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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Thread starter Nymphs
- Start date
Yes, it works. But I wonder what the area of disagreement is?
We have a PR campaign in our city about grass clippings. In summer time about half the city's garbage disposal cost is for grass clippings. I imagine the dollar figure would be substantial.
People don't know (out of some sort of archaic habit I suppose, just like summerfallow was once considered great ... until it depleted the top soil) that grass clippings are free fertilizer for the lawn and decompose quickly when mulched.
This money could be used on social [programs, better roads, etc. Fortunately half the people do take advantage of the natural free fertilizer, unlike 30 years ago.
People don't know (out of some sort of archaic habit I suppose, just like summerfallow was once considered great ... until it depleted the top soil) that grass clippings are free fertilizer for the lawn and decompose quickly when mulched.
This money could be used on social [programs, better roads, etc. Fortunately half the people do take advantage of the natural free fertilizer, unlike 30 years ago.
To throw out grass clippings always struck me as a ridiculous waste of time & resources.
Just leave'm on the lawn. Nuthin easier or better.
Just leave'm on the lawn. Nuthin easier or better.
kashmir
Well-Known Member
I say the same things about grass and leaves.
If one uses a mulcher lawnmower, it doesn't even need raking.
Personally, as for recycling, this is something we should have done from the get go.
It's only going to really become an issue once we run out of landfills.
Kind of hard to recycle all the billions and billions of toxic wastes that fill warehouses across the world that scientists have no idea what to do with, though.
The typical American lawn in general is a perfect example of the antithesis of reduce, reuse, recycle. Instead of using native plants and landscaping which are self-maintaining, we waste time and energy with those biotic deserts.
My lawn is whatever survives mowing & weather (no watering or fertilizing).
Some of it is even grass.
Mr Darwin decides on the mix.
Does it really work at what?
In terms of a serious diminution of our species' ecological footprint, I think it's a drop in the bucket, more symbolic than effective.
In terms of economics it's probably pernicious.
If enuf people are "symbolic" then it has large scale effect.
I do it primarily because it makes economic sense.
Examples:
- Composting food waste improves my garden & saves money on trash hauling.
- Letting grass clippings lie saves me work. I don't even use a mulching deck on my mower because it consumes more fuel. It's unnecessary anyway.
- Instead of throwing old items in the trash, I donate'm to local resale shops. This saves me & their customers money, reduces consumer product manufacturing, & cuts landfill use.
- Etc, etc, etc...
Reducing and reusing, definitely. Recycling... there are tradeoffs. For instance, paper recycling takes a fair bit of water, so it may not be justifiable in areas with water shortages. On the whole it's positive, though.
Some info on recycling....
High-Tech Trash - Recycling: The Big Picture - National Geographic Magazine
Technological changes, particularly in automation of plastic processing & sorting, are improving cost effectiveness of recycling. But cost & energy usage are worth considering. For these reasons, I reuse a lot of glass as masonry fill. And I use paper products as fuel in winter.
High-Tech Trash - Recycling: The Big Picture - National Geographic Magazine
Technological changes, particularly in automation of plastic processing & sorting, are improving cost effectiveness of recycling. But cost & energy usage are worth considering. For these reasons, I reuse a lot of glass as masonry fill. And I use paper products as fuel in winter.
Really? I have to strongly disagree. The reduce and reuse steps in particular are vital to reducing mismanagement of natural resources and have a huge impact on ecological footprints.
Now, if we want a symbolic behavior, then we can talk about people buying things with the "all natural" label, a term which means diddly squat.
We have recycle collection at the same time as garbage collection. Different trucks come by. Plastic, cardboard, paper, glass, in one box. When I go for a morning walk on collection days, the piles are about equal. 50% of household waste being recycled in a city with population over a million is hardly insignificant.
I suspect any significant impact would call for a reversal of the early 20th C. propaganda campaign, orchestrated by Edward Bernays & al, that gave rise to Consumerism.
If you have the time, Let me recommend this eye opening series: The Century Of Self: Happiness Machines (Episode1) on Vimeo
If you have the time, Let me recommend this eye opening series: The Century Of Self: Happiness Machines (Episode1) on Vimeo
Join us holier-than-thou recycling fanatics, & we'll see what happens!
Nymphs
Well-Known Member
I don't have a disagreement, but I've been told that recycling actually causes more pollution and I was curious to see if anybody else had heard that.
I think you misconstrue my diabolic advocacy. I am one of those tree-hugging, holier-than-thou fanatics. But I'd also like to stress that the average consumer contributes to the problem more by being a consumer than can be alleviated by recycling a bit of the unnecessary stuff he's encouraged to consume.