For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?

Here's what I throw out:
1. Everything that is "food" gets composted, so, there's no actual
food in the trash (and yes, bones and meat and oils are food
just as much as carrots and spoiled ketchup or mustard is food).

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out, so, the container
itself is clean (for the most part), and the container goes into
the "blue" recycling bin (which is 60 gallons I believe).

3. Every box or piece of paper or wrapper or envelope or anything
whatsoever with printing on it goes into the recycle bin.

4. I almost never have electronic waste (once or twice a year?) so
let's forget about TVs and refrigerators and batteries and
broken cellphones, etc. since they're so rarely put in trash.

5. About the only place there is anything even remotely resembling
"trash" is the bathroom. But even there, all biologically soiled
tissues go down the toilet, so, the trash contains bits of
cotton balls or q tips or nose-blowing tissue paper, all of which
goes into the blue recycling bucket (it's not pretty, but it's
recyclable).

6. Everything that pays the CRV of five and ten cents goes into
a special bucket for dropping off to get my CRV back, so, there
are very few bottles other than clean food bottles and jars in
the recycling.

7. I almost never have clothing trash, although they're recyclable
anyway, so, the once a year I throw out a pair of jeans would go
into the recycling bins anyway.

8. Of course, all yard waste would go into the green landscaping
bins, so, let's not even discuss leaves and branches here.

9. No babies for quite some time, so, there are no soiled diapers
to worry about (and anyway, we always used the cloth ones
so there's nothing to recycle except the wash water which goes
down the drain).

10. Motor oil is a separate thing, which happens two or three times
a year, as do tires and mechanical parts, all of which are
recycled in their own way already (e.g., tires go to Costco
while motor oil goes in jugs set alongside the trash bins).

So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

On 05/02/2016 04:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?

Here's what I throw out:
1. Everything that is "food" gets composted, so, there's no actual
food in the trash (and yes, bones and meat and oils are food
just as much as carrots and spoiled ketchup or mustard is food).

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out, so, the container
itse


snip


Pretty much the same here.

Each week my neighbor's garbage containers are over flowing, but in a
month I'd probably not fill one.

I own my own home and one day I asked a neighbor who had been renting
for many years why he did not buy his own house, he had a good job.


He told me he had no money because all he did was buy junk he did not need.


Yep, looked like it all ended up in the garbage.

sheesh, how disgusting.

In article ,
says...

For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?

Here's what I throw out:
1. Everything that is "food" gets composted, so, there's no actual
food in the trash (and yes, bones and meat and oils are food
just as much as carrots and spoiled ketchup or mustard is food).

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out, so, the container
itself is clean (for the most part), and the container goes into
the "blue" recycling bin (which is 60 gallons I believe).

3. Every box or piece of paper or wrapper or envelope or anything
whatsoever with printing on it goes into the recycle bin.

4. I almost never have electronic waste (once or twice a year?) so
let's forget about TVs and refrigerators and batteries and
broken cellphones, etc. since they're so rarely put in trash.

5. About the only place there is anything even remotely resembling
"trash" is the bathroom. But even there, all biologically soiled
tissues go down the toilet, so, the trash contains bits of
cotton balls or q tips or nose-blowing tissue paper, all of which
goes into the blue recycling bucket (it's not pretty, but it's
recyclable).

6. Everything that pays the CRV of five and ten cents goes into
a special bucket for dropping off to get my CRV back, so, there
are very few bottles other than clean food bottles and jars in
the recycling.

7. I almost never have clothing trash, although they're recyclable
anyway, so, the once a year I throw out a pair of jeans would go
into the recycling bins anyway.

8. Of course, all yard waste would go into the green landscaping
bins, so, let's not even discuss leaves and branches here.

9. No babies for quite some time, so, there are no soiled diapers
to worry about (and anyway, we always used the cloth ones
so there's nothing to recycle except the wash water which goes
down the drain).

10. Motor oil is a separate thing, which happens two or three times
a year, as do tires and mechanical parts, all of which are
recycled in their own way already (e.g., tires go to Costco
while motor oil goes in jugs set alongside the trash bins).

So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

Pretty much the same here with the exception of a compost pile. Any stale
or bad food goes down the garbage disposal, but I wouldn't think
(cooking) oil would be so good for compost or the garbage disposal. I
recycle all kinds of oil by taking it to O'Reilly Auto Parts for
disposal. I'm old fashioned though and save bacon grease for cooking
with, just like grandma used to do! [g] Chicken and beef bones get saved
to make stock out of, but I do throw pork bones in the trash. The other
bones go in the trash also after being used up making the stock.

