Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Jenny asks…
FORGOT TO PUT THE TRASH OUT?
yea so, in my neighbourhood, the garbage trucks come twice. once in the early morning for trash, and later in the afternoon for recycling.
soo.. i was distracted and forgot to put the trash out in the morning
so will the truck that comes by for the recycling pick up my garbage as well (its the same truck, it just comes back)
The Expert answers:
Maybe? This is the R&S and so you might want to ask on another section
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Donald asks…
How can I get a recycle box??
I live in Miami, Fl
And I’ve noticed that no one in my neighborhood has a recycling box, but some areas that are very close to my neighborhood do have them. I asked my parents about this and my dad says that the garbage trucks stopped picking up recycle boxes so we cant use them anymore. I always feel a little guilty when I have to just throw away newspapers and soda bottles and stuff because those things can really add up.
Is there anything I can do about this? A number I could call maybe?
The Quiet Man you’re a douche.
The Expert answers:
Garbage trucks pick up garbage. There should be a different truck picking up the stuff to be recycled. Maybe your dad was misinformed about it or is too lazy to get a box.
Find out where all the stuff goes to in order to be recycled and if the plant is close enough to you, go there and ask people working there if you can get one there. They’ll be glad to help you as much as they can. You can also look for a number once you find out where it is.
If that doesn’t work, go to any ouse where you see the boxes and ask where they got their and when you can get one.
While you’re doing all that, take all the recyclables you have so you have it ready once you get the box.
James asks…
Should I burn my trash or haul it away?
I live in a rural area, and there’s no recycling service in the area. Should I pay extra each month to have a garbage truck drive 15 miles out of town and take my trash to a landfill? Or should I just burn it in my backyard.
The Expert answers:
Think about what you are buying first and how the packaging will be disposed of:
Don’t buy as much stuff. As much consumer goods, food, furniture, presents, wrapping paper, limit your consumption of everything.
Use your local butcher who will wrap in paper.
Buy fruit and vegetables from local growers it supports your local economy. There are usually lots of recycled cardboard boxes at Farmer’s markets.
Buy from the local baker wraps in paper.
Buy milk in glass bottles or recyclable plastic.
Avoid pre packed foods and processed foods. The packaging is excessive.
Don’t use paper or plastic carrier bags, use any bags you already have at home, keep them in the boot of your car.
If you forget your bags recycle the cardboard boxes at the store to carry your groceries home or just pack into the boot of your car without bags and then carry in from the boot.
Most towns and cities have recycling facilities somewhere. Ensure you recycle metals, plastics, glass, cardboard, mobile phones, spectacles, old clothing and batteries. Whenever you travel into town, drop your recyclables off, don’t make a special journey. Even if you don’t shop at supermarkets they do usually have recycling facilities you can use.
Compost green waste.
If you live in a hot country, then dig a deep hole, put all food waste into it, including leftover meat and bones and cover it with a layer of earth and a wooden ‘lid’. This lid can be anything, even an old door will do. The food will rapidly decompose in hot countries and if you add a thick enough layer of soil, it should never smell.
Donate still usable items to charity shops such as clothing, shoes, brick-a-brack, books, cds, dvds, games and toys, at least other people get the use of them.
There will be hardly anything left to go to landfill.
Lisa asks…
what would you do if you woke up inside a Garbage Dumpter as it was being lifted into a Waste Compactor Truck?
About to be emptited into the back where you will be crushed, packed and shredded before being Recycled?
The Expert answers:
I’ve seen 1000 Ways to Die and it was terrible. I have no idea, though. I’d just pray and embrace what death would feel like.
Chris asks…
In Britain who or what sorts out our rubbish for recycle?
Metal tins,paper,cardboard, plastics all go into the back of a garbage truck and are squashed to a pulp.who are what sorts through all this broken glass squashed metal ,soggy paper and cardboard for recycle?
The Expert answers:
If that true why do we sort them out in them green Boxes. I dunno probably owned by a privet company, you know how most of england is privatised. I think some one is making a lot of money from it. I used to get 10p for every glass bottle i returned.
Steven asks…
Is my recycling company on the up-and-up?
Several years ago, our trash company came around with what looked like a regular old truck, collecting our recyclables. I assumed, when they got back to their location they’d sort everything out by number, and process it accordingly.
This morning, when I was walking my dog, I noticed the recyclables being picked up in what looked like a typical garbage truck – everything dumped and churned in the back. I started wondering, doesn’t someone need to sort things out? How could they do this if paper/plastics/tins etc.are combined and broken up in the truck?
So I ask… is this a legitmate way to collect recyclables, or could this company be combining recyclables with regular trash and just going through the pick-up motions to appease their clients?!
The Expert answers:
In a number of areas they practice “Single stream” collection- it would appear that is what you are describing.
Yes- it is a very legitimate and the most efficient manner to collect recyclables, It is much more efficient because you do not need to duplicate equipment purchased, personell to operate the equipment, or duplicate routes which waste fuel. It also is more effcient for water resources, for minimizing sorting errors, implementation of composting is easier, it makes life a lot simpler. The money saved from not spending it on duplicating equipment can be applied to expanding the transfer station/tipping station, and since you still need personell to sort it- no net loss of jobs.
You can read numerous articles about it by looking through the archives of http://www.wastenews.com
Donna asks…
How to Recycle in The Country?
When its garbage day, the garbage truck comes and picks up our garbage, but it’s not assorted like in blue begs ect. This is the same with everyone else in my area.
Is it even possible?
The Expert answers:
Many areas do not have household recycling systems in place. Most places do however have recycling for specific materials, such as aluminium cans. You will have to sort them out yourselves and take them to the nearest place that will accept the cans but if you do so they will usually pay you for it. Other types of material that are often paid for are glass, other types of metal, and in some places certain plastics. Check around for scrap yards or call a local city/county offical to find out where the nearest recyclers are located.
Charles asks…
Recycling a Myth…..?
All right, I understand the whole principle around recycling, but does it really save anything. For example, we have to wash out everything with gallons upon gallons of water from the tap that I keep hearing is at a short supply, and then we truck our recycling center here and there and then melt it down and make God knows what with it. Does anybody have some hard statistics about a NET GAIN we receive from recycling, or is this just one of those feel good issues? I’m not looking for “it saves space in the landfill”, because we could do that just by limiting the garbage we produce, but pure economic/realistic benefits on how recycling is better for the environment. I appreciate the help and feel free to provide some links.
I guess what I’m getting to is if we feel we are doing the “right thing” by recycling does that make it now alright to purchase a 6-20 oz. of Soda because we can recycle the container, where before we had purchased a 2 liter bottle.
Recycling is not a big money maker, metal has value, but we have been doing that for DECADES, everything else is subsidized by the city/state/federal government, and that is why it becomes attractive, not because it is a better product, or lucrative in and of itself.
The Expert answers:
A different perspective might help, we mine millions of tons of raw ores
out of the ground yearly to make stuff out of it, all that takes a fantastic amount of energy and depletes the usable land for the rest of us
This cam be accomplished by recycling with only a fraction of that energy (and expense).Consider the fuel alone it take to power mining operation, then add all the equipment,tires,trucks, housing, and you’ll get the picture
Recycling is simply cheaper overall
Linda asks…
Keep a garbage can from rolling down the street?
I live in Selma, Texas where it literally hardly rains. But when it does rain, it’s usually a big storm with winds that send my garbage and recycle bins tumbling down the street, even when they’re full, only for me to search for them the next morning. How do I keep them still but within reach of the garbage truck that comes twice a week?
The Expert answers:
Tie them down somehow.
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