Your Questions About Recycling
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Filed under Recycling Q & A
Robert asksā¦
Recycling Question? =]?
Hi!, i am very concerned about the enviorment and do everything (literally) to help our planet. I buy eco~friendly products, etc. Well i used to live in an apartment and we recycled only, this one lady took everything to the drop off centers. Well now we moved and we dont have like those blue bins for recyclng, well i dont wannna drop things off because it’s either to far away or i don’t have time. So is their any way we can maybe order the bins or something? (free) ? Plzz i really care for our planet. And i hate the fact that i cant recycle! =( Any Info Or Websites on how to possibly get the blue bins. Plzz And Thx!
BtW where do u recycle energy efficient light bulbs? š
The Expert answers:
The blue bins are provided by the City refuse service and are not something the public can just buy……if you are that concerned, then you should not mind going a little distance to recycle your items…….look online for a recycling center near you ( some of the supermarkets have them outside ) and the same for light bulbs; they require special recycling
Paul asksā¦
I’m Trying to Promote the Recycling of Styrofoam Cafeteria Trays at my School…?
but before i can try to put my plan into action i have to give a presentation about it for my GAPP (Global Awareness Peace Protection) Club. What elements should i include that will help encourage people to participate, any specific facts or statistics that are mind boggling?
I really appreciate it =]
The Expert answers:
Ah, yeah, styrofoam trays are the worse thing…my school has plastic reusable ones, and only uses styrofoam when there is something wrong with the water. I would make the point clear that nothing takes longer to degrade in the environment than styrofoam. You can search the statistics as to how long it actually does take. Explain the benefits of using plastic!
Chris asksā¦
Why are British people afraid of recycling…?
With oil reserves dwindling and the prices sky rocketing, people still would rather have the convience of constant rubbish collection and landfills than re-use materials.
They would rather waste electricity on extracting Bauxite for aluminium than the cheaper option of recycling cans.
Surely the excuses that they generate too much rubbish for a fortnight for the two bins is ridiculous, surely the ignorance to the fact that two different collectors are required for each and most rubbish is recycable in some sense.
When it’s cheaper to recycle, why are people still tied to the lazy habits that will only drive up inflation?
Forget about global warming conspiracies this is just good economic sense.
Since when was it “hippy ” to save money from inefficency and waste. Since when was lower prices and saving money at the cost of zero jobs such a bad idea.
If anything it’s sensible and informed.
Expecting “Someone will do it for us” is the height of ignorance IMO
I think the pedantic sides of both the right and left have sold out “making a difference” in order to “talk a difference” and they’ve gotten nothing more than the echo they don’t even deserve.
The Expert answers:
We’re not afraid of recycycling we just don’t want to travel 25mins to the nearest recycling bin. If the government made it easier for people to recycle they would. Besides, most people I know do recycle.
Charles asksā¦
Do you care about global warming?
I have enough problems in my life to worry about it. Sure, I’m all for the planet and recycling etc. but the fact is I’ll be long dead before I have to worry about it. There’s not much I can do anyway, it’s a by-product of a capitalist and greedy society.
And I’m not having kids, why would I want to contribute to overpopulation as well?
The Expert answers:
I understand what you are saying.
I would be willing to bet that you already lead a very frugal lifestyle and that you have very few places where you can cut back more without doing some real damage to yourself.
Let me give you an analogy:
The way I see it, cutting back environmentally is like losing weight. If you are already overweight to begin with losing weight is very healthy.
But if you are already anorexic and underweight and try to lose more weight you can do some real damage and make yourself very ill.
Like the underweight person, I suspect that you cannot cut back anymore without doing some real damage to yourself..
However there is something that you can do that will make a very big difference.
Because you already live a frugal lifestyle you have a great deal of moral authority to persuade wasteful people to cut back on their very wasteful activities.
I see the wasteful people as the 500 pound tubs of lard exhorting anorexic people to lose even more weight.
For example as hard to believe as it may sound there are some very wasteful people that live in enormous mansions that use over ten times the amount of energy as a family of 4.
Also these wastrels fly private jets allover the place. These private jets use ove 1,000 times the fossil fuel per mile as the most wasteful SUV.
As I see it these are the 500 pound tubs of lard that could stand to lose some weight.
If we can persuade these wasteful people to cut back dramatically on their wasteful behavior we can have an enormous positive impact.
I have identified three particularly wasteful people and I have been contacting their staff and I have been encouraging other people to contact their staff to let them know how disappointed we are in them when we see their wasteful behavior.
Please join with me in contacting the staff members of these wasteful people. Together we can make a difference and make a very positive contribution that way, since we cannot cut back any more ourselves.
The three very wasteful people that I have identified that live in enormous mansions and fly private jets are Nancy Pelosi, John Edwards and Al Gore.
If we can get these three people to live in smaller houses, no larger than 6,000 square feet, that alone would be an enormous positive contribution.
If we can persuade them to stop flying on private jets or at least fly on smaller private jets, that would also be a huge contribution.
For example if we can persuade nancy Pelosi to give up her 757 for a more fuel efficient Gulfstream V, that would be an enormous contribution.
If we can also persuade Al Gore and John Edwards to reduce their use of private jets or fly smaller private jets, that would also be an enormous positive contribution.
Together we can make a difference!