--
RonNNN

RonNNN wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 17:08:01 -0500:

Pretty much the same here with the exception of a compost pile. Any stale
or bad food goes down the garbage disposal, but I wouldn't think
(cooking) oil would be so good for compost or the garbage disposal.

The cooking oil has a story to it. We often just pour the oil out into
the ground. I imagine it being no different than a dead animal, which
contains fat, meat, and bones, and it gets "eaten" or decomposes pretty
quickly on the ground.

One problem we had with the cooking oil though is that the animals outside
at night would dig up the spot we poured the cooking oil! So, they certainly
were looking for the "buried" dead animal.

Now we pour it in a spot we don't care the animals dig up. Most of the
food is scavenged by animals anyway, which is how it should be. Everyone
always says that will "attract rats" but I think they make this stuff
up because I see a coyote every day, a bobcat once a month, deer every
day, and assorted squirrels and chipmunks every day, but almost never
a rat.

I recycle all kinds of oil by taking it to O'Reilly Auto Parts for
disposal.

Motor oil isn't much of a problem because I just pour it into 1 gallon
jugs also, and just leave it next to the trash bins.

I'm old fashioned though and save bacon grease for cooking
with, just like grandma used to do! [g] Chicken and beef bones get saved
to make stock out of, but I do throw pork bones in the trash. The other
bones go in the trash also after being used up making the stock.

We buy the Costco chicken cooked for about 5 bucks or so and then
we also make chicken soup with the stock and then throw outside
the boiled bones. They always disappear overnight.

So we have our own four-footed garbage cleaning crew.

On 5/2/2016 5:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:


So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?


Congrats on not loading up landfills.
Not everyone takes recycling as far as you do. Some towns don't want
contaminated paper such as pizza boxes or saturated meat wrappers,
coated papers, anything with biological contamination. .

Some of the food you are composting is also good rodent bait. I prefer
to dispose of it than have animals finding it. Those Q-tips you are
putting in with the paper are not easily recycled, not to mention no one
want to pick off your earwax. How about razor blades? Do you separate
the metal blade from the plastic? I don't, I toss one a month.

On 5/2/2016 2:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?

Here's what I throw out:
1. Everything that is "food" gets composted, so, there's no actual
food in the trash (and yes, bones and meat and oils are food
just as much as carrots and spoiled ketchup or mustard is food).

We don't have a compost pile as it leads to "unwanted critters" in
the yard. So, any food waste goes into the trash (in sealed bags).

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out, so, the container
itself is clean (for the most part), and the container goes into
the "blue" recycling bin (which is 60 gallons I believe).

Only certain containers are recyclable, here. If the container has
a lid, it does NOT get rinsed -- the recycling facility can more
efficiently rinse (and recycle the water!) than we can (we live
in the desert; how you use water is something you think about
consciously).

3. Every box or piece of paper or wrapper or envelope or anything
whatsoever with printing on it goes into the recycle bin.

Ditto -- unless there is potential for "information leakage"
(credit card offers, financial statements, etc.). These get
shredded (confetti-cut) and the bags of confetti get placed
in with the recycles.

We also recycle a fair bit of cardboard.

Strangely, *aluminum* is not harvested -- but "tin" is! :

4. I almost never have electronic waste (once or twice a year?) so
let's forget about TVs and refrigerators and batteries and
broken cellphones, etc. since they're so rarely put in trash.

I recycle a *lot* of electronic gear. But, do so via appropriate
venues (electronics are considered a form of hazardous waste, here).

5. About the only place there is anything even remotely resembling
"trash" is the bathroom. But even there, all biologically soiled
tissues go down the toilet, so, the trash contains bits of
cotton balls or q tips or nose-blowing tissue paper, all of which
goes into the blue recycling bucket (it's not pretty, but it's
recyclable).

Bathroom waste we treat as food waste. It wants to be disposed, not
recycled.

6. Everything that pays the CRV of five and ten cents goes into
a special bucket for dropping off to get my CRV back, so, there
are very few bottles other than clean food bottles and jars in
the recycling.

We have no "deposit" containers, here (other than things like propane
cylinders, etc). Some places will allow you to bring in aluminum cans
to be compacted and weighed in an automated collection machine -- which
then pays cash based on the recycled weight.

We don't buy anything in aluminum cans. Glass containers (that aren't
suitable for reuse) get recycled.

7. I almost never have clothing trash, although they're recyclable
anyway, so, the once a year I throw out a pair of jeans would go
into the recycling bins anyway.

I go through jeans at a much faster rate. But, they go in the trash.
Our recycling service won't accept them.

Nor will they accept plastic bags encountered at many stores. If
our reusable bags prove insufficient (or, scrap boxes), we are
forced to use them.

