Help me out here: I'm currently in procrastination mode. Full-steam-ahead, no-holds-barred, all-out procrastination mode.
When I'm feeling cyncical, I wonder if maybe all the stuff I carefully separate out of the trash for recycling just gets collected at great expense and dumped into a landfill anyway. Or if it costs more to process than it's worth.
So I did a little research. And it seems that, in my county, at least, recycling does matter. The Waukesha County Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) processed 21,096 tons of recyclables in 2009, from 25 of the county's 37 communities. How much is that? More than 1,000 semi trailer loads. If you lined all those trucks up bumper to bumper, the line would stretch for 12 miles. That seems like a lot.
It reduces pollution, too. The reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from recycling all those materials last year was equivalent to taking 5,691 cars off the road for one year.
It saves space in landfills, too. (I love how certain know-nothings like to claim we can't possibly run out of room in landfills in America. As punishment for being idiots, they should be assigned the task of finding more landfill locations and arguing with angry local residents who don't want anything resembling a landfill anywhere near their property.) Total landfill space saved by our county's recycling efforts was 51,595 cubic yards. And how much is that? The equivalent of a football field piled 30 feet high. That's not huge, but that's only from one county for one year—and I wouldn't want to have to move it all with a wheelbarrow. (There are 3,140 counties or county-equivalent municipalities in the U.S.)
Finally, it saves energy. The 13,187 tons of paper plus 7,711 tons of plastic, steel, glass and aluminum containers shipped to markets from the Waukesha MRF last year saved enough energy to supply 3,794 homes for a year. (There are 156,000 homes in the county. Again, it's not huge, but it's enough to be significant.) Carting stuff to the landfill costs money; the recycling program earns money. So recycling saves tax dollars.
Less of everything—but a good economy for owls
My county, despite increasing population, has been generating fewer recyclables. The amount collected saw a 12% decline between 2005 and 2009. But it's not all going in the ground: trash destined for landfills has also decresed in the same time period, by 4%. The County Executive says several factors contribute to the recycling decline, including "lighter weight containers, changes in packaging (i.e., glass to plastic), smaller newspapers and magazines, declining circulation numbers, and the economy." So the bad economy is good for that one thing, at least. (Not much else, I'm afraid.)
Meanwhile, moving on to other local news, Mike wins: it's now too cold for mosquitos! They're all gone. It was 38°F this morning when I got up (that's 3.3°C). Victory! Death to mosquitos.
And the owls are here. Finally. Every year the owls come through the area and stay for two or three weeks. When I hear one hooting late at night, I go outside and listen, and I can hear another one answering from a distance—and another, from another direction and a greater distance. Talking, I guess. (I take a flashlight when I go outside, and shine it up into various trees, but I've never seen an owl. You have to be a little careful outdoors at three in the morning shining a flashlight around. It could look suspicious. It's a quiet neighborhood.)
They were late this year, the owls—usually they come around earlier in the summer. You can always tell if they haven't been here yet because there are rabbits all over the place. Then the owls come through. And when they leave, no more rabbits.
I guess I'm done. If I was looking for an excuse not to recycle, I didn't find it. I do a lot of shopping via the internet—I'm sure I'm not Amazon's best customer, but I feel like I should be up there on the list—and over the past couple of months a pile of discarded cardboard boxes has gradually grown to unruly size on the back deck. The recycling rules demand that it all be cut into flats no more than 2 x 4' in size and bundled for pickup. It's not that bad a job, but I don't enjoy it. I've been procrastinating all day.
Best get to it.
Mike
"Open Mike" is an off-topic ramble that appears on Sundays—unless, that is, the focus of your humble author's formidable procrastination skills is the writing of a new "Open Mike."
UPDATE by the dawn's early light: 7 a.m. Monday morning:
...Procrastination is one thing that I am really good at. (The recycling truck doesn't come until 9 or 10, so there's still time!)
UPDATE #2: I got the second of two bales of cardboard out to the alley just as the recycling cart was collecting up all my stuff, at about 11:30, and had a nice short conversation with the garbage collection guy.
Me: nice day.
He: I couldn't tell ya that.
Me: At least it's not hot.
He: I couldn't even tell ya that. I don't know if it's what the politicians want me to say!
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The Conversion Police report that 38 degrees F = 3.33 degrees C
Posted by: Steve | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 07:34 PM
Not to nitpick, but I think you meant to write 28 degrees. I'm not wishing for freezing weather where I am just yet, but I'd sure like those mosquitoes to be outta here.
