Author: ovpadmin

Does it make sense to recycle?

The short answer is: Yes.

True, some critics wonder whether mandatory programs are a net benefit, since they can require more trucks consuming energy and belching carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“You don’t want a large truck carrying around just a few bottles,” concedes Matthew Hale, director of EPA’s Office of Solid Waste. But, he notes, most cities are getting better at reducing the environmental costs of recycling. (They’re also working to reduce the economic costs. Many recycling programs still cost more to run than they bring in when they sell the recyclable materials back to manufacturers.)

Consider the true cost of a product over its entire life—from harvesting the raw materials to creating, consuming, and disposing of it—and the scale tips dramatically in recycling’s favor. Every shrink-wrapped toy or tool or medical device we buy bears the stamp of its energy-intensive history: mountains of ore that have been mined (bauxite, say, for aluminum cans), coal plants and oil refineries, railcars, assembly lines. A product’s true cost includes greenhouse gases emitted in its creation as well as use, and pollutants that cause acid rain, smog, and fouled waterways.

Recycling—substituting scrap for virgin materials—not only conserves natural esources and reduces the amount of waste that must be burned or buried, it also reduces pollution and the demand for energy. “You get tremendous Btu savings,” Hale says.

In an international study published last year by the Waste & Resources Action Programme, a British group, researchers compared more than 180 municipal waste management systems. Recycling proved better for the environment than burying or burning waste in 83 percent of the cases.

It makes sense to reuse products, of course, and to reduce consumption altogether, as well as to improve initial product design. But given the rising mounds of waste worldwide, it also makes sense to recycle.

What Gets Recycled in the U.S.

It depends on the markets.

Whether or not a particular material is recycled depends on a number of factors, but the most fundamental question is this: Is there a market for it? Markets for some materials, like car batteries, are highly developed and efficient—not least because strict regulations govern their disposal—and a mature recycling infrastructure has grown up as a result. About 90 percent of all lead-acid batteries are recycled, according to the EPA. Steel recycling, too, has been around for decades, while formalized recycling of yard trimmings has not. Despite the explosive growth of plastics—particularly for use in beverage containers—that industry has been slow to develop recycling infrastructure, with most plastic still going to incinerators or landfills.

Excess Packaging

Taking Charge of Discards

Higher hygiene standards, smaller households, intense brand marketing, and the rise of ready-made meals have all contributed to an increase in packaging waste, but international trade may be the biggest factor.

Even simple items like bottles of water now routinely crisscross the globe, meaning that thirst for a few swallows of “product” can generate not just plastic bottles, but also a large amount of other packaging debris—from wrapping film to bin liners to shipping crates.

So far, Europe has led the world in recycling packaging materials—principally through the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive of 1994. The EU directive calls for manufacturers, retailers, and others in the product chain to share the recycling burden.

With the exception of hazardous wastes, the United States has been slower to embrace the concept of “extended producer responsibility,” as the idea is known, according to Bill Sheehan, director of the Product Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Athens, Georgia. Some municipalities, however, are starting to demand that businesses help cover the costs of recycling.

“Otherwise,” Sheehan says, we are “just stimulating the production of more stuff.”

Source:  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/01/high-tech-trash/recycling-text
Published: January 2008

Source:  http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article123327804.html
Writer:  David T Foster III

The change: Beginning immediately, all cardboard must be torn into pieces no larger than 18×18 inches before being put into curbside recycling bins. Also, cardboard should not be folded.

The problem: Other than a few Twitter messages and a Christmas day Facebook post, the city hasn’t appeared to have made much effort to get the message out. Judging by our non-scientific peek at recycling bins around Charlotte this week, few residents seem to have gotten the memo about the 18-inch mandate.

Some who did aren’t happy. “Ridiculous!” said one response to the city’s Dec. 22 tweet. “You are making it onerous to comply,” another objected.

The city says that the new cardboard requirements were put in place so that larger and folded pieces of cardboard don’t block other items. “The change is to ensure that all bins are emptied during the collection,” the city’s social media account explained.

We admit to some similar skepticism when we first saw the new cardboard rule. If you want to encourage recycling, as Charlotte seems to, it might not be a good idea to make recycling harder.

Such is the tug that cities sometimes face with waste disposal. Beyond the obvious environmental benefits of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, recycling theoretically saves money by reducing trash volume and landfill costs. There’s also some branding benefits – cities with robust and successful recycling programs are seen as progressive by environmentally conscious workers and businesses.

All of which has prompted a handful of U.S. cities – including Seattle, San Francisco and Boulder – to declare a goal of becoming “zero waste communities” that generate new materials from most or all of their waste. Other cities, although less aspirational, have tried to encourage recycling by making it easier, primarily through “single-stream” programs that allow residents and businesses to put all recycling items in one bin instead of having to sort.

But collecting, transporting and sorting items costs money, and cities are perpetually on the lookout for resource-saving efficiencies. Some wield more of a stick than a carrot – most notably New York City, which not only fines residents who don’t recycle, but requires them to sort and separate paper and cardboard goods from metals, plastics and glass.

