The Utter Waste of Recycling

Right Wing News ^ | 07/13/2004 | Alan Caruba

[crv16]

Depends on the situation. Here in Merrimack, the landfill is full, so the trash has to be hauled to a more distant landfill at some per-pound rate. They divert significant quantities of paper, plastic, glass, steel, and aluminum from having to add to the weight of material that they have to pay to haul, instead selling it to interested buyers such as asphalt plants (glass), blanket manufacturers (plastic), and so on.

Next door in Bedford, our transfer station pays *slightly less* to have the recycling items hauled away. I question if the overhead of maintaining a recyling center pays for the slight savings.

[mvpel]

Interesting, I'll have to do a bit more research.

[Zeroisanumber]

Recyling is another liberal concept that, on the surface seems to have merit, yet in practice is a complete and utter failure.

It makes sense to recycle Aluminum because it's cheaper to melt it down and re-use it than it is to mine new Bauxite. It's also handy (though not economical) to re-use plastics since they take an incredibly long time to degrade and give off toxic fumes when burned.

[Zeroisanumber]

It happens quite often. The major precautions involve methane detection/venting and foundation design which accounts for settling.

Given how much Methane they produce, I'm suprised that more landfills aren't used as an energy source.

[mvpel]

Ann Arbor, Michigan has a methane power plant on their closed landfill, built at least 15 years ago. I'm not sure how it's working these days or the price of the power it produced, but I'm sure that could be found on the web.

[Professional Engineer]

I imagine collecting the methane is not economical yet.

BTW, my former boss loved using the phrse "Zero is a number".

[mvpel]

	City of Ann Arbor Landfill  Ann Arbor, MI - 1600 kw
	Landfill Energy Systems worked with the City of Ann Arbor and The Detroit Edison Company to develop a small landfill gas utilization project for the City.  The City’s Landfill is a one hundred and thirty-two acre site located within the City limits.   The landfill stopped accepting trash in 1992 and the final cover was finished in 1993.  The landfill gas collection system recovers approximately 1.0 million cubic feet of gas per day and consists of nearly 50 gas wells and a blower / flare station.  At the request of the City of Ann Arbor and Detroit Edison, Landfill Energy Systems installed two Caterpillar power modules.  These modules include all necessary equipment to each generate 800 kW of electricity within the metal enclosure.   The power module design was selected based on the quantity of landfill gas available at the time of construction and the anticipation of a drop off in future gas production.   The use of modules will allow Landfill Energy Systems to move the “power plant” to another location when there are no longer sufficient quantities of landfill gas available.  The 1.6 MW facility began commercial operation in September 1996.  Landfill Energy Systems owns and operates the power modules and sells the electricity to the Detroit Edison Company.

[JeanLM]

If I knew I would tell you. In the world the number is undoubtedly thousands. The question was rhetorical really. The point I was trying to make is the mechanism for a dump to cause any harm to the blessed environment or humankind has never been shown. They have polluted water in the old days and that can cause health problems, but today that's a non-issue.

Dumps are unsightly when operating but innocuous when closed, except they will break wind occasionally like a big herd of cows if they aren't plumbed to collect the methane.

Your grandchildren and mine won't be bothered by our old trash. They'll have bigger problems to deal with I'm sure.

[MortMan]

... She lied in Boulder. ...

Did she tell the truth about how to work the copier? ;-D

[Max Combined]

What about parks? Do you have too many of them?

It is not as though we are really running out of room for landfills. One can put lots of trash in a relatively small landfill. Then you can get methane gas out of the landfill and use that for energy.

[Max Combined]

"I wish McDees/BurgerKing would have some type of program that if you brought back their wrappers/bags you would get money back."

Wish in one hand...

[Doe Eyes]

I'm conservative as they come but I have no problem with recyling.

Sorry, but you are as liberal as Ted Kennedy.

[Max Combined]

"Waste Management sharply increased what they charge to pick up plastics,"

Probably because they couldn't get any money for the plastic and it was costing them money to pick it up.

[Max Combined]

"it generates methane gas which is narcotic, toxic and flammable" and can be sold as fuel, just like gases like butane and propane which are just as toxic

[Max Combined]

"It's a real problem, particularly in densely populated areas."

Not really. There is plenty of space for landfills.

[VOA]

bump

[Max Combined]

Those were the days!

[Max Combined]

"Personally, I'm in favor of a moderate amount of recycling to balance the tremendous amount of 'normal' garbage that's created."

It is fine to be in favor of something in a general way. Unfortunately, the cost/benefit ratio of recycling does not make it economically viable for anything except metals.

[patton]

"Give a hoot, don't polute. SINK your beercans."

[Max Combined]

"More landfills, less land available for living."

More landfills, more land available for parks, which make live worth living.