David Hansen wrote:
On Thu, 7 Feb 2008 18:39:07 -0000 someone who may be "Mungo \"Two
Sheds\" Toadfoot" wrote this:-

The reason I ask is that we have to wash every tin, bottle and bit of
plastic that we have to recycle and I'm thinking that we're using more hot
water now than we used to and that water is heated with gas and/or
electricity...

Only if one does it badly. Plonking a few tins and plastic bottles
into the water just used to wash up saucepans and shaking them
backwards and forwards before placing them to dry uses no more hot
water.

However, recycling is not as good as not having the packaging in the
first place. Anyone with an open mind can work their way through
http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/campaigns/crew/resources/ to
understand the issues.

Those who see no reason not to lob everything in a giant wheelie bin
should consider the little film at
http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/resources/minisites/landfill to see
what happens to it.


That doesn't really tell you anything about what happens to it. What it does
do is highlight the problems of the locals.

On a a modern landfill site what happens to the waste is that it goes into
carefully prepared lined cells, which are soon capped.

Then holes are drilled down into the waste and perforated pipes inserted and
connected up to a gas collection network.

This is then fed to some generators which produce electricity.

This waste starts producing decent amounts of methane after about 12-18
months and continues for for 20-25 years.

Typical well run landfills, or should that be methane farms, generate 4 to
20 MW, of nice green electricity.

cheers

David