Comments on: Chinese regulations sends recycling into the trash

By: wayne

wayne — Thu, 31 May 2018 13:36:21 +0000

This came up a few weeks ago in the WSJ– (lengthy article)
–the Chinese have tightened up on the level of “organic contamination” they will accept with recyclable’s.
I forget the percentage’s, but they didn’t sound unreasonable to me.

Newsprint is the most recycled paper-product, but those prices are roughly equal to new newsprint. (Most recycled “paper” is converted into cardboard in China. )

“Plastic” followed by cans, are the big offenders; different plastic types can’t be mixed together above a very small percentage, otherwise it can’t be used, and both plastic & cans need to be washed to remove chemicals & food residue.

Physical sorting & cleaning of “plastic” and “paper,” are the labor-intensive parts of the recycling stream.

Tangentially; I used to live in a city that gave me a credit on my garage bill, if I voluntarily recycled paper and plastic, so I did…Then I moved to a city that charged me extra to collect recyclable’s, so I stopped…

By: wodun

wodun — Thu, 31 May 2018 08:18:33 +0000

Economic realities always rule.

I disagree. I have brought up this problem to a number of friends who are econuts. They have zero problem having people and communities pay more money to recycle. The extra costs are worth it to them because it is a moral obligation to recycle. Even if you try and explain that the energy (co2/H20) is higher than just putting trash in a landfill or burning it for electricity, they don’t care.

It isn’t about the cost of recycling but the act. The act makes them feel good and the costs are dissociated.

By: eddie willers

eddie willers — Wed, 30 May 2018 22:57:43 +0000

In other words, there is no market for recycled trash. It has no value. No one wants it.

As soon as a certain waste becomes valuable enough, someone will offer to pick it up for free.
Why do people not understand the most basic laws of economics?

By: Blair Ivey

Blair Ivey — Wed, 30 May 2018 21:35:56 +0000

A bit of the opposite situation with used fryer oil. Restaurants used to pay to have it hauled off; now biodiesel outfits pay restaurants.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 30 May 2018 21:17:19 +0000

The only household items that are actually worth recycling are aluminum cans. Everything else you typically recycle wastes more energy then simply throwing it out. The best way to help protect the environment is to reduce your consumption and reuse as much as you can.