Why I Don’t Recycle

[Williamsmith]

I have no clue but what percentage of the plastic Recyclables we sell to China gets sent back to us in the form of non recyclable plastic packaging in cheap consumables?

The one article I referenced stated that 10% of the recyclable material placed in your blue bin gets sent directly to the landfill and of the 90% left, another 25% gets sorted out for things like contamination. If that is true then fully one third of recycling is useless and customers are paying once for regular trash and a second time to throw “recyclables in their blue bin that is going to be treated like trash and sent to the landfill. So that Is not being too frugal and quite wasteful of your financial resources.

And whatever happened to biodegradable packaging?

[Rogar]

There is an old abandoned landfill nearby that they have developed to capture methane from the decomposing organics. I don't think the technology is up to it becoming profitable and wide spread. And I don't think of it as an excuse to fill landfills with impunity.

[ApatheticNoMore]

They might excavate the landfills but wow would they be toxic if they ever did. People even throw the stuff you really aren't supposed to throw in the trash in there (electronics, paint, serious household chemicals, batteries, etc.),

[Williamsmith]

Well, the real problem is not all people agree that convenience “culture” is unsustainable. And so we have a lag between an organized effort to reduce and a wait for technology mindset.

[ApatheticNoMore]

There is an old abandoned landfill nearby that they have developed to capture methane from the decomposing organics. I don't think the technology is up to it becoming profitable and wide spread. And I don't think of it as an excuse to fill landfills with impunity.

there is of course also the issue that as landfills become filled up they have to truck the garbage to further and further away landfills which is both costly and has a carbon impact. So even if recycling doesn't always solve the problem, filling up the landfills is clearly a bad idea.

[catherine]

And whatever happened to biodegradable packaging?

One of my other classmates (known for annoying and time-consuming anecdotes about how the subject matter relates to her) talked at length about how the snacks that she brought in today were from Whole Foods, and the muffins are wonderful, and vegan mind you, but the "environmentally-friendly" packaging was so bad that the muffins didn't even make it down the belt through the check-out. That's Terrible!

So, it seems there an unmet need in the market for biodegradable packaging that will make it from the Whole Foods display to Recycling Class.

[Williamsmith]

They might excavate the landfills but wow would they be toxic if they ever did. People even throw the stuff you really aren't supposed to throw in the trash in there (electronics, paint, serious household chemicals, batteries, etc.),

People? You mean me and you and all my neighbors because I can’t afford to pay the outrageous costs associated with the “proper” disposal of my mercury vapor lights, used oil, tires, electronics and televisions. Besides, they all end up at the landfill anyway.

[catherine]

People? You mean me and you and all my neighbors because I can’t afford to pay the outrageous costs associated with the “proper” disposal of my mercury vapor lights, used oil, tires, electronics and televisions. Besides, they all end up at the landfill anyway.

Move to Middlesex County where disposal of all those things you mentioned are absolutely free. And they don't wind up in the landfill.

[Williamsmith]

One of my other classmates (known for annoying and time-consuming anecdotes about how the subject matter relates to her) talked at length about how the snacks that she brought in today were from Whole Foods, and the muffins are wonderful, and vegan mind you, but the "environmentally-friendly" packaging was so bad that the muffins didn't even make it down the belt through the check-out. That's Terrible!

So, it seems there an unmet need in the market for biodegradable packaging that will make it from the Whole Foods display to Recycling Class.

Perhpas that’s why I fantasize about a market shift toward local food. A reduced need for bionic packaging that can withstand transportation across the continent. A simple paper bag that I can make a hand puppet out of.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Well, the real problem is not all people agree that convenience “culture” is unsustainable. And so we have a lag between an organized effort to reduce and a wait for technology mindset.

some things are cultural but I don't believe convenience is really a cultural phenomena entirely. Ok many people don't think about packaging, and companies also produce a lot of extra packaging (which may be a large part of the problem what companies produce and packaging that merchants use and so on), but convenience is also a symptom of being overwhelmed.