I got my blue recycling bin today

[Slava]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I'm just in awe that you guys are only getting curbside recycling now.
It's got to be at least 15 years we have had it here.

In our defence though it would've cost too much money and also cost too many jobs here.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by bigtmac19

I'm just in awe that you guys are only getting curbside recycling now.
It's got to be at least 15 years we have had it here.

Actually alot of real economic/environmental analysis shows there to be very little in the way of actual benefit from curbside recycling. It's more of a fad than anything.

Originally Posted by schteve_d

Bonavista, Newfoundland?

Uh, yeah. Because that's where the majority of us Flames fans on CP live, in Newfoundland.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by peter12

Actually alot of real economic/environmental analysis shows there to be very little in the way of actual benefit from curbside recycling. It's more of a fad than anything.

I grew up recycling all bottles and cans and have been recycling paper, cardboard, tins and plastic one way or another (public bins, private collection) for nearly 20 years.

If it's a fad, it's got legs. If it doesn't have any economic benefit, who is getting ripped off?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by peter12

Actually alot of real economic/environmental analysis shows there to be very little in the way of actual benefit from curbside recycling. It's more of a fad than anything.

so, we'd be better off just chucking it in the landfills, right?



No benefit whatsoever. We'll just turn Saskatchewan into one big dump for the country.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by habernac

so, we'd be better off just chucking it in the landfills, right?



No benefit whatsoever. We'll just turn Saskatchewan into one big dump for the country.

peter12=

[peter12]

Originally Posted by habernac

so, we'd be better off just chucking it in the landfills, right?



No benefit whatsoever. We'll just turn Saskatchewan into one big dump for the country.

Let me clarify. Certain substances are worth recycling. Aluminum, some types of paper and cardboard.

Things like glass and plastics are a complete waste. In fact, they cost more resources to recycle than they do to make new products.

http://www.perc.org/pdf/ps28.pdf

[Slava]

Originally Posted by peter12

Let me clarify. Certain substances are worth recycling. Aluminum, some types of paper and cardboard.

Things like glass and plastics are a complete waste. In fact, they cost more resources to recycle than they do to make new products.

http://www.perc.org/pdf/ps28.pdf

I scanned through that paper and some of its logic is laughable. It seems to imply that because the landfills are not actually chock full we don't need to do anything; even if they were filled to the brim its not a large enough piece of land to bother about! Then he goes through all the points and concludes with a paragraph that says he thinks that recycling is important and worthwhile (after all of that!), but is concerned that people think its a great panacea and there are other options.

I'm paraphrasing a lot of it, and inserting my own words here...but that seems to be the general direction. With some of that faulty logic though I'm not too inclined to rely on the rest of his findings to decide that recycling is a complete waste.

[Shazam]

The reason curbside recycling came to Calgary is because there was a report a few years ago that said that Calgary's present landfills had about 10 years left of space.

Now then, do you think this city council, made up of dopes and clowns, would stand a chance against the NIMBYs when choosing new landfill sites?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

We had recycling before. Now we have cool expensive recycling.

In fairness, i will probably recycle more than i did before. The cynic in me still suspects half of my recycling ends up in a landfill with better name though.

[IronDave]

Originally Posted by habernac

No benefit whatsoever. We'll just turn Saskatchewan into one big dump for the country.

No need to TURN Saskatchewan into a dump...

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by peter12

Things like glass and plastics are a complete waste. In fact, they cost more resources to recycle than they do to make new products.

I don't pretend to be an expert on recycling, but if it is a complete waste, why does the local bottle depot buy bottles and plastic containers from me every few months?

Who is paying them to pay me, and why are they doing it?

[Shazam]

Having worked at a major plastics company, where they have a vested interest in you buying new, sexy, virgin plastic, even they had a study that said that recycling plastic is a bit better than break-even in terms of energy usage.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

I don't pretend to be an expert on recycling, but if it is a complete waste, why does the local bottle depot buy bottles and plastic containers from me every few months?

Who is paying them to pay me, and why are they doing it?

You are. Because they are a government program.

Thats what the deposit is.

http://www.abcrc.com/cfm/index.cfm

[Tyler]

Originally Posted by Shazam

The reason curbside recycling came to Calgary is because there was a report a few years ago that said that Calgary's present landfills had about 10 years left of space.

Now then, do you think this city council, made up of dopes and clowns, would stand a chance against the NIMBYs when choosing new landfill sites?

That's crap. I used to work at Shepard and there is another 30-50 years left there.

[RougeUnderoos]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

You are. Because they are a government program.

Thats what the deposit is.

http://www.abcrc.com/cfm/index.cfm

When I buy a case of beer I pay a deposit of $1.20 for the bottles. When I take the empty bottles to the bottle depot they give me $1.20 back. I haven't paid for anything, except for gas to get to the bottle depot.

If there is neither an economic or environmental gain from recycling glass or plastic containers, as has been suggested, who is paying for the storage, transportation and disposal of the billions of glass and plastic containers we take to recycling depots, and why are they paying that cost?

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Tyler

That's crap. I used to work at Shepard and there is another 30-50 years left there.

I didn't say that the report was correct or in any way, shape, or form reflected any sort of reality. It was, however, what the council at the time used as an information source, among other sources, to go ahead with curbside recycling.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

When I buy a case of beer I pay a deposit of $1.20 for the bottles. When I take the empty bottles to the bottle depot they give me $1.20 back. I haven't paid for anything, except for gas to get to the bottle depot.

If there is neither an economic or environmental gain from recycling glass or plastic containers, as has been suggested, who is paying for the storage, transportation and disposal of the billions of glass and plastic containers we take to recycling depots, and why are they paying that cost?

Good point. Deposit and recycling fee, not just deposit.

http://www.abcrc.com/cfm/index.cfm?It=913&Id=1&Se=21

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by RougeUnderoos

When I buy a case of beer I pay a deposit of $1.20 for the bottles. When I take the empty bottles to the bottle depot they give me $1.20 back. I haven't paid for anything, except for gas to get to the bottle depot.

If there is neither an economic or environmental gain from recycling glass or plastic containers, as has been suggested, who is paying for the storage, transportation and disposal of the billions of glass and plastic containers we take to recycling depots, and why are they paying that cost?

But I buy my beer on my credit card. When I take back empties I get that $1.20 in COLD, HARD cash!

[mykalberta]

I am assuming that those who live in condos wont be getting these, correct?