On a more positive note, I just asked Santa for that 3-volume set of Bruce Davidson photos. I'll have to settle for the 2nd edition since the first has been sold out for a while. Thanks for the recommendation Mike.
Posted by: Blake | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 08:01 PM
Well, according to Times; in England at least..
"Household refuse that is being sent overseas for recycling is being dumped, burnt or strewn across the streets in less developed countries.
Britain exports about 12m tons of material for recycling as part of its environmental waste strategy, but a Sunday Times investigation has found some of these exports – known as “green list” – are being incinerated or dumped in pits."
Posted by: C.Y.Leow | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 08:14 PM
My friend, 38F is nowhere near -2.2C... it's +3.3.
(but I'm glad it's cool enough to get rid of pesky bugs)
By the way, I've read of people who build bat "nests" to attract mosquitoes natural predators. That could be another project for you to procrastinate on.
Posted by: Ricardo | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 08:19 PM
"It was 38°F this morning when I got up (that's –2.2°C). "
As a European living part time in the USA I have to convert a lot - and 38°F is + 3.3°C! Still low enough to banish the mosquitos of course...
Freezing=32°F=0°C, and the exact conversion from °F to °C is (T-32)*5/9.
Posted by: Arne Croell | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 08:35 PM
I think one of the best effects of recycling is that by putting yourself and your family into the mindset of recycling, you grow awareness to the whole issue.
So, even if, hypothetically, all the effort you put into separating out the plastics from the glass from the paper from the metals doesn't actually add up to making a difference in the end (in terms of energy expenditure, costs of recycling, etc), there's a good chance that you're already producing less trash to begin with, because the conscious people are always trying to figure out how to bring home less potential trash, like shopping bags.
Posted by: RawheaD | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 09:13 PM
Great post, Mike. It *does* matter.
Posted by: Will | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 09:25 PM
If you do not throw your aluminum cans in the trash landfills will never become valuable aluminum mines.
Posted by: Tom | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 09:51 PM
"38°F this morning when I got up (that's –2.2°C)"... hmmm ;-) is that "new math" ? ;-)
Posted by: ShadZee | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 09:54 PM
if you are going to make an industry around recycled material, you need to have enough supply. even if some of what you separate out gets placed into the landfill, keep separating it. once enough of that recyclable material is available to sustain an industry, the industry will arise.
in georgia we have what is affectionately referred to as the 'gnat line'. above the line, somewhere south of macon, gnats are a seasonal nuisance. below that line, it's yearlong.
Posted by: jpbeal | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 10:16 PM
RawheaD,
Yes, and I started recycling because I have friends who recycle. I was definitely influenced by the behavior of others.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 10:19 PM
"If you do not throw your aluminum cans in the trash landfills will never become valuable aluminum mines."
Oh, and here's another factoid I learned recently: although glass is *technically* just as recyclable as aluminum cans, in actual practice a far greater proportion of aluminum cans are actually recycled than glass bottles. So, it's best to buy your packaged drinks (beer and soda, etc.) in cans rather than bottles.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 10:28 PM
Have you ever heard of Cradle to Cradle? The people behind it would argue 'recycling' is actually 'downcycling', and that our waste is just slowing down on its way to a landfill. They suggest a way to properly recycle.
Here's a TED speech by one of the founders: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/william_mcdonough_on_cradle_to_cradle_design.html
Nike, Ford and other big companies are working with 'C2C', and hopefully one day it will take over the world.
Posted by: Kevin Schoenmakers | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 10:35 PM
I return all my beer bottles for the 5 cent refund, take newspaper/junkmail/cardboard/aluminum cans etc. down to the recycling center. Does it reduce my carbon footprint? Who knows. It may be that my driving stuff to the recycling center causes more pollution via my driving than just dumping EVERYTHING in my trash can, which is mostly empty when the trash haulers come to take what little I put in the trash.
Posted by: Al Patterson | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 10:56 PM
the most important things to recycle are the electronic ones.
start with your batteries, first switch to rechargeable if you've not already - they work very well now - and second when you use non-rechargeable, or the rechargeable wear out take the used ones to a local Radio Shack, they will take them.
for your old computers, TV's, phones, etc. al. make sure you get them to a responsible recycling center.
recycling these heavy toxic items properly are much more important than any paper product.
and if given a choice always choose paper verses plastic :)
Robert
Posted by: robert harshman | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 11:14 PM
Seattle makes recycling easy. All recyclables go into one container (glass, paper, plastic, cardboard, etc.). All kitchen/food waste (veggies and meat) goes in with the yard and garden clippings to be turned into mulch for the city. What little is left - a container about the size of a large waste paper basket - goes to the land fill. Yes, recycling is a good thing.