For some items, I seek out these bags (e.g., my holiday flour/sugar
purchases benefit from the plastic bags as I can use them to wrap
the flour/sugar sacks for placement in the freezer until needed)

8. Of course, all yard waste would go into the green landscaping
bins, so, let's not even discuss leaves and branches here.

We don't have a facility to collect yard waste -- other than the
twice annual "bulk pickup" (at which time, they will collect
damn near any sort of green material and dispose of it in the
city's green waste program). It's not legal to drop off your
"bulk/brush" items at some random neighborhood that is having
THEIR twice annual collection this week. So, the only other
alternative is to drive it to the city's facility (which usually
requires more than a "pickup").

We, for example, discard probably 30 pounds of pine needles every
few months from our neighbor's trees.

9. No babies for quite some time, so, there are no soiled diapers
to worry about (and anyway, we always used the cloth ones
so there's nothing to recycle except the wash water which goes
down the drain).

10. Motor oil is a separate thing, which happens two or three times
a year, as do tires and mechanical parts, all of which are
recycled in their own way already (e.g., tires go to Costco
while motor oil goes in jugs set alongside the trash bins).

So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

What is the relative *cost* of recycling items?

I've been involved with a local facility that recycles dropped off
items (i.e., no "collection" service).

Anything plastic just goes into the trash (e.g., that cheap printer
that you purchased).

Books are reclaimed for their paper content.

"Tin" is worth a penny a pound (i.e., the crappy case on that little
tower PC that you purchased).

Copper and aluminum get cherry picked for special handling (more value,
there). As do circuit boards (precious metal recovery).

There are "second-hand" stores in town that will take clothing and
other assorted goods and try to "flip" them for a quick buck
(caveat emptor) -- but, you'll have to haul the items to these
places.

Building materials either get carted off to the dump (at personal
risk to the tires on your vehicle) or tossed in the trash.

That said, we typically "throw out" less than 10G of material in a
week. Yet, keep our oversized (more costly) waste container for the
times when it is repeatedly filled (e.g., last month, I filled it
twice with wildflowers pulled from the front yard).

I maintain a "pile" in the garage where I "stage" items that will be
recycled. And, we've another pile in the house of items that will be
donated to local thrift stores (e.g., Humane Society) -- *if* we
think they have remaining life/utility.

(many people treat these sorts of places as glorified trash cans)

On 5/2/2016 5:19 PM, philo wrote:
On 05/02/2016 04:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?

Here's what I throw out:
1. Everything that is "food" gets composted, so, there's no actual
food in the trash (and yes, bones and meat and oils are food
just as much as carrots and spoiled ketchup or mustard is food).

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out, so, the container
itse


snip


Pretty much the same here.

Each week my neighbor's garbage containers are over flowing, but in a
month I'd probably not fill one.

I own my own home and one day I asked a neighbor who had been renting
for many years why he did not buy his own house, he had a good job.


He told me he had no money because all he did was buy junk he did not need.


Yep, looked like it all ended up in the garbage.

sheesh, how disgusting.


I know people in similar situation. Could easily support a house but
cannot save up enough for a down payment. I had to have my mother be on
the deed for my first house as I was only 20 when I bought it.

Never had a yard sale either. We have plenty of "stuff" but we buy what
we want/need and use it until it no longer works.

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 6:34:35 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/2/2016 5:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:


So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?


Congrats on not loading up landfills.
Not everyone takes recycling as far as you do. Some towns don't want
contaminated paper such as pizza boxes or saturated meat wrappers,
coated papers, anything with biological contamination. .


That's the case here in NJ too. Styrofoam packaging is another
example. Or the plastic wrappers around some consumer packages.
Used paper towels, rags, used paper plates, bubble pack material,
meat bones, chicken carcass.

On Mon, 2 May 2016 17:08:01 -0500, RonNNN wrote:

[...] Any stale or bad food goes down the garbage disposal,

Pound for pound, it probably costs your municipality more at the water
treatment plant than it would at a landfill.

Also, you may put more fat and oil into the drain than it can handle. (I.e.
the soap that normally ends up going down the pipe.)

--
http://mduffy.x10host.com/index.htm

On 5/2/2016 6:29 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:

Now we pour it in a spot we don't care the animals dig up. Most of the
food is scavenged by animals anyway, which is how it should be. Everyone
always says that will "attract rats" but I think they make this stuff
up because I see a coyote every day, a bobcat once a month, deer every
day, and assorted squirrels and chipmunks every day, but almost never
a rat.

Try that in just about any city and get back to me after a couple of days.

