Last Edit: January 27, 2019, 12:54:26 AM by ergophobe »

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9255
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #24 on: January 27, 2019, 12:55:14 AM »
OTOH - https://www.outdoors.org/articles/amc-outdoors/dehydrated-beer-now-available

Probably takes a huge amount of energy to dehydrate it though... so its carbon footprint is probably as bad or worse than real beer.

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16268
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #25 on: January 27, 2019, 01:38:38 AM »
> few years back we had a conversation about reusing glass bottles

It was about recycling glass and the problem centered around weight. Being heavy and cheap, it cost more to ship it than its salvage value. The solution for some counties was to buy an expensive machine to grind & pound it back into sand, which the counties *could* use for their own construction projects.  (And, per Rupert, the world is running short on sand.)

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9255
    • View Profile
Re: Recycling may become a thing of the past
« Reply #26 on: July 08, 2019, 06:23:22 PM »
I met a guy who was responsible for reducing the footprint of Sunny Delight when it was launched. They determined the energy cost of reusable glass bottles was way too high.

And this

When Recycling Isn't Worth It. Sometimes a landfill is a more benign option
https://digital.sierramagazine.org/publication/?i=598322&article_id=3418100&view=articleBrowser

Pay attention to the organization that published this article! The article even questions their own efforts to support laws eliminated single-use plastics.

That article is a sidebar article to the main piece, which I haven't read yet, that basically details what we've been talking about here
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2019-4-july-august/feature/us-recycling-system-garbage?mostpopular=true