Bill
Posted by: Bill Stickney | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 11:35 PM
Seattle is a pretty enlightened city. What country is that in again?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 11:37 PM
That is so much good news and so nice to know. Where I live, much of what goes in trash recycled but still there is much we all can do. Motivates me to dust the bicycle that hasn't seen the sun in last six months. Even better that the winter is here.
Posted by: Arun | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 11:37 PM
My town next door to Austin, TX just started a new program that puts all recycled material together in one big can for bi-weekly pickup. Makes it easy for me and it encourages one to recycle more.
Posted by: MJFerron | Sunday, 03 October 2010 at 11:55 PM
I recommend that you add vermiposting to your recycling activities (vermiposting is composting with worms). It's odorless and creates some fantastic fertilizer, all while reducing the amount of crud going into your sink and your garbage can.
Your fishing friends will love you.
Posted by: Greg Boiarsky | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 12:16 AM
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash by my friend Elizabeth Royte is a great book on what happens to the garbage in my county (Kings County A.K.A. Brooklyn NY)
It's an account of following her garbage to the landfill , which turns out to be a pretty involved and difficult thing to do. Pretty funny sometimes too. It's probably the most entertaining book about solid waste you will ever read.
You can read the beginning on Amazon's read it now.
She's also one of the frequently-appearing circus people in that 6500 Polaroid website that I maintain.
Posted by: hugh crawford | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 12:28 AM
Mike,
Great that you think of recycling. Its easy once you get used to it. A tip for the Amazon paper stuff: Cut it into small pieces and if you have a fireplace, use it for igniting fires - it works wonders!!
Or - in winter you can make them flat and put them under your footmats in the car. This sucks up the humidity quite well from snow.
all the best!
Andreas.
Posted by: Andy | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 02:41 AM
Just for fun, run an image search for "naples waste".
A terribly nice example of what happens when you run out of trust in the waste industry and thus run out of landfills...
Posted by: Stefan | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 03:34 AM
When i got a crack in my windshield I had to have the whole thing replaced. The guy who replaced it confided to me that the windshield glass wasn't being recycled. They just throw the whole thing away but the crack was too big to be repaired and so the whole thing - at the cost of $800 -- was going to be swapped. The old one was just going into the trash. Sheesh.
Posted by: Keith Loh | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 03:54 AM
It must be a weekend for recycling. I took a load of cardboard boxes to the recycling centre. My garage is filling up with boxes, mainly from photography purchases. As I unloaded, a lady pulled up behind me and asked if she could have them. So those boxes have been recycled, but not quite the way I intended. :-)
Posted by: Chris Nicholls | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 04:06 AM
Math Quiz:
If we dumped all our trash (51,595 cubic yds
times 3,140 counties or 3,140 football fields
30ft high) into the Grand Canyon,how many
years before it fills up?
Posted by: paul logins | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 04:45 AM
Sounds so odd to me that some people are just waking up to environmental issues, but I guess working in the field somewhat clouds your vision...
Want to try some real procrastination? Try a field trip to your local recycling facility or landfill. They usually offer public tours (especially for schools but general public ones as well). You'd be amazed at the quantity firsthand. But don't be surprised at the decidedly low-tech methodology that is the norm.
You've already mentioned the work of Burtynsky, getting back to photography. The frustrating aspect of any new landfill project is none of the technical stuff (e.g. engineering); it's always the approvals process, which can take years if not decades, even for relatively "small" scale projects (and this is at least for places that have an approvals process in place). The amazing thing about those Burtynsky photos is the sense of scale he includes, as usually all you see when you're at a waste site is the mass and it's hard to get a sense of scale for reference. Which you were able to do with your comparisons as technical writers are apt to do. I just think even writing about those comparisons go over the heads of those uninterested (or maybe they just don't care anyway so wouldn't want to think about anything other than what they can see directly for themselves). Hence my recommendation for the field trip.