On 5/2/2016 6:43 PM, trader_4 wrote:


That's the case here in NJ too. Styrofoam packaging is another
example. Or the plastic wrappers around some consumer packages.
Used paper towels, rags, used paper plates, bubble pack material,
meat bones, chicken carcass.



The foam packing is polystyrene plastic and should go in any place that
takes #6 plastic. Easily recycled.

Hi Arthur,

1. Everything that is "food" gets composted

We try not to buy more food than we'll actually use, so any food waste
(carrot tops, banana peels, expired condiments, etc.) is minimal. We
don't produce enough food waste to bother with composting, and our
waistlines prove it.

2. Every "container" containing food is rinsed out

Our recycling service is VERY picky about what they will accept. Basic
stuff like tin cans, cereal boxes, jars, and PET soft drink bottles are
fine.

However, they don't want food soiled boxes, frozen food boxes, or those
plastic clamshell packages like you get from the bakery. It's unfortunate
considering many of these are made of the same material as the ones they
do accept. We could recycle a lot more if they would take them, but they
have to go in the trash.

Plastic bags from the grocery store get taken back to the grocery store
for recycling.


4. I almost never have electronic waste (once or twice a year?)

I have very little electronic waste, but when I do I take it to the
recycling center.

I've switched to Eneloop rechargeable batteries for most electronics, so
I rarely have batteries to deal with. However, when I replace batteries
in my UPS I take the old ones to the recycling center.

Our local Home Depot takes old CFL bulbs, and a local hardware store
takes the larger fluorescent tubes.

5. About the only place there is anything even remotely resembling
"trash" is the bathroom. But even there, all biologically soiled
tissues go down the toilet

We're on a septic system, so nothing but toilet paper and human waste
goes down our toilet.

8. Of course, all yard waste would go into the green landscaping
bins, so, let's not even discuss leaves and branches here.

We have two forested acres so any yard waste just gets tossed into the
"wild" areas to decompose over time. Natural composting.

10. Motor oil is a separate thing, which happens two or three times
a year, as do tires and mechanical parts, all of which are
recycled in their own way already (e.g., tires go to Costco
while motor oil goes in jugs set alongside the trash bins).

I take motor oil to the recycler once or twice a year, along with other
used car chemicals (coolant, brake fluid, old paint, etc.).

Tire shops recycle our old tires when we buy new tires.

Large metal parts like hoods or doors go to the metal recycler.

So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

- Plywood scraps, composites, and pressure treated lumber.

- Rags or paper towels soiled with paint or chemicals.

- Small car parts like air filters, spark plugs, alternators, light
bulbs, switches, etc.

- Clothing that is not good enough to take to Goodwill (torn jeans,
underwear, socks, etc.). Our recycler doesn't accept clothing.

- Mixed packaging materials like bubble envelopes.

- All bathroom waste. Tissues, Q-tips, floss, etc.


Anthony Watson
www.watsondiy.com
www.mountainsoftware.com

On 05/02/2016 05:43 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:



Yep, looked like it all ended up in the garbage.

sheesh, how disgusting.


I know people in similar situation. Could easily support a house but
cannot save up enough for a down payment. I had to have my mother be on
the deed for my first house as I was only 20 when I bought it.

Never had a yard sale either. We have plenty of "stuff" but we buy what
we want/need and use it until it no longer works.



My wife just can't believe what I'll take the time to fix...
but when I repair something it's usually better than new.

It usually takes less time to fix it than if I would have gone to the
store to buy a new one.

I was 30 when I bought my house (same one I still live in 36 years
later). I was tired of renting but a bit short on funds for the down
payment. I had to "borrow" $1500 from my mom. Years later she told me I
did not have to pay her back. I was really counting on that.


If I did not own my own home, there is no way I could afford to live in
this neighborhood, the rents are up to $1600 a month for a new, two
bedroom apt!

In article ,
Arthur Cresswell wrote:


So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

cat litter

In article , mqduffy001
@bell.net says...

On Mon, 2 May 2016 17:08:01 -0500, RonNNN wrote:

[...] Any stale or bad food goes down the garbage disposal,

Pound for pound, it probably costs your municipality more at the water
treatment plant than it would at a landfill.

Also, you may put more fat and oil into the drain than it can handle. (I.e.
the soap that normally ends up going down the pipe.)

Maybe so, but I've found in the past that since our garbage only gets
picked up once a week, putting food in the trash invites maggots and
roaches and stuff. I'm happy to let my taxes and garbage fees work at the
water treatment plant rather than the landfill.

--
RonNNN

On 5/2/2016 6:26 PM, philo wrote:

Interesting world we live in, and neighborhoods. I irritate my
neighbors by not spending what I have, they irritate me by spending what
they don't have. The number of trash carts seems to be some sort of a
status symbol with the "Bubba folks" and how high you can stuff the
trash into one so the lid won't close. It's a sign of affluence to them
I suppose.

