Think Globally, Act Irrationally: Recycling [oldie but goodie!]

There is a simple test for determining whether something is a resource (something valuable) or just garbage (something you want to dispose of at the lowest possible cost, including costs to the environment). If someone will pay you for the item, it's a resource. Or, if you can use the item to make something else people want, and do it at lower price or higher quality than you could without that item, then the item is also a resource. But if you have to pay someone to take the item away, or if other things made with that item cost more or have lower quality, then the item is garbage.

Good article.

However, I would add that some recycling is done to keep a toxin out of landfills (batteries, tires, used motor oil). In these cases, there isn’t a market for old lead-acid batteries, but I wouldn’t want lead to enter the groundwater.

Residential recycling (except for metals, waste oil, tires and batteries) is more of an involvement exercise than environmental responsibility.

As this article explains, glass recycling is actully harmful to the environment. The same can be said for paper. I’m not sure about plastic.

To: Enchante; Aardvark111; ACK ACK; Al Koa; Angel of Beth; another_bot_for_W; ApeNipples; axe2grin...

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Per popular demand I've registered at Cabelas but, again, really not necessary.
It seems TPTB here at FR have given me a “Profile” page with carte blanche as to it’s use. I didn’t even ask for it! Which, BTW, leads me to believe a couple little birdies on this ping list have been cheeping again, lol! Anyhow, solid thanks to FR for the gesture and if you’d like to check it out just click here or apparently you can click on my screen name at the bottom of my posts as well.
Nice perks for boy from the streets.

Last year I did a friend a solid by filling in as resident manager (janitor) at his condo complex in Kauai for a few weeks. My day started at 6:00 AM and after a few duties and much talking story I was in my unit listening to Rush by 9:00 AM and off to the beach by noon.

In the lobby was one of those "activities brochure racks." I saw, one day, this Twig Boy who was renting a unit for a week on floor 5 take a brochure. I thought nothing of it until the next day when I was emptying the 5th floor trash room and found the brochure that Twig Boy had taken in the paper recycling bin.

He took the brochure, weighting down the elevator with it as he brought it to his floor. Then, instead of taking it back to the lobby he puts it in the 5th floor trash room paper recycle bin and expected someone to drive it somewhere, ship it somewhere, drive it to a plant to be made into what it already is i.e. paper, reprint it, then move it thousands of miles to retake its place in the activities brochure rack.

Of course, I dumped all the paper, glass, and plastic from their recycle bins into the trash dumpster as a matter of practice during my stint.

love that -— I went through a period of simply tossing waste paper at the office into a trash can, but the enviro-Nazis were so worked up about it that finally I decided it just wasn’t worth the hassles so I started using the “paper recycling” bin for awhile..... then I quit that job to be free of some rabid enviro-Nazis..... (well for a bunch of other reasons too, but it sure did feel great to be out of there)

The richest woman in the world is in China. She makes boxes for MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS - from recycled American cardboard. 95% of the recycled steel is sent to China - to make things sold in America. Fleece is made from recycled milk and soda jugs and there is not a person in New England who has not loved fleece this winter. Most of the clothes are made in China. Recycled is an art and we are going to lose that soon./ rant off

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