Posted by: Thigmo | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 05:20 AM
Every week I put one or two little blue bags of "recycling" at the curb with the trash. Some time after the trash is collected another very large truck comes along. Vroom, Squeal. Vroom, Squeal. Vroom, Squeal. Every house gets a maximum effort GO followed by a maximum effort STOP. It's like an autocross out there.
Seems a little counterproductive.
It turns out that the cost of recycling is very dependent on the density of the material collected -- density in terms of how much stuff can be collected per truck mile. If people will put up with monthly collection instead of weekly, costs go down considerably.
Posted by: Speed | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 07:17 AM
I just put out my "garbage," i.e., recycling. I live in a jurisdiction where comprehensive recycling has been mandatory since 1994. I'm fairly certain we were the first in Canada to do this, if not North America. Residents and businesses must segregate into 5 streams: blue bag (plastic , glass, cans, etc.), paper (including box-board), organic (kitchen and yard waste), corrugated cardboard, and landfill (what's left). Landfill is often next to nothing. Twice a year they pick up large appliances and other metal items. If you visit here as a tourist, you will have to segregate.
At first it was just my small county: http://www.modl.ca/recycling_-_home/index.html Now it's the entire province. If we can do it with our small population and out-of-the-way location, it can be done anywhere, providing you have "peace, order, and good government."
Posted by: latent_image | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 07:20 AM
Never gets quite cold enough to kill the mosquitoes here in Western Australia. Bites 365 days a year. And the golf course watering over the road makes sure there's always somewhere to hatch the things just a short buzz to my garden.
Posted by: The Lazy Aussie | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 07:42 AM
From an economic perspective, recycling makes sense when the cost of primary goods is much higher than buying the same material recycled. One way to ensure that happens is to capture the cost of pollution (or negative environmental impact, generally) in the cost of the primary goods. In other words, if a manufacturer deciding between buying recycled steel and new steel were faced with more expensive new steel because it was taxed to cover its environmental impact, he, or she, might well choose recycled steel. If enough did that demand would be higher and the price of recycled steel would rise, making recycling more economically viable for municipalities.
The hard part is how to add the environmental cost to the new goods. You can do it with taxes but that's very unpopular, especially with internationally traded goods. Another problem is how to assess the environmental impact in dollar terms and apply it? How do you get it right? What if it changes frequently as technology and usage change?
The difficulty of overcoming these challenges are just some of the reasons that recycling efforts have such varied financial success in different communities. Add in the vagaries of political control of such programs, incompetence, corruption, ideological opposition and NIMBYism and it's a wonder Waukesha is making a successful go of it.
Adam
Posted by: Adam Isler | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 08:09 AM
Recycling is a little like creating the garbage in the first place. No one person does much by themselves, but it mounts up.
My less than charitable thoughts on the subject: http://roberts-rants.blogspot.com/2006/03/orbiting-garbage.html
Posted by: Robert Roaldi | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 08:12 AM
I have a pile of cardboard like that next to my back door. Here in Milton Keynes we can recycle most things and my pile will be left out for the bin men when they call tomorrow morning. About all that goes in the black non-recycle bag is thin plastic wrappers.
Er, anyway... er, must get on...
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 08:57 AM
I never put off today what I can put off tomorrow.
Posted by: Edd Fuller | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 09:24 AM
Well color me surprised that you did not already recycle.
Not buying certain things is much easier than recycling, and usually better for you. The whole Reduce, Reuse, Recycle mantra really makes sense. Don't even get my started on the silly amount of packaging that comes form Amazon, and they are better than most.
I once ordered 6 pairs of socks that came in a box that could have held 600 and it was filled with those damn air bags to keep my socks "safe" from damage.
Sheesh
Posted by: charlie | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 09:28 AM
I recall from my childhood how soda would come in returnable bottles, made of heavy-gauge glass. You'd return them to the market, and the bottler would take them back, clean them, refill and reuse them, bearing the costs involved (which would of course, be rolled into the price of the product).
Now, with "one-way" glass and plastic bottles, the producers and merchants have pushed those costs onto the customer (and, through trash disposal and municipal recycling, the taxpayer). Isn't corporate welfare fun?
Posted by: thalarctos | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 09:35 AM
Good point, Mike, about aluminum cans. Contrary to what some think, beer is not affected. There's at least one good microbrew in Colorado that has canned beer, Fat Tire.
There is also very good wines in boxes. The plastic bag inside has to be trashed, but a box equals 4 bottles.