On Mon, 2 May 2016 18:32:36 -0500, RonNNN wrote:

[...] maggots and roaches and stuff

Is there a problem with the lid on your gargabe container?


I'm happy to let my taxes and garbage fees work at
the water treatment plant rather than the landfill.

Some might say that you are using the taxes of others to subsidise your
disproportionate use of the operational capacity of the water treatment
plant.

In practice, it is more complicated, because in some places, the sewage
plant captures the methane produced, and are actually designed with garbage
disposals in mind. Also, less fuel is consumed carrying the waste to the
dump. If your community incinerates garbage it will incur an extra
environmental cost as well.

A lot depends on how expensive water is in your community, and how much
soap and hot water you use to prevent grease build-up.

--
http://mduffy.x10host.com/index.htm

On 2016-05-02, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

My philosophy is that anything to be discarded which fits into an opaque
garbage bag goes into the trash bin.

--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Roger Blake (Posts from Google Groups killfiled due to excess spam.)

NSA sedition and treason -- http://www.DeathToNSAthugs.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In article , mqduffy001
@bell.net says...

On Mon, 2 May 2016 18:32:36 -0500, RonNNN wrote:

[...] maggots and roaches and stuff

Is there a problem with the lid on your gargabe container?


I'm happy to let my taxes and garbage fees work at
the water treatment plant rather than the landfill.

Some might say that you are using the taxes of others to subsidise your
disproportionate use of the operational capacity of the water treatment
plant.

In practice, it is more complicated, because in some places, the sewage
plant captures the methane produced, and are actually designed with garbage
disposals in mind. Also, less fuel is consumed carrying the waste to the
dump. If your community incinerates garbage it will incur an extra
environmental cost as well.

A lot depends on how expensive water is in your community, and how much
soap and hot water you use to prevent grease build-up.

All of the soap and water and electricity I use to heat the water and run
the garbage disposal (et al )I pay for. I also pay to have my garbage and
recyclables picked up and pay a storm water runoff fee. If that's what
you call using other peoples taxes we'll just have to agree to disagree.
And if you think a garbage can lid will keep out roaches and maggots
we'll have to agree to disagree again.

--
RonNNN

On 05/02/2016 06:58 PM, My 2 Cents wrote:
On 5/2/2016 6:26 PM, philo wrote:

Interesting world we live in, and neighborhoods. I irritate my
neighbors by not spending what I have, they irritate me by spending what
they don't have. The number of trash carts seems to be some sort of a
status symbol with the "Bubba folks" and how high you can stuff the
trash into one so the lid won't close. It's a sign of affluence to them
I suppose.





One thing I do:

If it has any recycle value at all just as scrap bits of metal,
old lawn furniture or computer cases...I just put it next to the trash
container and half the time it's gone in a few hours.

My wife and I always joke if it takes more than 24 hours...about how
picky they are.

On 5/2/2016 5:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?


So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?


Some years ago, there was a comedy. Might have
been a take off of Candid Camera. They put about
eight bins out of a guy's house, and then had a
comic instruct the home owner what goes into
which bin. The confusion and bewilderment was
really comical. I sense we have reached such a
point in society as a whole.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On 5/2/2016 6:29 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
I recycle all kinds of oil by taking it to O'Reilly Auto Parts for
disposal.

Motor oil isn't much of a problem because I just pour it into 1 gallon
jugs also, and just leave it next to the trash bins.


One auto repair garage near me (well, thinking
some more, can think of a second one) burns waste
motor oil for heat in the winter. I get my oil
changes there. On the rare moments I have waste
oil, I do bring it there when the jug is full.


-
..
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
.. www.lds.org
..
..

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 8:09:43 PM UTC-5, Stormin Mormon wrote:
On 5/2/2016 5:09 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.

What gives?


So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?


Some years ago, there was a comedy. Might have
been a take off of Candid Camera. They put about
eight bins out of a guy's house, and then had a
comic instruct the home owner what goes into
which bin. The confusion and bewilderment was
really comical. I sense we have reached such a
point in society as a whole.
--
.

It was an episode of the Penn & Teller TV show,"Bull****". They're really critical of the recycling hysteria. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcdNaajKExs

[8~{} Uncle Poop Monster

On 5/2/2016 9:20 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:


It was an episode of the Penn & Teller TV show,"Bull****". They're really critical of the recycling hysteria. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcdNaajKExs

[8~{} Uncle Poop Monster


At our place we accept foam plastic for recycling. People sometimes
drive up in their 9 mpg SUV to bring a few ounces of plastic. They feel
good about it. They saved the earth.

