The Recycling Myth?

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landsurfer
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by landsurfer »

Yes .. I know its The Daily Mail but it was reported in a number of other newspapers ....


https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ncils.html
“Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.”
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philvantwo
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by philvantwo »

Mick F has a fire going night and day!
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horizon
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by horizon »

Yes .. I know its The Daily Mail but it was reported in a number of other newspapers ....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ncils.html


Yawn. Boring. Yeah, yeah.

It's all good copy. I was at an MRF (materials reclamation facility) last week in Cornwall. Masses and masses of paper, metal and plastic trundling up and down conveyor belts - a sight that was inconceivable just a few years ago. Tomorrow is recycling day in our street: nearly every house will have their bags of recycling ready to go. They said it couldn't happen. Well it has. The people at the MRF told me that 99% is recycled ready for processing and that most goes to UK processors. If you have evidence that they are lying, let me know. Patagonia have just brought out their latest range of 100% recycled bags.

We are only half way there. People love these stories about recycling failures because it means they have an excuse not to bother. I say, if they don't like it, vote for a party that supports recycling. Yes, there are crooks and criminals and inadequate people in the industry and we have a government that couldn't care less. But we are getting there, slowly but surely.

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/37954 ... 4-2019.pdf
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Mike_Ayling
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by Mike_Ayling »

(Nb.Found myself criticised this morning for walking to the gym, wearing the same pair of trainers I've had since 2009 and not even having a smart phone - this all came from a "green" woman :shock:.

What were her grounds?


Mike
mattheus
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by mattheus »

horizon wrote:
Yes .. I know its The Daily Mail but it was reported in a number of other newspapers ....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... ncils.html


Yawn. Boring. Yeah, yeah.

It's all good copy. I was at an MRF (materials reclamation facility) last week in Cornwall. Masses and masses of paper, metal and plastic trundling up and down conveyor belts - a sight that was inconceivable just a few years ago. Tomorrow is recycling day in our street: nearly every house will have their bags of recycling ready to go. They said it couldn't happen. Well it has. The people at the MRF told me that 99% is recycled ready for processing and that most goes to UK processors. If you have evidence that they are lying, let me know. Patagonia have just brought out their latest range of 100% recycled bags.

We are only half way there. People love these stories about recycling failures because it means they have an excuse not to bother. I say, if they don't like it, vote for a party that supports recycling. Yes, there are crooks and criminals and inadequate people in the industry and we have a government that couldn't care less. But we are getting there, slowly but surely.

https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/media/37954 ... 4-2019.pdf


Nicely put.
landsurfer
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by landsurfer »

mattheus wrote: The people at the MRF told me that 99% is recycled ready for processing and that most goes to UK processors. If you have evidence that they are lying, let me know. Patagonia have just brought out their latest range of 100% recycled bags.



I think the question still stands. So the 99% is recycled and goes to UK processors, who do what with it .... stack it up on airfields ?
Sell it to Europe for thermal power generation ?
If your talking about MAAS at Redruth i drive past it all the time ... no power station, no fleece cloth manufacturing plant ....
Do the lorries that bring "Cornish" beer from Burton-on-Trent take it back up country ?
I have no doubt waste is being recycled into bales .... but whats actually happening to the product ?

And as for Patagonia and their re-cycled bags ... are they recyclable after use ... just thinking McDonalds made from 100% recycled material straws .. that cannot be re-cycled ... :roll:

Its easy to be glib, throw away comments are cheap.

Sorting materials for recycling is not recycling .. it's only the first step in the process.
“Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.”
Be more Mike.
The road goes on forever.
mattheus
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by mattheus »

landsurfer wrote:
NOT FROM mattheus wrote: The people at the MRF told me that 99% is recycled ready for processing and that most goes to UK processors. If you have evidence that they are lying, let me know. Patagonia have just brought out their latest range of 100% recycled bags.



I think the question still stands. So the 99% is recycled and goes to UK processors, who do what with it .... stack it up on airfields ?
<snip>
Sorting materials for recycling is not recycling .. it's only the first step in the process.


So a couple of points: I DID NOT WRITE THE ABOVE QUOTE! So please let's nip that in the bud!
mattheus
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by mattheus »

Then:
Its easy to be glib, throw away comments are cheap.

Sorting materials for recycling is not recycling .. it's only the first step in the process.


Yes of course sorting is just the first step! (I think this is stating the obvious, but I'll respond anyway ...)

Have you done any research? Have you never bought an everyday item and discovered that it's made from reclaimed/recycled materials.

