Pretend recycling makes liberals feel better about themselves and their community

americanthinker.com ^ | 5/30/2018 | Ed Straker

[rktman]

This is hardly a new story, but every so often, the liberal media shine a light on it: how some of the junk that is supposedly "recycled" is actually thrown in the trash.

In recent months, in fact, thousands of tons of material left curbside for recycling in dozens of American cities and towns – including several in Oregon – have gone to landfills.

Recycling is uneconomical, in part because small impurities in materials to be recycled can make such materials useless.

"There are some states and some markets where mixed paper is at a negative value," said Brent Bell, vice president of recycling at Waste Management, which handles 10 million tons of recycling per year.

In the Pacific Northwest, Republic has diverted more than 2,000 tons of paper to landfills since the Chinese ban [on imported paper] came into effect, Mr. Keller said. The company has been unable to move that material to a market "at any price or cost," he said.

[rktman]

And those that have been snookered into believing it's all good. Several of my neighbors have asked me where my recycle bin is and I simply point to the "general garbage" bin. Yup, I'm an erf killer. EVERYTHING goes in that bin. But if it makes them feel better...... Because isn't feeling good about yourself what counts in the end? ;-)

[wally_bert]

I’ve been called various things for not recycling.

Means nothing to me.

Other than metal, I don’t see any real value.

[ransomnote]

When I helped an organization research plastic recycling, I discovered that empty plastic bottles were put on massive ships and sent over seas for recycling. HOW would that be beneficial???

[robroys woman]

Pretend recycling makes liberals feel better about themselves and their community

---

BINGO!

I’ve seen it this way for a LONG time.

I don’t know if it is true, but about 30 years ago I heard that during WWII, most of the stuff people donated for rubber and other drives was dumped in the ocean. The argument was that the commodity drives were necessary to help people feel like they were a part of the war effort and also gave the general public “skin in the game” to defeat the axis. It was all about psychology.

And we learned, with Vietnam, what happens when you win on the battlefield but lose at home.

[Buckeye McFrog]

There are reports that the City of Pittsburgh recycling program LOSES money on everything but aluminum.

But the greenie lefty virtue signaling Democrats will NEVER wind it down.

[C210N]

In a similar vein, this pretend-feel-good applies to liberals and coal-burning prius “cars”.

[GOPJ]

Liberal elites love their delusions... the one’s that tell them they’re superior to the rest of us...

I can assure the world - the New York Times and Washington Post will NOT pick up this story.

[Uversabound]

I would like to address the snarky bag people in the grocery store.

I double up on bags to their shegrin.
Then comment, nice bags, as I leave the store.

I actually use the bags for everything, cat liter, gym bag, bringing lunch to work.....

Freegards

[CodeToad]

The 1970’s recycling green pu lic school indoctrination worked. Idiots if all kinds now think separating their garbage matters and it doesn’t.

[Hogblog]

LOL...reminds me of a shirt I saw a guy wearing..... On the front it said “Earth First”.......On the back it said “We will mine the rest of the Planets later”

[BitWielder1]

I don't believe the cost of recycling makes it worth it.
Especially if you factor it the cost of millions of people spending an hour every week sorting their trash.

[mrsmel]

In all the communities where they’re forcing the issue (it finally reached mine, didn’t really think that would happen here), and it seems to be almost everywhere now, I see it as a practice run (one of many, like silly gun compliance laws) where we’re being tested as to how much resistance we’ll offer to tyranny. If we won’t even resist on the little things, when the repercussions are mostly inconvenience, they’ll know we’ll never resist when life and liberty are actually on the line.

[EQAndyBuzz]

I remember when the high temp trash burns was cleaner and more efficient than all the recycling. Then I heard of something called NIMBY. Then it all made sense.

[be-baw]

My city has curbside recycling. They provide us with a recycling bin with wheels, a lid and a handle. It’s as many steps to the recycling bin as it is to the garbage can. I have no problem using it. It’s easier to wheel the bin to the curb than it is to carry a large garbage bag (have to buy city garbage bags for $2/each or they won’t pick it up). I fill a city garbage bags once every 2 weeks, so it costs me $52/ week plus whatever taxes I pay. I just want to get my junk out of the house.

I really don’t have any control over what happens to it after it’s picked up. I pay taxes and/or fees for this service. Not sure how much, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable for the service.

[zeugma]

On the front it said “Earth First”.......On the back it said “We will mine the rest of the Planets later”

Love that.

[BobL]

I think most people now know that 90% of recycling is a fraud...Aluminum is the ONLY product truly recycled.

[USCG SimTech]

My rubbish collection service used to send around a general pickup vehicle and a mixed recycle vehicle. For more than a year now 1 truck picks up all containers and dumps them all into the common hopper. Mixed recycling worked until they had to pay people to sort it all any it cost many times more than the end product output.

[freedumb2003]

>>But the greenie lefty virtue signaling Democrats will NEVER wind it down.<<

*finger wag* You are killing COUNTLESS TREES by using paper shopping bags! Switch to plastic!! Immediately!!!

Ahh, memories. Good times, good times.

[fishtank]

[Jack Hammer]

Hey, come on... liberals need to feel good about themselves, even if it’s a bad joke.