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 8:29:27 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/2/2016 9:20 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:

It was an episode of the Penn & Teller TV show,"Bull****". They're really critical of the recycling hysteria. ^_^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcdNaajKExs

[8~{} Uncle Poop Monster

At our place we accept foam plastic for recycling. People sometimes
drive up in their 9 mpg SUV to bring a few ounces of plastic. They feel
good about it. They saved the earth.

If you see the whole episode about recycling being male bovine droppings, they show that it costs communities more money to recycle than to dump everything in a landfill. The hysterical cloud huggers, tree huggers and Political Correctness worshipers will never admit the facts about recycling being a costly money losing proposition. I'm all for recycling things which have a market like lead batteries, steel and aluminum. If there is a demand for things like paper, plastic, glass and organic waste, let the companies that want it, go around and collect it. I've seen bipedal metal termites strip aluminum siding off a house in a matter of a few days and no air conditioner is safe from those thieves. Here in my city, the council passed an ordinance requiring scrap yards to get identification from people bringing in metal, especially air conditioner components. I don't know how much effect it's had on metal thieves but some companies are actually marking the copper lines on their AC systems. I think a good way to mark the copper lines would be to use a UV ink that would show up when scanned at a scrapyard. Shooting the vermin on sight might help control the theft of metallic property. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Metal Monster

Arthur Cresswell wrote:

For the past two years I have not put out a trash can at the
curb while my neighbor's trash cans are filled to the brim.
....
So, given that my brown trash bin is never used, what on earth do
people *put* in their trash bin, that can't be recycled otherwise?

complicated things that don't qualify as
e-waste, some food wastes that i would like to
compost, but Ma will not, plastics that don't
fit our recycler qualifications (like many others
our recycler will not take styrofoam or food
wrappers or many other wrappers).

as for many organic materials and yard wastes
that others throw out or use curb recycling here
i either put them through the worm bins or they
get buried in a garden. bones eventually get
broken down, or just bury them deep enough and
the worms and soil creatures will work at them
through time. in the older days you could crush
or grind the bones up for use in the gardens or
as chicken grit. food/veggie scraps all go to
the worm bins eventually (i might dry some first
because i don't want them sprouting and growing
later).

we have some friends in the city who bring us
their leaves, wood ashes and whatever else they
want to get rid of that is an organic material.
this helps us a lot in our many gardens so we
give them stuff back in the form of jams or
produce and they can also reuse the leaf bags
several times before we also bury those in the
garden. cardboard layers work well as smothering
for weeds. plastic coated cardboards i recycle
at the curb, i don't want plastics in the gardens.

all paper stuffs are used as weed barriers or
are shredded and composted with the worms.

i've emptied my wastebasket in my room here
one or twice a year and often it it mostly fuzz
from frayed carpet samples that i use to slide
the worm buckets around on (instead of scraping
up the wood floor).

i do have e-waste to recycle from time to time
and batteries from gadgets.

most the trash going out here as trash is often
from projects Ma is working on with fabrics and
i don't want to end up with stuff not rotting so
i just let it all go. even if i know cottons or
other natural fibers will rot eventually, i don't
want to deal with sorting it out or trying to get
her to do it. once in a while i'll put an old
shirt in the ground to give added fill, but i seem
to keep finding threads that do not rot so i don't
like to do that much any more.


songbird

Stormin Mormon wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 21:10:19 -0400:

Some years ago, there was a comedy. Might have been a take off of Candid
Camera. They put about eight bins out of a guy's house, and then had a
comic instruct the home owner what goes into which bin. The confusion
and bewilderment was really comical. I sense we have reached such a
point in society as a whole.

My kid wanted me to help her win a free t-shirt at a local
earth day event, where I had to take a bin of trash and play
basketball, putting each item in the right bin.

Of course, I failed a few times, but eventually I won her the
t shirt.

I hope she appreciates it.

Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 16:31:14 -0700:

cat litter

Good observation!

We don't have cats or dogs, but I wonder why cat litter isn't just
compost. Certainly the refuse part of it is normal compost.

What's cat litter made out of anyway?

I suspect it would be perfect for compost.

On Tue, 3 May 2016 02:24:42 -0000 (UTC), Arthur Cresswell wrote:

[...] I wonder why cat litter isn't just compost.

Perhaps it is considered a biohazard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis

--
http://mduffy.x10host.com/index.htm

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 7:15:55 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/2/2016 6:29 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:

Now we pour it in a spot we don't care the animals dig up. Most of the
food is scavenged by animals anyway, which is how it should be. Everyone
always says that will "attract rats" but I think they make this stuff
up because I see a coyote every day, a bobcat once a month, deer every
day, and assorted squirrels and chipmunks every day, but almost never
a rat.

