Do you recycle?

RanchMan · Sep 21, 2002

Chuck52 -

Sounds like we can agree that at least some forms of recycling are in the "good" column

I concur.

and that government might at least play a part in stimulating such activities with tax breaks...including local...

I'll agree with the "might" portion - I suspect that I would "draw the line" differently than you regarding when it would be "appropriate" vs. "inappropriate" - again, all depends on the specific situation and suggested government "help."

However, I'd bet that as humanity expands and eats it's way through the environment, more and more recycling will move into the "good" column.

I'd concur with that too, with regards to finite resources (e.g. not with renewable resources, assuming that a balance is achieved between consumption and production, and as long as recycling such items does not pose a net economic benefit to the consumer.)

Some kinds of research, even research with an apparent industrial application, would not get done in the absence of federal funding.

I agree with the statement, although I'm not sold on the aspect that all, or even a majority, of such governmental research justifies the expense. Seems to me that far too much government $$$ (which is really our money) is spent on absolutely frivolous "research." A few select programs, sure. As much as we have now - no.

Yes, some things simply would not get done without the government. (Anybody who says otherwise is not looking at the "big picture.") Those things are often cost centers and not profit centers, hence why government has to "run with the ball" in those areas instead of the private sector - e.g. the military, for example. However, the government is notorious for being inefficient and about as far from "cost effective" as one can get.

For most things, I believe the free market should determine its "value" instead of the government, but that stance shouldn't seem unusual coming from me. (There are exceptions of course, but I really don't want to go through a laundry list of them.) For some things that don't generate profit but are "necessary", yes, government involvement is "appropriate." Does recycling fit in to this "appropriate" category - maybe - maybe not - just depends on the specific situation.

ejb · Sep 21, 2002

OK, I''ll admint it, I haven't read thru the entire thread, but I'll throw in my two cents anyway...

Recycling is good in concept, but fails int he reality. Any idea how much of that stuff you have meticulously sperated from your trash, washed and carted to the recycling center actual get re-cycle? Not much. I have read story after story after story of incidents where because of the oversupply of recycled material, an awful lot of the stuff just gets thrown into the landfill anyway...which is more wasteful than if you just threw it in in the first place. After all, how much extra clean water and energy did you use to wash your garbage? how much extra gas did you use to cart your stuff to a sperate place?

I do seperate some stuff, but I absolutely refulse to use up perfectly good well water and additional oil to wash something that is going to be recycle...kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? You want to save the environment from the old spagetti jar so you use a few gallons of water and some oil/electricity to heat that water in order to make it clean enough to recycle...nonsense if you ask me.

For me, recycle the obvious stuff and try to save the environment by watching what you buy in the first place...a much better way to save the environment...

Boone · Sep 21, 2002

You want to save the environment from the old spagetti jar so you use a few gallons of water and some oil/electricity to heat that water in order to make it clean enough to recycle...nonsense if you ask me.
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I agree about what you describe, here is what I do. Buy spagetti in a can. Dump the contents of the can and call the dogs. Give the can to a dog to lick clean, and when the dog is done check to see if anything is still in the can rinse with a little cold water. Is the metal from cans wasted?

Anonymous Poster · Sep 21, 2002

Boone,

Sounds sort of like what my mother-in-law does. The trouble is now the dogs is about 3 times the size it should be. The dumb thing doesn't go outside and run very often ...

.....

... neither does the dog .... /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

gws · Sep 22, 2002

Keep in mind the 3 R's of recycling is
"REDUCE"
"REUSE"
"RECYCLE"

Most people forget the first 2 and think saving cans in a blue box is recycling

Wingnut · Sep 24, 2002

My best example of how well government meddling with recycling comes from Alberta ... and tires. Tires are a problem ... they're a consummable that leave a very large "core" behind.
The Alberta government figured they needed to control tires, since they're breeding grounds for skeeters when abandoned (or collected in government yeards and lying around, surprisingly). And to finance the government effort at recycling tires, they decided to levy a $4 charge per tire (whether you left the tires there or took them home to use for planters).
Surprisingly enough, knowing the general value of government intervention, it was discovered that there was no market for tires. The highly touted - by the radical left - uses such as grinding and putting into road surfacing never happened. Other uses were all total failures. So .... what's now happening to all these $4 tires? Well, the only continued use of them is a use that I'm positive the radical left that lobbied for this program would be 10,000% behind! They're burned for energy at several of the concrete company plants. And the government pays almost the whole $4 per tire to the consuming companies.
I love government intervention .... always takes a bad situation and makes it better .... as long as your definition of "better" matches something Dave Barry would say ...

We need to concentrate more on reuse and "not use" and worry less about recycle - unless, of course, a real market develops (instead of the fake markets which are just high cost welfare programs ... and we're talking corporate welfare here ... much worse than people welfare)

Chuck52 · Sep 24, 2002

Yup. We probably ought to bury all those used tires in carefully marked graves so that at some future date, when all the oil is gone, our descendants will know where to find a rich trove of hydrocarbons.

Chuck

brewerbob · Sep 25, 2002

Wingnut: Since you brought up tires.........With all the vehicles running up and down the highways, and untold number of tires being worn out, how come we're not walking around knee deep in rubber dust???? Hmmmmmmm?
Bob

Wingnut · Sep 25, 2002

do you mean we're not? ... do you mean the EPA is lying to us? .... actually ... I think we're more than ankle deep in all the gators on the road from the trailer retreads!
/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif