[GT] Calgary Municipal Election 2021

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Locke

Everyone knows that batteries are to be reserved for throwing at normal vagrants and vagrants dressed as Santa Claus!

Interesting Christmas tradition Locke!

[OptimalTates]

It's a time honoured Philadelphia tradition.

[SebC]

What gets me is the "is this uncontaminated enough to be recycled" question.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

So I guess we can just chalk it up to ignorance then. Because household recycling doesn’t achieve what people think (or want to think) it achieves. As GGG notes, the vast majority of the stuff we put in blue bins winds up in the same landfills as garbage.

The CBC doesn’t use the term ‘dopamine hit’, and instead calls recycling a ‘salve to the conscience.’



Plastic ‘recycling’ was already questionable when it was being shipped to China to dispose of. Now that they’re no longer accepting it, plastic recycling is pretty much a fraud.

More of a political/collection than a people issue. I suspect if they told people to just throw out their plastic waste people would want less of it. By having you put it in a blue box you think something good is coming of it unless you follow the news closely.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by SebC

What gets me is the "is this uncontaminated enough to be recycled" question.

Truly, sometimes I feel like I am wasting a lot of water trying to clean out food jars than is worth it.

… also, food manufacturers should stop using weird-shaped jars and containers. If the contents are sticky or such that you can’t do a quick shake with some water, you need an easier container to use a scrub brush in.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Truly, sometimes I feel like I am wasting a lot of water trying to clean out food jars than is worth it.

… also, food manufacturers should stop using weird-shaped jars and containers. If the contents are sticky or such that you can’t do a quick shake with some water, you need an easier container to use a scrub brush in.

You probably are. They say if you need to use alot of water to wash it out, its not worth it. Ill usually clean them with the dishes or in the dishwasher.

The history of recycling is actually a crazy story

[You Need a Thneed]

I always look at Laundry detergent bottles. Are they supposed to be rinsed? That would take a lot of water and make a mess.

The whole recycling system in place is 99% greenwashing. Very little of what we put into the blue bin ends up as a useful product again.

Again, the first 2 “R”s - Reduce & Reuse, are FAR more important to do, but we mostly ignore them, thinking our recycling is doing a good thing.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by You Need a Thneed

I always look at Laundry detergent bottles. Are they supposed to be rinsed? That would take a lot of water and make a mess.

The whole recycling system in place is 99% greenwashing. Very little of what we put into the blue bin ends up as a useful product again.

Again, the first 2 “R”s - Reduce & Reuse, are FAR more important to do, but we mostly ignore them, thinking our recycling is doing a good thing.

I rinse my laundry detergent bottles, and dump the water in the wash(and don't add extra soap for that cycle). But then I have a top loader, so I'm not sure how that would work on front loaders with the detergent trays.


Most plastics get a quick rinse, I figure that's good enough. Peanut butter jars go through the dishwasher.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Realistically, almost nothing the consumer does makes much of a difference. Almost all of the waste comes from the manufacturers.

Whether you recycle that bottle doesn’t matter much when the company produced thousands of times more waste producing it.

[bomber317]

yeah, I've switch a lot of our focus on composting now, and ensure we can put as much into the compost as we can.

For recycling, mostly glass, cardboard, paper, large plastics (not even sure if they can do anything with that). I really hope we see a shift back into using cardboard / glass for packaging but I imagine that would increase pricing of those products.

I'm disappointed they don't take Styrofoam as I read about a business in Alberta that could use Styrofoam to create other products. Not sure if they are still around as this was probably a decade back that I heard about it.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by bomber317

yeah, I've switch a lot of our focus on composting now, and ensure we can put as much into the compost as we can.

For recycling, mostly glass, cardboard, paper, large plastics (not even sure if they can do anything with that). I really hope we see a shift back into using cardboard / glass for packaging but I imagine that would increase pricing of those products.

I'm disappointed they don't take Styrofoam as I read about a business in Alberta that could use Styrofoam to create other products. Not sure if they are still around as this was probably a decade back that I heard about it.

