9 ms·

I've heard that the biggest barrier to reuse is the expense of purifying the inputs of the various recycling processes. A few stray baked beans can gum up the w

by progne 3y ago

I've heard that the biggest barrier to reuse is the expense of purifying the inputs of the various recycling processes. A few stray baked beans can gum up the works. If so the economics would be greatly changed by a robot running AI software that can just sort and wash trash the way we're supposed to at home.

feoren 3y ago
I've never before heard anyone ever suggest that we're "supposed to" be sorting and washing our trash at home. What an unbelievably wasteful and pointless notion.
- progne 3y ago
  See for example the Seattle "tips to recycle right" * Empty, Clean, and Dry * When in Doubt, Find Out * Keep Bags Out The page goes into detail on each. This isn't unusual in my experience. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/recycling/recycle-right https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-a... Here's an online tool to help people identify the various kinds of recyclables and direct them correctly. It isn't easy and I doubt few Seattle residents know all of these. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/where-does-it-go#/a-z https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-a... If everyone started sorting and cleaning according to these rules the fraction of usable recyclables would increase a lot.
  - tmountain 3y ago
    How does this align with NPRs fairly recent report that recycling probably isn't even worth it? https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/987111675/video-is-recycling-worth-it-anymore-people-on-the-front-lines-say-maybe-not https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/987111675/video-is-recycling-... How many hours have we (as a species) wasted sorting and meticulously managing our waste when the vast majority of it never gets recycled anyway? I'm asking the question as someone who cares deeply about the environment. I just think recycling is a fake solution invented by the plastic industry to alleviate the consumer guilt that comes with purchasing single-use plastics. If you don't like a bunch of waste in your landfills, buy fewer single-use products. The vast majority of what goes into the bin never gets recycled anyway.
    - junofan 3y ago
      After moving to Switzerland I remember receiving a pamphlet with something like 15 different types of recycling I was supposed to do. There were special trash detectives that could fine people and imprison those who couldn’t pay. I lived above a recycling depot and watched locals diligently separate their trash by type of metal, color of glass, and like 10 other factors. Then once or twice a week I watched the pickup guy come by with a truck and dump the bins into one big, mixed pile in the back of his tractor-trailer.
      - mike_hearn 3y ago
        The trash detectives are iirc looking for people who throw out trash without using the taxed bags, not for people who aren't sorting recycling correctly. I've heard of people being fined for not using the proper bags but never for just tossing things in the regular trash.
- rwmj 3y ago
  Japanese are taught to wash out containers before recycling. It's even on TV. They also have the most over-packaged goods I have ever seen, individually wrapped sweets, cakes etc wrapped in a plastic box and given to you in a plastic bag (3 layers!) not being unusual. (There is now finally a plastic bag charge introduced last year.)
- Brybry 3y ago
  If you're in the US, read your municipal recycling tips and newer product packaging some time[1]. You'll often see "rinse and replace cap" (some plastic bottles, some say toss the cap) or "rinse and insert lid" (metal cans). I do feel like it's probably inefficient. I'm told not to rinse dishes because my dishwasher is better (which mine definitely is) but... I'm supposed to hand rinse garbage before recycling it? [1] https://how2recycle.info/ https://how2recycle.info/
- feoren 3y ago
  I somehow knew everyone was going to assume I was talking about recycling. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about TRASH. GP mentioned TRASH. We're talking about mining, or sorting, LANDFILLS. Why is everyone talking about recycling in their replies?
fodkodrasz 3y ago
How cost effective is washing trash at home, to using packaging that is either biodegradable, or inert (paper, and glass for example, as it has been done for decades before plastics got widespread)? Compared to this I keep hearing the bullshit that reusing glass is not environmentally friendly and a PET flask has lower carbon footprint, etc. I say bullshit. Also we should transport and sell less water (either with added sugar and CO2 or without), we have those pipes in the ground/walls at most places in the developed world, which supply us clean drinking water. We should rather focus on providing clean tapwater to everybody where it is not available, instead of selling water for 100x price in small single use containers. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. These are the priorities.

by progne 3y ago

feoren 3y ago

I've never before heard anyone ever suggest that we're "supposed to" be sorting and washing our trash at home. What an unbelievably wasteful and pointless notion.

progne 3y ago
See for example the Seattle "tips to recycle right" * Empty, Clean, and Dry * When in Doubt, Find Out * Keep Bags Out The page goes into detail on each. This isn't unusual in my experience. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/recycling/recycle-right https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-a... Here's an online tool to help people identify the various kinds of recyclables and direct them correctly. It isn't easy and I doubt few Seattle residents know all of these. https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/where-does-it-go#/a-z https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-a... If everyone started sorting and cleaning according to these rules the fraction of usable recyclables would increase a lot.
- tmountain 3y ago
  How does this align with NPRs fairly recent report that recycling probably isn't even worth it? https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/987111675/video-is-recycling-worth-it-anymore-people-on-the-front-lines-say-maybe-not https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/987111675/video-is-recycling-... How many hours have we (as a species) wasted sorting and meticulously managing our waste when the vast majority of it never gets recycled anyway? I'm asking the question as someone who cares deeply about the environment. I just think recycling is a fake solution invented by the plastic industry to alleviate the consumer guilt that comes with purchasing single-use plastics. If you don't like a bunch of waste in your landfills, buy fewer single-use products. The vast majority of what goes into the bin never gets recycled anyway.
  - junofan 3y ago
    After moving to Switzerland I remember receiving a pamphlet with something like 15 different types of recycling I was supposed to do. There were special trash detectives that could fine people and imprison those who couldn’t pay. I lived above a recycling depot and watched locals diligently separate their trash by type of metal, color of glass, and like 10 other factors. Then once or twice a week I watched the pickup guy come by with a truck and dump the bins into one big, mixed pile in the back of his tractor-trailer.
    - mike_hearn 3y ago
      The trash detectives are iirc looking for people who throw out trash without using the taxed bags, not for people who aren't sorting recycling correctly. I've heard of people being fined for not using the proper bags but never for just tossing things in the regular trash.
rwmj 3y ago
Japanese are taught to wash out containers before recycling. It's even on TV. They also have the most over-packaged goods I have ever seen, individually wrapped sweets, cakes etc wrapped in a plastic box and given to you in a plastic bag (3 layers!) not being unusual. (There is now finally a plastic bag charge introduced last year.)
Brybry 3y ago
If you're in the US, read your municipal recycling tips and newer product packaging some time[1]. You'll often see "rinse and replace cap" (some plastic bottles, some say toss the cap) or "rinse and insert lid" (metal cans). I do feel like it's probably inefficient. I'm told not to rinse dishes because my dishwasher is better (which mine definitely is) but... I'm supposed to hand rinse garbage before recycling it? [1] https://how2recycle.info/ https://how2recycle.info/
feoren 3y ago
I somehow knew everyone was going to assume I was talking about recycling. That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about TRASH. GP mentioned TRASH. We're talking about mining, or sorting, LANDFILLS. Why is everyone talking about recycling in their replies?

fodkodrasz 3y ago

How cost effective is washing trash at home, to using packaging that is either biodegradable, or inert (paper, and glass for example, as it has been done for decades before plastics got widespread)? Compared to this I keep hearing the bullshit that reusing glass is not environmentally friendly and a PET flask has lower carbon footprint, etc. I say bullshit. Also we should transport and sell less water (either with added sugar and CO2 or without), we have those pipes in the ground/walls at most places in the developed world, which supply us clean drinking water. We should rather focus on providing clean tapwater to everybody where it is not available, instead of selling water for 100x price in small single use containers. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. These are the priorities.