Recycling is stupid

Ok we all separate our stuff into glass paper etc etc etc but they havent got the capacity to recycle it all. Theres huge paper mountains causing more problems than if we just burnt the shit with all the other trash. This is all a stupid idea so the govcernments can make you feel like its a consumer problem rather than an industry problem. The fact is that if industry packaged better and found more ways to cut down on packaging there would be less consumer waste - why not sell fizzy drinks from a barell that you take a one litre container to in the store each week? What about supermarkets where you cannot buy single portions of food anymore thats prewrapped? Also they force you into a choice of buy 10 apples for £1 or 20 for £1.50 - how about they just make it 75p for 10 so people dont have to take 2 packs to get a better deal ? they get the deal whether its one or two packs
supermarkets are thoroughly dishonest in pricing and packaging like a box of cereals is 45% air - they are stupid people these supermarket owners
this isnt a consumer problem its a traders problem - when they spend money cutting down such waste I will start complying with recycling laws till then it isnt my problem

 

Don't you know? "It's the thought that counts." With earth-worshipping eco-freaks, what does it matter, the technical details?

Actually, maybe a better question to ask, is not just whether the stuff just sits around in some "recyclable" mountain waiting for some facilities somewhere to be able to take and process it, but what about the economic feasibily? The problem there, is that the recycling "religion" is predicated upon the "environmental" myth of impending scarcity, which they seem to want to manufacture by their backward nature-worship policy-pushing, but such resources are actually quite abundant, so much so, that it may actually cost more, in real terms, to recycle many materials, than to just get all new stuff. After all, what of all the manhours handling and rehanding and sorting all that stuff? Who wants to work for free? Those people have to be paid, and who is paying for it all? The overtaxxed taxpayer, as usual?

According to some news report I heard years ago, aluminum was about the only thing that "pays" to recycle, and I think that was around 4 cents a soda can. Only 4 cents? It would make more sense to convince people to stop smoking nasty cancer sticks, than to quibble over a measly 4 cents. And that's for the energy to refine new aluminum ore. There is no shortage, as according to some encyclopedia, 8% of the earth's crust, is aluminum.

Well if we actually burned more trash, maybe we could at least get the value of the energy out of it?

Well it does come across as an "environmental" guilt trip. Or some "holier than thou" smug attitude. "We recycle more than you, so we are better than you." Never mind, how much stuff the religious "recyclers" consume and waste, "It's the thought that counts."

Now hold on. Aren't you forgetting about the problem that understaffed corporate stores (i.e. the poster child of what's wrong with corporate America trademark--Wal-Mart) must contend with--shrink. Expensive little crap has a way of disappearing into greedy, selfish customers pockets or purses, without the proper pay so that the stores and people who made the product, can be paid for their labor.

But I agree to a point. Packaging often is excessive, so much so, that the product won't even easily fit into the proper peghook slot, even though it's some little piece of crap. What for do I want to buy a big ol' blister wrap plastic thing, full of mostly air? Want to make it so big? Why not fill it with user manuals or accessories to better justify taking up so much space? Why not include more accessories, since when bulk packaged, those accessories can be manufactured for a rather cheap price per unit. Much of the cost of products, isn't really manufacture, but inventory that sits taking up space, and excessive handling.

Take in your own drink container? Don't some convenience stores already have deals like that? Bring in your mug and buy refills? But much of what sells sodas, is convenience. For most people, thinking ahead to bring one's own container, isn't convenient. That throw-away cup, isn't really free, but part of the cost, well unless you get a courtesy water. I would rather have styrofoam for a throwaway cup, because waxed paper cups, leak in about a half day. They are only water resistant, not water proofed. When people put those nasty cups in the refrigerator, then forget them, it's not long at all, before they are sitting in a puddle of sticky goo. And why do people pay so much for dilluted sticky goo anyway? People pay as much, in some restaurant or convenience store, as for an entire 2-liter soda in a more solid throwaway plastic bottle. What's wrong with water once-in-a-while, rather than paying almost as much for quickly-gone fizz, as for food?

Bulk packaging should be cheaper (per pound or whatever unit), because why should I have to pay for the excessive handling of tiny little waste-time packages, when I like big packages that don't waste my time having to buy more of it, all the time? I buy my mayonaise in a gallon plastic jar. Yeah, it's a bit heavy, and hogs a bit of space in my refrigerator, but the smaller size costs nearly as much, and runs out quickly. Who has time for such piddly excessive shopping?

Of course, customers could decide to band themselves into little shopping clubs, buy the cheaper bulk sizes, and then split them up among themselves.

And they can charge more, for little piddly sizes, because they know that people are too lazy or busy or too smart, to shop around for better deals, on little conveniently little pidly sizes. It's the huge-size customers, who more likely care more, about finding the best deals.

I'm not so sure I see what you are talking about, about "dishonest" pricing. Isn't it well known, that profit margins are higher in some areas, and more slim in others? And I hear that the high-profit items tend to be more at eye-level or in the checkouts. The better values tend to be up high or low, requiring bending over or a reach. Obviously, supermarkets need to make a profit, or they will soon be out of business, or be staffed by morons willing to work for piddly little wages.