OK, I'll do some simple googling for you - feel free to dig further. Let's try Wikipedia (I'll look at plastics, as they are well known to be the hardest thing to recycle):

PET[edit]

Main article: PET bottle recycling

Post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) containers are sorted into different color fractions and baled for onward sale. PET recyclers further sort the baled bottles and they are washed and flaked (or flaked and then washed). Non-PET fractions such as caps and labels are removed during this process. The clean flake is dried. Further treatment can take place e.g. melt filtering and pelletizing or various treatments to produce food-contact-approved recycled PET (RPET).

RPET has been widely used to produce polyester fibres.[22] This sorted post-consumer PET waste is crushed, chopped into flakes, pressed into bales, and offered for sale.[23]

One use for this recycled PET is to create fabrics to be used in the clothing industry.[24] The fabrics are created by spinning the PET flakes into thread and yarn.[23] This is done just as easily as creating polyester from brand new PET.[25] The recycled PET thread or yarn can be used either alone or together with other fibers to create a very wide variety of fabrics. Traditionally these fabrics are used to create strong, durable, rough products, such as jackets, coats, shoes, bags, hats, and accessories since they are usually too rough for direct skin contact and can cause irritation.[26] However, these types of fabrics have become more popular as a result of the public's growing awareness of environmental issues. Numerous fabric and clothing manufacturers have capitalized on this trend


You can read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PET_bottle_recycling

Let us know your findings : -)
mattheus
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by mattheus »

landsurfer wrote:And as for Patagonia and their re-cycled bags ... are they recyclable after use ... just thinking McDonalds made from 100% recycled material straws .. that cannot be re-cycled ... :roll:

Its easy to be glib, throw away comments are cheap.


oh, I nearly missed this bit of eye-rolling ...

Surely getting twice the use out of plastic is a good thing?!? Hardly a myth of recycling! That is (roughly) halving the pollution created by that batch of plastic.

Sure, there are better materials to use for bags, but {FFE - family-friendly edit } let's be positive about small victories ...
landsurfer
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by landsurfer »

ok .. i'll leave you to save the planet .... me and the kids are off to Portreath collecting plastics from the tide line ... in our particulate spewing diesel 4x4 ...... We'll put or collected plastics in the local bins at the car park ...which i'm sure are recycled.
Or at least baled .........
Last edited by landsurfer on 19 Aug 2019, 12:29pm, edited 1 time in total.
“Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.”
Be more Mike.
The road goes on forever.
mattheus
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by mattheus »

landsurfer wrote:Another rant fest ... ok .. i'll leave you to save the planet ....

I'm off to be wrong about things quietly ......


Have fun!
landsurfer
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by landsurfer »

mattheus wrote:
landsurfer wrote:Another rant fest ... ok .. i'll leave you to save the planet ....

I'm off to be wrong about things quietly ......


Have fun!


Usually am wrong ..... :)
“Quiet, calm deliberation disentangles every knot.”
Be more Mike.
The road goes on forever.
Psamathe
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by Psamathe »

Re: Plastic Recycling in the broader context

To me the reported issue illustrates how "commercial pressures" don't work in so many areas. It's like "wear a sweater and turn the central heating down" or "use your bike to go to shops 2 miles away". Energy and pollution are cheap and easy and "commercial pressures" are about making everything cheap and easy.

We need a brave government who can see the bigger picture and to skew those "commercial pressures" to force manufacturers, retailers and consumers to act.

e.g. I've got a massive landfill bin the council collect every 2 weeks. I normally put 1 bag in every 4 weeks. Give everybody a small bin and hire them out a 2nd or 3rd for a monthly high price.

I have a real "thing" about buying cucumbers wrapped in single use plastic. Almost impossible to avoid in the UK but last 2 months touring France, Germany & Netherlands and not a single cucumber wrapped in plastic. If European supermarkets can do it why can't UK ones. Maybe it's a minor example ut it illustrates the attitudes to plastic waste in the UK - there seems little pressure to improve things.

Ian
PH
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by PH »

gbnz wrote:That said while I live an "environmentally friendly" lifestyle compared with many, it's reasonable to presume that humans will pollute until they die out.

Yes and I don't think many people have grasped the scale of change needed. The world average CO2 emissions are 7 tons per person, 11 in the UK, 14 in the US. The sustainable level is under 2. I did a CO2 calculation and I'd have to half mine, though most of it is secondary which is harder to have control over. It isn't sustainable to consume at present levels, even if 100% was recyclable.
I don't know what my neighbours fill their bins with, they moan about not having them emptied weekly, when once every couple of months ought to be enough.
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Mick F
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Re: The Recycling Myth?

Post by Mick F »

philvantwo wrote:I wonder how much of Mick F's recycling is his empty beer bottles?
Maybe he should be buying cans instead?
Cans.
Cheaper to buy the beer in cans, lighter to chuck in the bin and take to the recycling.
Mick F. Cornwall
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