Also: Last time I checked, Best Buy will take one electronic item per day for recycling. (Bought from anywhere.)
--Marc
Posted by: Marc Rochkind | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 09:54 AM
Are the point and shoots that people dump in the trash year after year, only to buy the latest point and shoot, recyclable? What about the DSLRs that need replacing every couple of years?
Looks like another reason to keep shooting that 50 year old Leica - better for the environment.
Posted by: Mikal W. Grass | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 10:07 AM
yeah for recycling, every little bit helps! By the way, are you going to do a column sometime on camera recycling?
Posted by: Jim | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 10:29 AM
At this moment I should be writing a permit for an MRF to operate here in the UK. It isn't the most exciting task in the world so I am procrastinating by reading your blog!
Posted by: Charlie | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 10:45 AM
Primary vs. rechargeable batteries isn't that simple. NiMH rechargeables are not a good choice for emergency flashlights, for example -- they self-discharge fairly quickly just sitting there, and your flashlight would be dead in an emergency. They'd be a great choice for a flashlight you used every night on your police / security patrols, though.
I should probably try eneloops in my cordless mice and in remote controls, though.
Does anybody have a good source (that explains the reasoning!) for how many times you have to recharge a rechargeable to come out ahead compared to a primary battery (on "green" grounds, not just monye)?
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 11:19 AM
Paul,
I don't know, but that's not "all our trash" by a long shot. That's just the amount we recycle, which is a small percentage of the total we generate.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 01:02 PM
So far, I've been able to sell my DSLRs and P&S on ebay when I'm done with them, except the very first one which actually broke on me. So only one out of 4 (not counting current ones, since I don't know how those will end up) of mine needed disposal. AND the buyers paid me! This is why "reuse" is preferred to "recycling" :-) .
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 03:19 PM
Mike,
Love the internet. Here's some figures I
dug up.
USA generates 251 million tons trash yearly.
1 ton equals 3.33 cubic yards of trash.
Grand Canyon is 5.45 trillion cubic yards.
It would take 6,520 years to fill up the
Grand Canyon with our trash. Problem solved.
We have found the ultimate landfill. Of
course I'm being facetious. If that trash
ever caught fire, it would burn forever.
Thanks for your post. It made me think.
I'm glad that I'm recycling my trash
Posted by: paul logins | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 03:22 PM
What type of owls?
If you can learn how to call like an owl, you could easily call one in to see him/her. Do the call first, wait for them to return your call and get close enough to see. Then turn on the light. I don't know which kind of owl you have, but most calls are pretty easy to learn.
One problem that can happen, however, is you can do calls to attract a small owl, and get a bigger one looking for dinner. Especially Great Horned Owls, which will eat almost anything. They love little Screech owls if they can catch them.
Skip
Posted by: Skip Williams | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 04:34 PM
In a related report that affects us photographers, the Asahi newspaper here in Japan reported industry is doing more to extract rare-earth metals from refuse. The recent Chinese ban on exports following a dispute over several islands and a ship collision have caught everyone's attention. The effort does have an impact on the production of the cameras we like to use.
Posted by: Alex Vesey | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 06:36 PM
Correction: the article I mentioned was on the front page of the digital NYTimes, not the Asahi. Apologies for the confusion.
link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business/global/05recycle.html?_r=1&ref=global-home
Alex
Posted by: Alex Vesey | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 07:08 PM
When I was in the Navy, my ship was at the base in San Diego for a few days. Lots of noise was made about using the correct dumpsters for the garbage, and that separating was mandatory.
Then the time came to pick it all up and all four dumpsters were emptied into the same truck.
I imagine that the garbage was sorted at a facility, but it was kind of silly to do it twice.
Posted by: David | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 08:47 PM
Automobile glass is recycled, it is ground up and used as a additive to pavement stripping paint, it makes it last longer and makes it reflect more light.
-Hudson
Posted by: Hudson | Monday, 04 October 2010 at 10:44 PM
Mike, when I lived in Halifax Nova Scotia the city implemented a mandatory composting program for all organic matter (essentially yard and kitchen waste). I remember seeing news footage of the local landfill before and after the new program was put in place. Before showed a bulldozer pushing trash up a mountain of refuse while dozens of gulls and crows circled overhead and fought for pieces of "edible" garbage. After had the same bulldozer with a single crow, crowing about the slim pickings.
Posted by: Michel | Tuesday, 05 October 2010 at 11:53 AM