The Frivolousness of Going "Green"

[Steve R.]

Going "green" is a laudable objective. I would surmise that everyone desires to live in a clean planet. Currently, the Biden administration, like fanatical religious zealots, are pushing the adoption of clean energy sources, such a solar. However, missing from this one-sided fantasism for "clean" energy, is getting rid of your household toxic wastes!! Recycling household toxic waste, is a critical component of developing a "green" economy.

We live in rural North Carolina, where we have solid waste & recycling facility. This facility does offer simply recycling, aluminum, glass, paper. Surprisingly in terms of accepting household waste, the facility has progressively become less accommodating. So how do we get rid of paint, oil, batteries, etc? One would think, with all the emphasis being placed on depreciating our dependence on hydrocarbons by forcing us to adopt "green" energy, that those promoting "green" energy would also promote "green" recycling. Consider that our "dumps" (landfills) in the future will be the new mines for many materials. Easier to mine a landfill then dig-up virgin land.

In defense of our local solid waste & recycling facility, federal initiatives (if any exist) may simply not have made it down to the local level. Nevertheless, I'm still very curious as to why the issue of implementing the recycling of toxic household waste has not become part of the going "green" discussion.

 

[Jon]

Lost of interesting tech coming regarding solutions for waste, such as plastic. They are developing enzymes that eat and degrade these plastics. To be honest, I don't know what they turn them into. Perhaps more enzymes!

 

[Jon]

Something else I thought of... In Germany, they are very strict on recycling. They typically have 6 different bins per household!

The German recycling system: the world’s best recycling country - Tomorrow.City - The biggest platform about urban innovation

German citizens throw away ten kilograms of waste per month. This is not only half the world’s waste generation per capita, but it is also 50% less than the amount the country generated in 1985. This has been achieved thanks to an efficient waste recycling system rated as the best in the world.

tomorrow.city

 

[Steve R.]

Something else I thought of... In Germany, they are very strict on recycling. They typically have 6 different bins per household!

The German recycling system: the world’s best recycling country - Tomorrow.City - The biggest platform about urban innovation

German citizens throw away ten kilograms of waste per month. This is not only half the world’s waste generation per capita, but it is also 50% less than the amount the country generated in 1985. This has been achieved thanks to an efficient waste recycling system rated as the best in the world.

tomorrow.city

That is what we need here, but those who claim to be environmentalist here seem to be blind to the household waste concern. Don't build pipelines to protect the environment, but it's OK to generate massive household waste.

 

[Isaac]

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but hasn't a good percentage if not the majority of recycling been debunked as a complete waste of time during the past decade? I can't remember where I have read and heard this, but more than one source. I can't remember if it's a matter of economic waste, or that they actually send 99% of it to a landfill or some ridiculous thing like that that renders the whole thing pretty much a waste of time.

 

[Pat Hartman]

For a long time we were sending our solid waste to the poor countries in Asia for "recycling". We can see how that worked out by picking up the plastic from the great Pacific garbage gyre.

 

[Isaac]

For a long time we were sending our solid waste to the poor countries in Asia for "recycling". We can see how that worked out by picking up the plastic from the great Pacific garbage gyre.

Imagine a sinking incident of one of those freighters and the special horror of going down in the mix