Try that in just about any city and get back to me after a couple of days.

well i have a pretty big compost pile of branches, grass and leaves. our community encouraged compost piles...

then we got a neighborhood rat problem a neighbor shot and killed 60 rats. allegheny county sent a investigator because we have the compost pile the community pushed.

i had a very unfriendly argument with the allegheny county rat expert, he was rude and offensive, and blamed the rat problem on my compost pile of grass clippings, weeds, lots of leaves, all natural stuff.

if i ever talk with him again i will record his rants, and he deserves to be fired for how he talks to people.

now i have had dogs for over 20 years, my dog susie was a mouser. if it moved she would catch and kill it. i felt bad when she caught 2 full grown rabbits..........

well she died at age 15 , and rats took over.

since we got jack a border collie mix i havent seen anything. i am certain jack has driven off all the varmits from our yard........

Don Y wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 15:36:19 -0700:

We don't have a compost pile as it leads to "unwanted critters" in the
yard. So, any food waste goes into the trash (in sealed bags).

Everyone says I'm going to get "rodents" (specifically "rats"), but,
if I'm getting them, I don't see 'em. I see coyotes. I see rabbits.
I see quail. Deer. Bobcat. Chipmunks. Lots of birds. But no rats.

Only certain containers are recyclable, here. If the container has a
lid, it does NOT get rinsed -- the recycling facility can more
efficiently rinse (and recycle the water!) than we can (we live in the
desert; how you use water is something you think about consciously).

We don't have to rinse the food containers either.
But we do anyway.

(credit card offers, financial statements, etc.). These get shredded
(confetti-cut) and the bags of confetti get placed in with the recycles.
We also recycle a fair bit of cardboard.

Good point on the information leakage.
I have a shredder.
Now if you can help me get the wife and kids to *use* it, I'd be
thankful.

I recycle a *lot* of electronic gear. But, do so via appropriate venues
(electronics are considered a form of hazardous waste, here).

In truth, I "recycle" my electronic waste at the "Goodwill" drop off.

Bathroom waste we treat as food waste. It wants to be disposed, not
recycled.

Yeah, but what is in the waste bin in a bathroom?
I find bottles of shampoo and tissues and q tips and hair nets and
cardboard hair coloring, etc.

All of which is recyclable.

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 9:24:46 PM UTC-5, Arthur Cresswell wrote:
Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 16:31:14 -0700:

cat litter

Good observation!

We don't have cats or dogs, but I wonder why cat litter isn't just
compost. Certainly the refuse part of it is normal compost.

What's cat litter made out of anyway?

I suspect it would be perfect for compost.

I'm pretty sure most generic cat litter and oil dry are made from processed clay. Oil-Dri Corp is the largest producer of cat litter. Take a look at their website. It's very interesting. ^_^

http://www.oildri.com/

http://www.oildri.com/consumer/index.html

[8~{} Uncle Litter Monster

Ed Pawlowski wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 18:34:34 -0400:

Congrats on not loading up landfills.
Not everyone takes recycling as far as you do. Some towns don't want
contaminated paper such as pizza boxes or saturated meat wrappers,
coated papers, anything with biological contamination. .

Our recycling here seems pretty open. I am sure we could put stuff
in there that they don't want but I've never known anyone to care what
goes into the recycling containers.

Some of the food you are composting is also good rodent bait. I prefer
to dispose of it than have animals finding it.

Everyone says that. We have deer. We have squirrels. We have birds.
We have bobcat. We have coyote. We have snakes. But, I don't think
I've ever seen a rat. (We do have a family of gophers or moles which
I want to go Bill Murray on, but that's a different story.)

Those Q-tips you are
putting in with the paper are not easily recycled, not to mention no one
want to pick off your earwax.

Seems to me that they mush that stuff up in water, and then press it dry,
and then use the fiber to make cardboard and paper.

I don't think the teeny tiny amount of earwax will make any difference
when it's mixed up with a ton of other similar paper products.

How about razor blades? Do you separate
the metal blade from the plastic? I don't, I toss one a month.

Razor blades are a good point. I recycle them. Plastic for the most part,
right?

I would think that they melt the plastic, and then they sieve or sink
out the contaminants (such as the metal blades). AT least if I were
running a recycling facility that's what I would do.

I'd use water on the paper and heat on the plastic.

trader_4 wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 15:43:32 -0700:

That's the case here in NJ too. Styrofoam packaging is another example.
Or the plastic wrappers around some consumer packages. Used paper
towels, rags, used paper plates, bubble pack material,
meat bones, chicken carcass.