I'll tell you what I consider "dishonest" pricing. That is, when for fear of the wrath of customers in passing along higher production costs, they "downsize" product sizes, hoping that we are too stupid to notice. Why is a "half-gallon" ice cream, now only 1.75 quarts? Why are my 1 1/2 pound loafs of bread, now only 20 ounces, and not the previous 24 ounces? I switched brands over that, and even make the drive to the bread store, if necessary, because I want a "full" loaf of bread, not this "let's all downsize at once," sort of cabal conspiracy, as if all the bread brands are in collusion of some sort of "monopoly?" I would rather they be honest, and just tell me what the price is now. Don't shortchange me on product by "cutting corners," reducing size or quality.

 

It's polititians who are stupid then, it's not act of recycling itself.

 

Ultimately, recycling the packaging of all of the things we 'need' to buy everyday is a small baby step towards green living anyway. And when we leave it to the public to take care of, it's no surprise that it fails to work correctly. If you really want to recycle the paper that "ends up in giant piles", you should recycle it yourself.

The best way for us to seriously live greener would be to stop living off of the umbilical cord of modern industry. Little changes are all that we need- baking your own loaf of bread, learning to sew some of your own old or new clothing, or buying less of the "Expensive little crap" that is cranked out just to entertain us for a profit. Just because the publics recycling program is the only method that is common knowledge or gets tv-time doesn't mean that it is the only way to go.

I may sound like an "earth-worshiping eco-freak," but industrial amerika is a largely lost cause when it comes to becoming earth friendly. If it means that much to you to be green, change how you live, instead of playing the blame game with the people who are in it for the money.



I dunno. That's just how I feel.

 

Yeah your right! I wonder if those in power do conciously try to funnel our eneries into things that lead to no change, like voting!

 

yawn

 

I'm sorry, Drumminmama. I realize that the problem is much more complex and diverse than I made it out to be in my post, but I let my emotions take control of me and posted an angry, simple-minded retort. I even forgot that they might not be from amerika! I'm sorry everyone.
I personally agree; everyone should just do what they can. Even something as simple as educating ourselves could be big a change as living completely on the earth would be. Let's all do our best to change the world, by changing ourselves. ^_^

 

Just curious (and a little off-topic), how would we go about doing that? Obviously we know that fire creates heat, light, and a lot of ash, but how could these things be harnessed? I guess ash could be used as a fertilizer (I think), and that would at least be one small way to recycle on a large scale. Is there a way that the heat could be turned into another form of energy?

 

Seems to me your anger is misdirected.

Don't blame the supermarkets for that, blame the producers who package the stuff. Some products need some air packed in to avoid crushing, the consumer pays by the weight in those cases, not by the volumn so where's the dishonesty.
If it bothers you that much do what I do and cook oatmeal...
roast and soak oats/grains overnight and heat in the morning, add fruit, nuts, seasonings, use your imagination, much more nutritious too.

I agree that the pricing schemes such as your apple example does encourage over-consumption and eventually waste for products that spoil before they're consumed.

It's everyone's problem, if you purchase over-packaged products than you are only part of the problem and not the solution.

 

Right on.

Recycling doesn't work. In almost every case more damage
is done to the environment by the recycling process than
would be done if the old stuff was just thrown in a landfill
and new stuff made.

Recycling is another psuedo-solution from the psuedo-progressives
who want to change the world without changing _their_ lifestyle.

They want us to believe that we can have our Earth and eat it too.

No need for me to go into details. It's been done here by some very
sharp folks.

Littlefoot

 

Actually Japan has been doing it for quite some time. Remember they are a small island. They've had to learn to recycle or run out of space. But their citizens really separate their trash. Coddled American's will take some coaxing before they get to that point.

http://web-japan.org/trends98/honbun/ntj970709.html

 

I am sorry for your lack of recycling depots over there. We have 1 currently operating and a new one in the works-which will include composting etc. for those who do not garden.

We also have curbside pickup of paper, cardboard and certain plastics, our nuisance is our glass which we must take and sort ourselves at the depot.
I have solved some of our glass problems by recycling certain types of nicer looking bottles and jars into vases or for brewing my herbal vinegars.

I also plant to use certain jars for display containers on my roadside stand, and for those of you out there who do sandblasting, heavier glass jars and bottles can have nice designs of all sorts etched on them with sandblasting.

CHEERS
Lois

 

Metal recycling is productive, environmentally sound, and the waste byproduct is much much less than mining raw ore, and the material stays 100% in tact.

But recycling everything else is wastful and over rated.
Paper especially. I don't recycle paper.

 

we should just stop producing trash altogether, plastic being the biggest enemy

 

PARDON ME!!!

I recycle everything from feed bags to hay string to pallets and metal.

What is composting-reycling the things from the plant back to the earth it was grown in !

I can't believe you are so "green ignorant" The more we re-use, the less new, costly and often less functional, and frequently inferior products have to be made.

Recycling done properly is nearly 100% efficient.

The only bug-bear where I live is no place to recycle styrofoam.

Read "The Garbage Book" available on ABEbooks.com

LOIS

 

:sunny: Now that attitude I LOVE!

Lois

 

With the increasing population, the 3rd world's desire to have all the "stuff" we've had, and with most of the available money under control of those who are convinced that everything is just alright, I don't see how we can keep up or gain on the over use of the world's resources. Every little bit helps to stave off the inevitable,I suppose.

 

Recycling is far from stupid. No, recycling is not perfect and no you don't recover 100% of what is recycled.

When you recycle you reduce waste disposal, you then the need for landfills which in turn lessens to impact of man's products on nature. On the same level, increasing recycling may not, right away reduce mining or petroleum extraction, but it gives a better excuse for the prices of extracted materials to go up and that in turn feeds into recycling.