Recycling is done for altruistic reasons not out of necessity.
Why aren’t we recycling more?
- Thread starter 53' Stude
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Some days I wish I lived in Michigan or New York. I’d gladly pay more since they recycle glass and aluminum.
How many computers, laptops and cell phones and electronics are recycled?
How many computers, laptops and cell phones and electronics are recycled?
There is a huge recycling center at local park that has collegiate ice rink near by.
My old oil filters; I take to metals place when I have a galvanized metal trash can or two filled up
My old oil filters; I take to metals place when I have a galvanized metal trash can or two filled up
Well someone is going to use the water.
Good for them.
I also don't need the added water consumption and increased sewer rate on my bill just to clean all those items.
Given a cost is a cost, the only difference being who bares the cost, In states where they require deposits they simply push the cost on to the retailer and consumer to save, store, transport and implement a fiscal transaction, rather than those benefiting from it - mainly the manufacturer of glass. These all require time, space and labor.
Of course it uses less landfill space, and you wouldn't need to pay to transport it to the landfill, so that is a cost that is saved.
How much do the new inputs for glass cost compared to cullet. Is it cheaper to use cullet or new material?
My issue with all these recycling schemes is no one seems to have a handle on what all the true costs are. I realize I am a nerd, but I would actually be interested to know.
Cullet is usually at least 40% cheaper per ton than the raw materials in their correct combination. When combined with the fact that cullet is “extracted” curbside, and not needing to be mined like the raw materials, it makes infinitely more sense.
There is plenty of data that shows the lifecycle of glass containers through the recycling process, back to glass plants, then through to its return to the shelf can happen in less than a month. Meaning; it is theoretically and realistically probable that one could literally support the entire economy of glass containers with ~8.5-10% “float” if 100% of glass containers were recycled.
This is not “returnable” containers being sanitized and refilled; this is a 100% new, single-use container every time.
SubieRubyRoo:
Thanks for your first-hand information about the glass industry. It's really interesting to hear the facts.
When you were talking about sorting different glass colors, I started wondering how broken glass is handled.
My area has single-stream recycling. Even though I'm careful, I sometimes break a jar when putting it into the bin. And when I'm running on recycling day, sometimes there's a trail of broken glass bits that have fallen out of the truck.
It seems like a good portion of the glass must be broken when it arrives at the sorting facility. Would they just throw that away, or is there some way to capture even the broken bits and get them to a glass plant?
Nope, broken glass is perfectly fine; that’s where KRS Recycling (and others, I’m just familiar with KRS) basically has a crushed glass “river” that runs under photoeyes, and then transitions a waterfall where the reject valves are located. Colors, refractory stones & Pyrex, and organics (paper, etc) are sorted over a few of these waterfalls until flint glass, each colored glass, and all of the non-glass pieces are separate. As stated before, even in flint glass up to 3% of colors can be mixed in and then “decolorized” with different additives. There are also powerful electromagnets in the cullet streams to the furnaces; some strong enough to pull a single 1/4x20 nut out from under 9” of crushed glass as it’s traveling by at 150fpm.
Here’s a couple links to various container glass facilities for everyone’s enjoyment:
Most materials, yes. Glass is infinitely recyclable with no loss of product quality; can save more than 20% of the energy required vs melting the raw materials, is the only good packaging material that is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS), and will never suffer a degradation in protection on the shelf.
It’s a no-brainer, since glass in a landfill would take somewhere around half a million years to decompose on its own (obviously a theory since nobody will live to see it).
There's still several movements to increase glass recycling:
https://www.wastedive.com/news/glass-king-chicago-gpi-smirnoff-commercial-recycling/638139/
https://www.gpi.org/news/gpi-releas...ainability-want-more-companies-to-offer-glass
https://www.wastedive.com/news/glass-king-chicago-gpi-smirnoff-commercial-recycling/638139/
https://www.gpi.org/news/gpi-releas...ainability-want-more-companies-to-offer-glass
In my area the garbage / recycling station is next to the treatment plant, so I can see that they use reclaimed treated water to wash recyclable and then the water goes straight back to the plant for cleaning.
Logistic costs add up, and that's a huge part of why many recyclable aren't recycled.
On the positive side, glass in the landfill will not really be a big problem like bio trash (no odor, no ground water pollution, PH neutral, etc). It is not really a big problem like plastic being ingested by marine creatures killing them either, they sink to the bottom and then becomes like a rock or oyster shell.Most materials, yes. Glass is infinitely recyclable with no loss of product quality; can save more than 20% of the energy required vs melting the raw materials, is the only good packaging material that is Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS), and will never suffer a degradation in protection on the shelf.
It’s a no-brainer, since glass in a landfill would take somewhere around half a million years to decompose on its own (obviously a theory since nobody will live to see it).
Personally I would like to see glass container standardized and they are reclaimed, cleaned, and reused. This would likely encourage people to return them and not put them in the trash / recycle bin, just return them to the store and the store return them to a plant to clean, labeled, and reused.
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My local garbage company just announced they are no longer picking up recyclables.
Reasons:
1. They have enough trouble finding drivers for garbage routes
2. Their costs have increased, just like everyone/thing else. They are increasing quarterly residential rates that equate to what garbage + recycling pickup was.
3. It was costing them more than the $9/quarter they were charging to pick up in diesel fuel costs.
4. They know there's very, very little customers that are going to pay the increase in garbage collection plus pay more for recycling pickup.
Reasons:
1. They have enough trouble finding drivers for garbage routes
2. Their costs have increased, just like everyone/thing else. They are increasing quarterly residential rates that equate to what garbage + recycling pickup was.
3. It was costing them more than the $9/quarter they were charging to pick up in diesel fuel costs.
4. They know there's very, very little customers that are going to pay the increase in garbage collection plus pay more for recycling pickup.
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I hear the moving trucks are pretty darn cheap to rent if you're driving one-way to those areas from a fairly economically viable area.
Whatcha waiting on?
Very many around here. I'd say most just drop their old ones at work and they were sold by the tons or resold before they are not worth anything. These days also many charge a recycle fee when you buy a new one to pay for the e waste recycle, so that'll help.
The ones that were sold to Africa, after they are done as 2nd hand computers, I don't know for sure if they get recycled there responsibly.
I've long said if the money or circumstance is right, we'll start "mining" the landfills again like we did in WW2.
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