On Tue, 3 Aug 2010 12:43:32 -0700 (PDT), Jim K
wrote:


around these parts no-one wants plastic bottle tops and definitely NOT
on the bottles!!

Same here but that doesn't seem to have been taken on-board by a
majority round here (as I walk down the road and see the clear
recyclable bottle bags filled with un-flattened bottles with tops on).

My best guess is they sort them by blowing air into the bottles and?
seeing how far they go? can't think of another automated process that
would require "no lids on plastic bottles" ? anyone?

I think it's because (as has been mentioned elsewhere) the top plastic
is 'unwanted', and the bottle can't be so easily compressed (by them
or us) with it on.

Here is the crux of all this recycling bizness - product marketeers
will emblazon their products with "recyclable" but as we cyincs know
all too well, it may well be *technically* recyclable but practically
only in India by the subsistence souls that pick over the dump for a
living....

Yup. Maybe that would be an optional job for our prisoners? Might let
them earn an extra few quid?

*All* those plastics we use should be recyclable it's just so far the
economics haven't been made to work yet.....

I guess it all comes down to cost or energy (cost). Like, I think it's
less 'efficient' (overall) to re-use and deliver glass bottles than it
is to dispose of self-collected plastic ones (that are then turned
into fleeces and other plastic stuff).

Maybe, if they can't re-use plastic milk bottles we could. We could
take our empties back to the supermarkets and re-fill them there. If
we haven't cleaned them out properly that (should be) our problem. ;-)

Cheers, T i m