Armed Polite Society

Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Ben on September 09, 2010, 10:57:26 AM

Title: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: Ben on September 09, 2010, 10:57:26 AM
I already knew municipalities were putting these chips into garbage and recycling cans, and that some were levying fines for not properly separating refuse. This story is the first I'd heard of a "mandatory education program" as a possible fine.

The only part of this story that I saw semi going on the right track is the mention of incentives for recycling. That would be much more palatable, though I'm still firmly against the idea of tracking chips. I think if I had one of those in my garbage can, it would be failing a lot.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/09/07/trash-police-invade-thanks-government-stimulus/
Title: Re: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: vaskidmark on September 09, 2010, 11:30:48 AM
My county has gone to municipal recycling for homeowners.  Apartment dwellers and those renting single family/duplex/whatever homes are currently not being serviced.  In 2 years it will become mandatory for all dwellings except apartment complexes (read solely rental townhouse complexes - we have no high-rise apartments).  Recycling buckets have chips and are weighed as they are hoisted into the truck.

They charge for the service.  For the next 2 years you can opt out at no cost.

Projections are that in 2 years when it becomes mandatory the county will be operating at least $700K in the red every year for this project.

How can you not make a profit on recycling?

Oh, yeah,  Forgot.  It's the government.

Apparently the private waste hauler company that actually comes around and picks up the recyclables has figured out how to make money off the deal, as they offer the same service at no additional cost to their customers in the adjoining county.  (No, we do not have municipal garbage collection.  Buy the service or haul yours to the county dump toxic waste site rat breediung ground landfill.  Or you can buy a pass to one of several privately operated landfills that are models of operation and management.  You bring all your stuff in one load and drop it.  They sort it for recoverables/recycleables and then process it.  One place will accept up to 5 tires with no charge - they grind them and sell them to a plant that makes paving material.

stay safe.
Title: Re: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: Headless Thompson Gunner on September 09, 2010, 02:16:43 PM
My new county makes it a crime to throw recyclables out in the trash.  Supposedly they have people come around and pick through your garbage, fining folks who have plastic bottles or whatever in their normal garbage.

 :mad:


How can you not make a profit on recycling?

Oh, yeah,  Forgot.  It's the government.
Recycling is actually pretty unprofitable.  

A few years ago I ran across a study comparing the cost of recycling a given material vs producing that material new.  For many materials, it actually costs more (consumes more resources) to recycle the stuff than to just throw the old stuff out and produce that material new.

The most easily recycled materials tend to be industrial in nature.  Architectural steel and asphalt stand out in my memory as being good products to recycle, in terms of net resources saved vs consumed.  The common household recyclables like milk jugs and tin cans tended to be a losing proposition, consuming more resources to reprocess than to produce new.

I really wish I had saved a copy of that study, because it does a great job of shooting holes in the notion that recycling is always a good idea.  But nevermind that.  Bottom line is that it would be pretty easy for a business to lose money trying to reprocess household "recyclables" for profit.  It simply costs too much to reprocess most of this stuff.
Title: Re: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: cassandra and sara's daddy on September 09, 2010, 02:29:48 PM
study?i'll get pics next time i'm at the dump and i watch them bring the containers with all the nice sorted trash and dump em on the commercial face.  right now i'm not sure even aluminum pays
Title: Re: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: RoadKingLarry on September 09, 2010, 03:09:30 PM
I very nearly came to blows with a garbage collector when I was stationed in CT. The rules were to seprate recyclables so that was what we did. The rules also stated to dump used grease into a can and throw it away with the regular trash.
I watched the dufus rip open the bag with the can full of cooking grease and dump the contents on the lawn.
There was much yelling and posturing and the cops were called. even though I had the regs in hand and showed both  the cop and the trash collector I lost.
Title: Re: Tracking Chips in Your Garbage Can
Post by: roo_ster on September 09, 2010, 06:07:51 PM
We have a voluntary system in the city.  I do not participate, as I wish to bring the cost of city gov't down more than I want to feel good about recycling.