Sharon asksā¦
why aren’t all products/materials sold to consumers renewable and recyclable?
I’m doing a project and need to know why that can’t produce more efficient and renewable means to making things? Where can I go to find out why they don’t? Is it for cost reasons? Or is the fact of us not recycling a multi billion $ industry? What site can I go on to find out such info. Thanks.
The Expert answers:
Many commercial products are made of materials having
a. Economy in design and manufacture.
B.easy availability.
C. No alternative or replacement possibilities etc
And hence it is not always possible to use products which can be recycles or renewed. Or it is not economically possible.
Betty asksā¦
How do I permanently delete stuff that isn’t totally gone despite the fact that I emptied my recycling bin?
I was doing a bunch of virus scans lately, and I was bored enough to sit and watch through nearly the entire 1.75 hour of the scan……
And to my great annoyance, a great deal of the time was spent scanning garbage I deleted and emptied from my recycling bin AGES ago……..some of them…..embarassing and pretty private to say the least (we all have those dark secrets don’t we? when we were young…and lose bets…)….
Aannyways, is there any SAFE, and FREE program or method that I can use to PERMANENTLY destroy all the lingering stuff that I emptied from my Recycling Bin yet still remains for some reason??
PS- WHY!? How come a lot of those old….unwanted files still lingering there even after I deleted them? What’s the bloody point?! Is that the reason why my computer has been slowing down through the years?!
PS- the things I want to get rid of are aready deleted and emptied…..but they’re still there, it’s THOSE data I wanna delete….not stuff I haven’t deleted yet.
The Expert answers:
Reinstalling Windows over a freshly formatted partition is a very effective way to achieve what you want. But there are programs like TuneUp Shredder, which can also serve some of the purpose.
Steven asksā¦
How do they recycle furniture?
I heard that environmental companies now recycle (not reuse but RECYCLE) furniture. I know for a fact that wood can be transformed into energy, but what about leather and other material? How do they recycle furniture?
As my question specifically specify, we are NOT talking about reusing it BUT RECYCLING it. Recovering furniture is NOT recycling.
The Expert answers:
They probably recover it.
If you do it well, it’s pretty good.
There used to be, and probably still are, places where you can have furniture recovered.
If you have an old piece that’s in bad shape, it’s likely that the frame is better than the frame you’d get in a new piece.
In that case, it makes a lot of sense to get it recovered.
If you want to know how to do it, take an upholstery class at a local adult school.
Lisa asksā¦
Why there’s no RECYCLE bin in kindergarden / school/ collage / university across malaysai?
whats wrong with our education? not environment friendly enough? or what? they dont like environment? then? if not? what? then how come there’s not much education about the environment n recycling in kindergarden / school / collage / university???
Did u know ??
Malaysian dispose of enough rubbish every three days to fill the petronas twin towers? in fact we recycle less than five per cent of our waste.. mineral bottle, shampoo bottle, body shampoo bottle, kicap bottle, minyak masak bottle,, blablabal…. all can be recycle but most people have choose to dispose it as rubbish instead of recycle it, WHY? Coz there’s not much Recycle bin accross malaysia??? or we r not educated to do so, so no one care at all?? ………………… if not all this, then whats wrong??? ………..
The Expert answers:
Mim…my dear..
I think there is nothing wrong with our education system, whether it is kindergarden, school or collage@university. Just let say, human do throw rubbish….whether you’re in Malaysia, Singapore, India even in Antartica…we throw rubbish. My dear, to recycle a rubbish….it needs to be thrown away to be a rubbish…then we will start recycle…the thing is….not everyone can afford to have a recycling centre in the house…do you?!!…maybe, (if this can cool your anger) what we really need is a very effective waste management. I think the government also concern about this just like.. You…and maybe…we do really need more recycle bin in the kindergarde..in school and university…:)
Linda asksā¦
Why is it that questions here about the quantitative effectiveness of recycling programs rarely get answers?
There seems to be a great deal of enthusiasm towards recycling in this particular Y.A. forum. But it seems that whenever someone raises the topic of whether recyclables collected ever get purchased or utilized by manufacturers, replies are either absent or they basically rewrite the question and answer that one instead. I (and apparently many others) would simply like to know the facts of how much of the recyclables collected end up in conventional landfills or incinerators. Obviously, valuable items like aluminum cans always have takers. But during the current recession, does ANYBODY utilize much of the mixed plastics and even non-newsprint paper that is collected for recycling?
[It seems like there is an assumption here that simply collecting a lot of recyclables so that they avoid the trash bin (in a second and very expensive municipal collection system that keeps many trucks and employees busy) is somehow a victory in itself. But I just don’t read within the mainstream media — or in Yahoo Answers — much mention of factual studies which analyze the efficiencies of recycling programs. I’m sure that there are many of us who simply would like to know if these expensive programs actually lead to the assumed goal of re-use of the raw materials represented. If recycling indeed makes good sense, surely there should be analytical evidence to support it.]
The Expert answers:
I like this answer but you might want to contact EPA or even your local government if they administer a recycling program and ask those hard questions. You sure hope the recycled goods aren’t just tossed in the landfill once the truck returns to its base! Some states have laws prohibiting disposal of plastic bottles and other recyclables in the landfill so I would be surprised if cities are blatantly violating these regulations.
Http://www.ehow.com/facts_6155598_happens-recycled-materials_.html
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