Posted on 09/14/2020 5:38:22 AM PDT by karpov
For half a century, it’s been a term of disdain: the “throwaway society,” uttered with disgust by the environmentally enlightened. But now that their reusable tote bags are taboo at grocery stores and Starbucks is refusing to refill their ceramic mugs, they’ve had to face some unpleasant realities. Disposable products aren’t merely more convenient than the alternative; they’re also safer, particularly during a pandemic but also at any other time. And they have other virtues: the throwaway society is healthier, cleaner, more economical, less wasteful, less environmentally damaging—and yes, more “sustainable” than the green vision of utopia.
These are not new truths, even if it took the Covid-19 pandemic to reveal them again. The throwaway age began because of public-health campaigns a century ago to control the spread of pathogens. Disposable products were celebrated for decades for promoting hygiene and saving everyone time and money. It wasn’t until the 1970s that they became symbols of decadent excess, and then only because of economic and ecological fallacies repeated so often that they became conventional wisdom.
In a strange turn of events, the most affluent society in history suddenly turned into a mass of neurotic hoarders. Sifting through garbage for valuables, an activity formerly associated with the most destitute inhabitants of Third World shantytowns, became a moral duty in American suburbs. Greens campaigned for “zero waste” and a “circular economy” in which disposable products would be outlawed. They confidently predicted that the throwaway society was doomed, but if they’d known anything about its history, they would have realized that it was created for very good reasons—and that it will endure long after their lamentations are forgotten.
At the start of the twentieth century, American consumers were still living in what today’s greens would consider a state of grace.
(Excerpt) Read more at city-journal.org ...
Waiting for the Greenies to freak out over the mounting piles of disposable masks and gloves making their way into landfills.
The only problem with a “throw away” society is garbage disposal. We could incinerate or plasma burn all trash, reducing it to glass or sand.
Very dependent on cheap foreign (Chinese) labor. Who would throw out something that costs three times as much and built to last.
One of his main examples was glass baby bottles versus plastic ones. I remember my Mom and Dad and the ‘sterilizer’ they had for use for my bother and sisters and I. Now no one would even know what one of those things are used for.
My main concern was what he said was the worst problem with this - pregnant women and small children - and sexual development. He said all this plastic floating around in their system would cause real problems in the most basic of things, like normal sexuality versus defective sexuality. Things like homosexuality and sexual confusion.
Every time I hear another word about LGBT or some other nonsense, I remember that article and think to myself - boy are we screwed!
In a million years or so all you see around you will be an inch or so layer of strata in whatever “grand canyon” is exposed.
Burn all burnables to produce electricity. Our local power company does and uses scrubbers to keep the air clean. Only the ash goes into lined landfills. Done and done.
> burn ... local power company does ...
Can you say about where? I’m interested in researching this. I think it has a lot of potential.
Thanks FRiend!
I vote for gasification over either. Better than plain incineration, as it can then supplement natural gas in generating clean energy and also reduces the non-carbon content to non-toxic ash ("glass").
Plasma burn needs lots of electricity. Not practical w.o. nukes.
My driveway is 1/4 mile away. So we came up with a great solution. I pay about $30 a month in Louisville income tax, so this is fair.
We divide the trash into four groups:
1. Food waste - it gets composted.
2. Aluminum cans - they get recycled for money
3. glass and metal stuff - I take it to work with me in small Wal-mart bags and drop in the public trash receptacle on my way into the building. Roughly two of these little bags a week.
4. Everything else - burn it.
But I live on acreage where my nearest neighbor is 500 yards away. It’s all about PPM. This works because there are few people around. If I lived in an urban/suburban environment like I did in Seattle for over four decades, I’d use the trash pickup service. In fact, I believe it is now the law.
And, not to change the subject, but that kind of control over my freedom of choice is one of the reasons I left such an environment.
The whole issue makes me think of disposable grocery bags vs the reusable ones, that carry germs like a dang petri dish.
Got to love plastic bags but they can keep the five year and junk fridge.
You don’t want to live here for many reasons but there are power plants on along Island that burn rubbish and get lots of power. There was a smell issue when it first started but they cleaned it up.
https://www.countyoffice.org/covanta-hempstead-westbury-ny-035/
> power plants on along Island that burn rubbish and get lots of power
That is excellent information. Thank you!
The output looks very steady and utilization looks high. That’s a great combination! (unlike solar and wind for example.)
I’m wondering how much it has to rely on the oil backup. Around here, that would be NG.
Speaking of NG. We must now have a couple generations of people running things who were never taught the animal - plant carbon dioxide - oxygen cycle. Unbelievable.
Aren’t there still enough people with some sense to start over somewhere?
No, they aren't. Chemically not possible. Your typical "plastic" molecule is as big or bigger than a DNA strand. What "is" possible is that some of the "small molecule" ADDITIVES to plastics might get incorporated into DNA (like brominated flame retardants).
Wind farms kill bald eagles. I suppose that’s what they want. I think there is oil used in conjunction with trash to get it going. Just my opinion. I don’t really know how it works.
The sob sisters who cry pollution in America is 3-4 decades too late. Are cars are clean....power plants are scrubbed. way big improvements. They need to go after China and India who are dirt bags when it comes to energy.
Maybe I’m not getting my minimum daily requirements of plastics.
The essence of environmentalists is that their precious sensibilities are more important than yours.
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