I guess that's a good point in that *some* plastic isn't recyclable.

But I pretty much recycle all plastics.

They don't seem to complain so they must have some way of filtering
it out of the mix if it's plastic they don't like.

But, realistically, a recycling main facility must deal with tons
of scrap at a time, so, I would think they deal with it on the
gross level.

On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 9:38:00 PM UTC-5, bob haller wrote:
On Monday, May 2, 2016 at 7:15:55 PM UTC-4, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 5/2/2016 6:29 PM, Arthur Cresswell wrote:

Now we pour it in a spot we don't care the animals dig up. Most of the
food is scavenged by animals anyway, which is how it should be. Everyone
always says that will "attract rats" but I think they make this stuff
up because I see a coyote every day, a bobcat once a month, deer every
day, and assorted squirrels and chipmunks every day, but almost never
a rat.

Try that in just about any city and get back to me after a couple of days.

well i have a pretty big compost pile of branches, grass and leaves. our community encouraged compost piles...

then we got a neighborhood rat problem a neighbor shot and killed 60 rats. allegheny county sent a investigator because we have the compost pile the community pushed.

i had a very unfriendly argument with the allegheny county rat expert, he was rude and offensive, and blamed the rat problem on my compost pile of grass clippings, weeds, lots of leaves, all natural stuff.

if i ever talk with him again i will record his rants, and he deserves to be fired for how he talks to people.

now i have had dogs for over 20 years, my dog susie was a mouser. if it moved she would catch and kill it. i felt bad when she caught 2 full grown rabbits..........

well she died at age 15 , and rats took over.

since we got jack a border collie mix i havent seen anything. i am certain jack has driven off all the varmits from our yard........

If it's legal in your state, you should record all your interactions with government employees, including law enforcement. o_O

[8~{} Uncle Recording Monster

Mike Duffy wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 20:13:04 -0400:


Is there a problem with the lid on your gargabe container?

That's a good point. Our trash bins are well made so the lid keeps
animals out. Some people bungee cord them, but very few do.

There is only one hole which is where an aluminum bar goes through
them around the middle (I think for the truck to latch onto), so they
could hold water if it weren't for that middle bar.

Some might say that you are using the taxes of others to subsidise your
disproportionate use of the operational capacity of the water treatment
plant.

There is an old joke that some people can afford to waste other people's
resources!

In practice, it is more complicated, because in some places, the sewage
plant captures the methane produced, and are actually designed with
garbage disposals in mind. Also, less fuel is consumed carrying the
waste to the dump. If your community incinerates garbage it will incur
an extra environmental cost as well.

We are on septic so sewage isn't a concern.

A lot depends on how expensive water is in your community, and how much
soap and hot water you use to prevent grease build-up.

We are on a well, so the only cost for water is the electricity to pump
it out.

RonNNN wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 19:32:00 -0500:

All of the soap and water and electricity I use to heat the water and
run the garbage disposal (et al )I pay for. I also pay to have my
garbage and recyclables picked up and pay a storm water runoff fee. If
that's what you call using other peoples taxes we'll just have to agree
to disagree. And if you think a garbage can lid will keep out roaches
and maggots we'll have to agree to disagree again.

I'm curious what you pay.

We pay 33 dollars a month for the once-weekly trash pickup (which includes
two bins of blue, two bins of green and one bin of brown).

We pay 13 cents to 50 cents a kilowatt hour to pump water (depends on the
monthly amounts) and we don't pay sewage since we have septic.

Stormin Mormon wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 21:12:38 -0400:

One auto repair garage near me (well, thinking some more, can think of a
second one) burns waste motor oil for heat in the winter. I get my oil
changes there. On the rare moments I have waste oil, I do bring it there
when the jug is full.

Really. They burn waste motor oil?
I would think that it's a carcinogen.
WHo knows what is dissolved in the waste motor oil?

Lots' of petroleum by products I would think.
Doesn't seem to me to be a good thing to burn, but, I guess if the heat
is high enough, everything is incinerated.

Ed Pawlowski wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 19:15:52 -0400:

Try that in just about any city and get back to me after a couple of
days.

I'm in a rural area. Many acres. No house in sight.
I agree that a city would be different.

philo wrote on Mon, 02 May 2016 20:10:01 -0500:

If it has any recycle value at all just as scrap bits of metal,
old lawn furniture or computer cases...I just put it next to the trash
container and half the time it's gone in a few hours.

My wife and I always joke if it takes more than 24 hours...about how
picky they are.

I used to do the same thing.
Couches, tables, chairs, they'd all disappear.

I do hate it when they rip out the antenna or the knobs off a TV or
some such thing, which ruins it.