California city starts diaper recycling

CNN ^ | 11/9/02

[Straight Vermonter]

SANTA CLARITA, California (AP) -- The city is launching what it says is the nation's first diaper recycling program.

"Santa Clarita has a long history in environmental stewardship and leadership, and we are very pleased to add one more innovative component to our city's overall recycling strategy," Mayor Frank Ferry said Friday.

[Calvin Locke]

Ah, you're missing the madness of the method. You see, a deposit will be required on the purchase of disposable diaper products.

Unclaimed illegal alien deposits will be counted toward how the illegal alien invasion benefits the country in the form of taxes.

[MattAMiller]

I'm pretty sure you could find a long and detailed article on why recycleing is great. Maybe it would be utter piffle, or maybe not, I can't say that I know. I'm just baffled by why so many conservatives are so willing to leap all over this stuff.

If it works it works. If it doesn't it doesn't. If recycling is useless today then perhaps technology will make it mavelous tommorow. There seems to do some sort of objection to sorting some stuff out of one's trash or useing gas effeciently that's based on some sort of metaphysical principal rather than whether or not it does any good.

I don't mean to pick on you in particular Grundle. I've simply noticed that the discussion of this issue is not always as objective as it could be.

[grundle]

Your post was very polite and civil. You are not picking on me.

Regarding this particular recycling program, according to the article, it will cost $500,000 for 500 homes for six months. That's $2,000 per home per year.

If recycling diapers costs more money than putting diapers into a landfill, then that suggests that recycling diapers uses up more resources than does putting them into a landfill.

Let's take a look at gold. Gold is a truly scarce resource. But people recycle gold voluntarily. There's no need for environmentalists to go around and tell people to recylce gold. Why? Because gold is truly scrarce. And this scarcity is relefected in the high price of gold. And the high price of gold is why people don't throw their gold into the garbage.

If dirty diapers were truly valuable, then there would be private companies that would offer to buy them from willing sellers, and no government involvement would be necessary.

People will always voluntarily recycle, if they believe that it passes a cost/benefit analysis. If government involvement in recycling is the only way to get it to happen, that is because it fails a cost/benefit analysis.

In a free market economy, prices communicate information about supply and demand. I think that the people who favor government recycling programs do not understand the function of prices.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Does he use regular Huggies or "big boy pants"?

I pray I'm never jaded enough to check on that.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Regarding this particular recycling program, according to the article, it will cost $500,000 for 500 homes for six months. That's $2,000 per home per year.

Great diapers in the morning!

[Libloather]

I understand the Streets of San Francisco get washed with bleach. Keeps the HepC and TB down for the tourist trade.

Dang. What's 'down'? One case in every 25? The Taliban would be happy...

[Dec31,1999]

Cloth diapers are terrible. I swore we would use them with our kids, but... NOT. I think the recycling idea is a good one, if it can break even, even, which I doubt.

[rangersdaughter]

"Why aren't they suggesting cloth diapers? "

Exactly. The very scary thing about "disposable" diapers is that they end up in landfills. Our landfills are not equipped to deal with the viruses, bacteria, etc., that are inherent in, ahem, the contents of diapers. Thus, these nasty viruses and bacteria (sometimes live nasty stuff, like after immunizations) end up seeping down to the water table. There is no decontamination.


Our water system, i.e., using cloth and a washing machine, IS equipped to deal with these things. This is why the tiny print on any plastic diaper package says, "Shake soil into toilet." Which nobody ever does.

Scary.

Cloth is the only way to go.

[rangersdaughter]

BUMP. Total agreement.

[spunkets]

"Instead, the real purpose of these programs is to satisfy the emotional cravings of the people who belong to the radical left."

The employees of such non-productive jobs programs are also eternally greatful and are moved to show their appreciation at each and every election.

[Rebelbase]

"The illegal aliens don't understand recycling - they will still leave the diapers in parking lots."

I stepped on one of those the other day. Nasty.

[rangersdaughter]

"Cloth diapers are terrible. I swore we would use them with our kids, but... NOT. I think the recycling idea is a good one, if it can break even, even, which I doubt. "

Why are they terrible? Because you are too lazy to pin and wash? Seriously. Cloth is awesome. It's disposables (i.e., plastic crap) that causes rash, asthma in many babies, and allergic reactions.

Read up on this. Having a baby is not supposed to be easy street. And part of having a baby is diapering them safely and comfortably.

Ask yourself...would you rather wear plastic pants or cloth undies? If you answer the former, then there is no hope for you or your children. Plastic diapers are uncomfortable, they cause awful skin irritation, and they don't help our childrens' future. End of point.

[Rebelbase]

"The cost will rise excrementally."

LMAO!!!!!!!!

[Rebelbase]

". I have seen programs on TV where they dig up trash that is years old but looks little different from when it was buried"

I saw a program once that showed 30 year old newspapers being pulled from a landfill, you could read the fine print.

[Rebelbase]

"The construction material"

There is an old man in my town whom patented a tongue and groove plastic milk-bottle back in the 60's. He actually built a house out the interlocked bottles.

[Ditter]

The 'booger eating morons' among us, are never gonna go for this.

[Rebelbase]

My final words on this whole subject are that I am eternally thankful that I don't have to shop the diaper aisle at the grocery anymore!

[redhead]

"Why aren't they suggesting cloth diapers?"

Don't you remember? They have to be washed in WATER. I think that's why the paper diapers came out in the first place. All my kids but one were raised in cloth diapers. Without a washing machine, I washed diapers by hand every day, and hung them out to dry (or not. Juneau is pretty rainy). Every day. If it was raining, they were hung in the kitchen.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Boy, pigheadedness runs in our family, doesn't it? I wonder if the specific gene has been identified yet? LOL!

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

"In a free market economy, prices communicate information about supply and demand. I think that the people who favor government recycling programs do not understand the function of prices."

I think I detect another disciple of the Friedman's! It just drives me crazy that so many people in this country either cannot or will not understand this simple idea- after all, they have the wreckage of several "centrally-planned" economies to learn from...