Recycle, do you?

[MikeC]

Steel is also more efficient to recycle... by a very large margin.

Perhaps I should have said "metals", rather then just AL.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

I have heard the same thing that Boogie previously stated. I lived in one city here in S. Florida that no longer recycled for that very reason.
Where I live now, they recycle. They take cardboard, glass, plastic. And yes, they use two trucks, two crews........
Composting is also a wonderful way of recycling. Some say that it attracts rats, but if you do not throw protein (meat bones, processed foods) and turn over the pile, there is no problem. Mix browns and greens, water, and in a short time you have some of the nicest dirt that is full of good nutrients, and didn't cost anything. If you take a cloth bag of it and soak it in water, you have some really good liquid for new plants. Gardners call it liquid gold.
I just don't understand how people lay sod ($1.20+ per 2 sq ft), then water, fertalize, then mow it down, bag the clippings in plastic garbage bags, put on the curb, repeat. Why not plant native species, get rid of the grass, which is the biggest waste of resources in a yard, and enjoy the yard instead of working on it?
I learned a long time ago that laying newspaper and cardboard down around the plants, then topping with leaves and grass clipppings is better for your lawn, and repels weedes better than the store bought mulch and that weed barrier stuff.

 

[archman]

I learned a long time ago that laying newspaper and cardboard down around the plants, then topping with leaves and grass clipppings is better for your lawn, and repels weedes better than the store bought mulch and that weed barrier stuff.

Could you discuss this in more detail Jenny? What "plants" are you referring to, and what are the specifics for the newspaper/cardboard procedure?

I have heaps of newspaper and scrap cardboard lying about.

 

[simbrooks]

There is a show on one of the pay cable channels called "Penn and Teller's Bull$hit!". They had a show about recycling, they said the same as Boogie did. According to their stats the only material that makes sense to recycle is aluminum. Everything else uses more energy to recycle and causes more pollution then making a new item. Penn and Teller claim that the US EPA used flawed data, amazing that the US can use flawed data, in deciding that recycling really works.

The only thing that doesnt make sense with the theory of "dont recycle", only make more stuff from raw materials is that the raw materials will one day become scarce. Yes it takes more energy to recycle, but really our efforts are focused in the wrong areas - we should prioritise:
Waste Minimisation - produce less packaging, buy products without as much packaging, but of course everyone wants the tiny product in the gigantic box.
Reuse - i think this speaks for itself, not only in its original function, but maybe finding another function once the material is no good for its intended purpose due to being worn out.
Recycle - i think we are discussing this one at the moment, be it yard/food waste in compost or metals, glass, plastics and paper. Until the local governments/utilities get people to sift on the conveyor belts at the landfills - or some kind of transfer station, curbside is probably a good deal better than people driving their trash out somewhere for it to be sorted. There are a variety of non-human sorting methods, they cost money initially, but they save on hazardous materials precautions for the workers - liability seems to be law these days.
Dispose - if all else fails find a way to dispose of the material, personally i like the idea of incineration and using that to regain some power using turbines rather than landfilling, of course next to nothing of this disposal option is going to really benefit the environment, hence why it is the last resort.

I could spiel on a while about green stuff, i could even do a lot better myself at practicing what i preach and have been preached to about this during my environmental engineering degree courses, but of course this is the basics of it.

 

[dlndavid]

Nice post Simon. I agree, recycling and waste management is more than just a "feel good" as some have mentioned. A lot park benches are being made from milk recycled milk bottles saving wood and metal for other uses.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Could you discuss this in more detail Jenny? What "plants" are you referring to, and what are the specifics for the newspaper/cardboard procedure?

I have heaps of newspaper and scrap cardboard lying about.

Plants I am referring to is anything that you put in the ground. This can be flowers, shrubs or trees. I try to plant natives. Then I go one step farther and am trying to xerioscape. Xerioscaping is learning the mini climates in your yard, for me the shady east side and the dry, sand pile western no shade side. It encourages putting water loving plants with like, and dry plants with same. This being said, I do not plant something that loves the sun in the east yard, and something that requires a lot of water does not get planted in the backyard. Also it encourages the use of native plants that are tolerant of the area (down here we have heat, drought, flood) Ok, I am not perfect, but most of the plants in my yard are native to Florida/Zone 10.
When laying down grass and clippings,chips or even store bought mulch (folks down here love that colored red bark, yeech) lay down several layers of newspapers, a layer of dog food bags, or cardboard. I lay the papers around existing plants, then put the mulch on top, working around the plants. The paper will slowly decompose, but in the meantime creates a weed barrier. Serves multiple purposes:
1. recycles newspaper and cardboard.
2. reduce waste to the landfill by using grass clippings, leaves and wood chips as mulch.
3. saves money as you are not buying commercially produced products or fertilizers.
4. environmentally friendly. No need to add weed killers to the ground supply.
5. the clippings will enhance the dirt supply adding nutrients to the soil.

My mom, who lives up north, started out quite a few years ago laying newspaper under her mulch. The soil was so-so, now it is beautiful black and the plants are thriving without the need for additional fertilizers.

 

[WarmWaterDiver]

After the invasion of the South American fire ants in South Texas when I was in junior high, our compost heaps all turned into giant fire ant habitats. That ended composting for me & my family. The fire ants still rule the ant ecosystem there today.

Where we live now (Great Lakes area), the mentally disadvantaged are given employment in the sorting operations for recycling in some of the community stations, if they pass the qualifications. In another area, the station is supervised by paid employees and the real labor is provided by folks sentenced to community service. Either way, it makes me feel a bit better that these folks are given something gainful to contribute, rather than just 'busy work'. I saw the Penn & Teller show, and while interesting, didn't mention any ties to community service - and that's where doing things in just dollars and sense loses sight of the whole picture.