This could truly be a big advancement in cleaning up the environment and providing the fuel that keep our society going. It is also an example of private industry finding ways to turn human waste into usable and eco-friendly products. Read more @ http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/11/11/the-afterlife-ofplastic.html
This is one of the enviro-thingys I am 100% for. What we waste in plastics is criminal. Many people don't even know where plastic comes from. Two college students at a store asked me if I wanted "paper or plastic" and I said "paper". They asked me why, did I not want to save trees?? I Explained to their wide-eyed little faces that plastic come from OIL which is not renewable, trees ARE. They said "we never thought about it that way...."...... Also plastic bags loose in the environment are a nightmare on so many levels. Ignorant rednecks here in the south toss them in the back of their pickup trucks so they blow out on the highway. Ever get one wrapped around your exhaust?? They melt to the pipe and your car smells like burning plastic for like 8 months....you cannot scrape it off either, it is like steel.
most plastic has been recycled for years now so this is not really anything new, our county recycles plastic codes 1,2,3,4,5, and 6. My used plastic bags from stores are stored in a large container the taken over to the local grocery store that recycles them. On the bio waste issue that has been the center of a large controversy in my local area Moncks Corner Mayor and County Supervisor-elect Bill Peagler is asking anyone with a complaint about the smell coming from GenEarth, a bioenergy plant off of Oakley Road, to contact the Town Police Department and file an incident complaint. Citizens living outside the Town should call the Sheriff’s Office and provide a copy of their incident report to Moncks Corner Police Chief Chad Caldwell. The reports will be sent to the state’s environmental agency to allow action to either shut down the company or cause it to improve its stench. Reports should include the exact time and date of the problem, stating if the odor was at an undesirable level and stating the character and degree of injury or interference to personal health; health of plant, animal or wildlife; property damage; or enjoyment of life. GenEarth leases property at the Oakley Road landfill, between Highway 17-A and Highway 52. The Sumter-based company opened the location in early 2013 — and residents say the horrible smells have been unceasing ever since. http://www.berkeleyind.com/article/20140821/BI01/140829913/ this seems to be one of the "not in my backyard" technologies
Unless you live near the ocean, plastic is the greener choice. I assume you have never thought about what it takes to make a paper bag.
paper and cardboard are also recycled, i generally choose paper because I can put it in the huge recycle bins that the county uses instead of having to take it back to the store for recycling here are some facts on the energy saved by recycling http://www.wm.com/location/california/ventura-county/thousand-oaks/recycle/facts.jsp It boggles my mind that more people in my neighborhood do not recycle more. It costs nothing more than an extra ten seconds to wash out the container. I keep a scond trash can in my kitchen just for recyclables and toss then in there, At the end of the day it gets emptied into the large recycle containers when I take the non recyclables to large garbage can. It is also very easy to make your own compost by keeping a used plastic coffee can with a lid and toss any vegetable waste into it for the compost pile for your garden. Just make sure no meat waste goes into it or it will smell and attract rodents. http://www.wm.com/location/california/ventura-county/thousand-oaks/recycle/facts.jsp
My grocery store has bins in which you can return plastic bags for recycling. Whether your salad scraps decompose in your garden or in the city dump is of no environmental significance (I just toss mine in a the bed of roses on the backside of my garden). A lot of that which people think they are recycling ends up in the garbage dump anyway.
Pine trees and glue. Ever see how fast a southern pine grows...and in virtually any soil. They grow on our rock dumps..... Plastic is only "green" if you recycle....what percentage are thrown away? Throw away a paper bag, even on the roadside, and you HAVE recycled.
'Before you brown bag it, consider these environmental disadvantages of paper: Causes pollution: Paper production emits air pollution, specifically 70 percent more pollution than the production of plastic bags [source: Thompson]. According to certain studies, manufacturing paper emits 80 percent more greenhouse gases [source: Lilienfield]. And, consider that making paper uses trees that, instead, could be absorbing carbon dioxide. The paper bag making process also results in 50 times more water pollutants than making plastic bags [source: Thompson]. Consumes energy: Even though petroleum goes into making plastic, it turns out that making a paper bag consumes four times as much energy as making a plastic bag, meaning making paper consumes a good deal of fuel [source: reusablebags.com]. Consumes water: The production of paper bags uses three times the amount of water it takes to make plastic bags [source: Lilienfield]. Inefficient recycling: The process of recycling paper can be inefficient -- often consuming more fuel than it would take to make a new bag [source: Milstein]. In addition, it takes about 91 percent more energy to recycle a pound of paper than a pound of plastic [source: reusablebags.com]. Produces waste: According to some measures, paper bags generate 80 percent more solid waste [source: Lilienfield]. Biodegrading difficulties: Surprisingly, the EPA has stated that in landfills, paper doesn't degrade all that much faster than plastics [source: Lilienfield]." http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm ______________________ Reusable bags are the only green bags
Environmentally, it's probably a tossup between paper and plastic. Paper requires oil to plant the trees, harvest the trees, bring them to the factory, etc. It requires energy to process those wood fibers into paper, and there is a good bit of water that is polluted in the process. Here's a pretty good article that compares the two: http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/paper-plastic1.htm
some good stuff to think about, Ill agree. Still, I think the sight of these plastic equivalents of airborne jellyfish tumbling across the landscape for years vs a brown paper bag that goes back to the soil it came from after 2 rainstorms overrides it - IMHO
ah but it is of monetary difference, I use it on my vegetable gardens. Best compost you can find. I mix it 75/25 with bagged chicken manure from the gardening center and get tomatoes the size of softballs. Our county uses a single stream process so according to Stanford that should be about 77% usage 23% to the landfill. https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/magazine/article/?article_id=47701
We live too far from anywhere to make it worth it. The aluminum has a market. The plastics not so much so off to the landfill.
Once upon a time I worked for a company that was big time into recycling. It's a very lucrative business and few know how extensive it is.
it is indeed, check this site out. Looks like a stock exchange for the waste business http://www.grn.com/ waste is like the funeral business, you will always have a steady flow
I worked in a pick-a-part junkyard where customers came in and removed the parts they needed from cars and truck in the lot. When the vehicles had been picked clean, they went to the recycling plant where they were shredded and baled to be sent to foundries where they were melted down to be made into raw steel. They also had a recycling yard for metal, glass, and plastic. Always did a big business.