The amount of plastic packaging we consume is beyond atrocious.

It's actually amazing that governments haven't started to legislate plastic packaging better. For example, so many products use different plastics in the same packaging which effectively means it cannot be recycled without being separated

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Cappy

The amount of plastic packaging we consume is beyond atrocious.

It's actually amazing that governments haven't started to legislate plastic packaging better. For example, so many products use different plastics in the same packaging which effectively means it cannot be recycled without being separated

I'm ok if a few seals die so I can get a plastic straw for my slurpee.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Cappy

The amount of plastic packaging we consume is beyond atrocious.

It's actually amazing that governments haven't started to legislate plastic packaging better. For example, so many products use different plastics in the same packaging which effectively means it cannot be recycled without being separated

I've really tried to cut back on purchasing things I don't really need, or that won't last more than a year. We buy so much stuff just because it is neat and new.


But ya, packaging is a major problem. I like that Amazon has gone from plastic bubble mailers to the paper ones. So much stuff comes with layer upon layer. Do I really need a plastic cover on the plug of an electrical cord, that's wrapped with a twist-tie, inside a plastic bag? Instant garbage.

[CliffFletcher]

The worst are the ‘bulk’ snacks from Costco where inside the box the snacks are packaged into dozens of smaller plastic packages.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

I'm ok if a few seals die so I can get a plastic straw for my slurpee.

Some 7-Elevens have compostable straws that feel and behave like normal plastic. Way better than the ones with the god-awful cardboard straws that lose their form if you don't finish your drink in under 10 minutes.

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

I'm ok if a few seals die so I can get a plastic straw for my slurpee.

I'm OK with someone using a straw if they need it, but what I don't get about is the fast food joints that give you 7 Ketchup packets when you ask for one or none, a straw your not going to use, a drink tray for two drinks, ten napkins you aren't going to use and then wrap it all in a plastic bag. It all just seems so excessive.

Don't need a straw for anything that's not a slushee
Dont need subway to shove a 6" sandwhich into a plastic bag
Don't need a fist full of napkins in my car every week the day I eat lunch out,
Don't need 9 packets of hot sauce for 2 tacos.

I think so much could be done by switching the default to by request only for a lot of stuff, and when someone takes the time to specific one two only giving them one or two,

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by #-3

I'm OK with someone using a straw if they need it, but what I don't get about is the fast food joints that give you 7 Ketchup packets when you ask for one or none, a straw your not going to use, a drink tray for two drinks, ten napkins you aren't going to use and then wrap it all in a plastic bag. It all just seems so excessive.

Don't need a straw for anything that's not a slushee
Dont need subway to shove a 6" sandwhich into a plastic bag
Don't need a fist full of napkins in my car every week the day I eat lunch out,
Don't need 9 packets of hot sauce for 2 tacos.

I think so much could be done by switching the default to by request only for a lot of stuff, and when someone takes the time to specific one two only giving them one or two,

A&W is doing an awesome job on packaging. Almost all of it is compostable except for the cups and the stupid ketchup packs.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by edslunch

A&W is doing an awesome job on packaging. Almost all of it is compostable except for the cups and the stupid ketchup packs.

Except those crappy paper straws they give you. Makes their rootbeer undrinkable.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Except those crappy paper straws they give you. Makes their rootbeer undrinkable.

Also, the paper wrappers they put your burgers in now are less than useless. You get a burger in the drive thru, get home less than 5 minutes later and your burger and fries are already getting cold.

The aluminum wrappers they used to use were great. The new ones are garbage.

[bob-loblaw]

I got a paper straw from McDonald's the other day. It was strange because it was a WTF is going on moment - was not expecting it. Of course there were two in the bag for one drink, but I'm happy I actually got one.

I had an iced coffee that I nursed for way too long, but the straw lasted the whole time. I was actually impressed. Perhaps they're making it from their fries that don't decompose. Lols.