It’s unclear if and how Charlotte plans to enforce the new cardboard requirements. City officials were unavailable for comment Wednesday.

While we appreciate the city’s attempt to efficiently empty recycling bins, officials should revisit the new requirements. An 18-inch mandate might be burdensome to some residents, especially the elderly. A possible compromise: Many cities, including those with progressive recycling programs, allow to residents put larger cardboard pieces next to recycling bins.

Doing so solves the bin blockage problem without deterring people from the city’s larger recycling goal – reducing waste, not participation.

Are plastic bags worse than paper bags?

Though commonly debated, many are surprised to find out that compared to paper, plastic grocery bags can be a resource-efficient choice. Plastic grocery bags require 70 percent less energy to manufacture than paper bags. And produce half the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the process, according to the Plastics Industry.

Though efficient to produce, it is crucial that plastic bags be reused and recycled. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade quickly and can cause problems for wildlife when disposed of improperly.

Where can I recycle plastic bags?

Most grocers and large retailers such as Target and Walmart now accept plastic bags, wrap and film for recycling. Look for a bin near the front of the store or check for local recycling options nearest you.

Are plastic bags made from oil?

About 85 percent of plastic bags used in the United States are American-made and come from natural gas, not foreign oil, according to PlasticBagFacts.org. According to the Plastics Industry, less than .05% of a barrel of oil goes into making all of the plastic bags used in the US.

SOURCE:  http://earth911.com/recycling-guide/how-to-recycle-plastic-bags/

Recycling is crucial to running a green home. It’s also an easy and effective way to reduce your weekly contribution to the local landfill.

Unfortunately, many people either aren’t recycling as much as they could be, or are recycling the wrong way. A main reason for this is lack of access to accurate information.

Even if you know the basics, you may have lingering questions. Covanta, a world leader and expert in sustainable waste management and renewable energy, offers helpful insights into common recycling questions:

• What cardboard is recyclable? All cardboard boxes except waxed can be recycled. In some communities, cardboard includes cereal, pasta or other food boxes. If possible, remove adhesive labels and tape prior to placing it in the recycling bin, as glue can interfere with the pulping process. Recycle the non-greasy portion of pizza boxes and discard the rest with the trash.
  • Is wet newspaper recyclable? Paper fibers can only hold so much moisture. If wet paper arrives at the recycling facility, it may not absorb the chemicals needed to process the paper fibers into new products. Try to keep recycle-ready paper indoors until pick-up day.
  • Should you remove plastic bottle caps and wine corks? Corks should be reused or thrown in the trash. Remove plastic caps so you can crush the plastic bottles, making it easy to fit more into the bin. Some caps are recyclable, but recycling centers often discard non-recyclable caps as trash.
  • Can you recycle items that contained chemicals? Yes, as long as they’re completely empty. An exception is motor oil, because residual oil can interfere with plastics recycling.
  • Is crushing cans necessary? It’s not necessary to crush cans in preparation for recycling, but doing so makes room in your recycling bin and the transport truck, which means fewer trips to the recycling facility.
  • How do you recycle batteries and electronics? Many municipalities are now recycling electronics. And some department stores, such as Best Buy, have take-back programs. Visit www.Call2Recycle.org to find your nearest battery take-back location.
  • Where do recyclables go? After a pick-up, recyclables go to an interim processor called a Materials Recovery Facility. There, they are sorted by machine and by hand using a conveyor belt. Separated recyclables are sent to a processing plant to be made into new products.
  • Why recycle? Recycling preserves natural resources and is good for the economy, accounting for about one million manufacturing jobs nationwide, and generating more than $100 billion in revenue, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • What happens to waste that’s not recycled? While some materials may be sent to landfills, the preferred option is an Energy-from-Waste facility, which offers a safe, technologically advanced means of waste disposal that generates clean, renewable energy, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and recycles metal left over in household waste.

Environmental stewardship starts at home. We must all take steps to educate ourselves on recycling.

Source:  StatePoint Special to the Courier
http://www.bccourier.com/Archives/Community_detail.php?contentId=14868
Photo by Kasia Bialasiewicz

Due to the ever-increasing demand of metals and due to the ever decreasing supply, scrap metal recycling has become necessary. Let us understand how to recycle metal and what are its benefits.

Recycling is processing of used materials into new products, which can be used again. For example, we use recycled paper, recycled plastic, recycled glass and many more. Recycling helps us in many ways – conserves limited and exhaustible resources, saves energy, is environmental friendly, creates jobs and helps in proper waste disposal. There are many other benefits too and so we recycle food scrapes, leather, rubber, wood in addition to those mentioned above. Metal scrap is also added to this long list as the resources of metals are depleting at an alarming rate. Recycle scrap metal constitutes about 8% of the total materials recycled. Let us look into scrap metal recycling in detail.

Due to the ever-increasing demands of the human race and the ever decreasing sources of metals, recycling has become of prime importance. Not only this, but the environmental pollution, the greenhouse effect and the effects of carbon footprint has necessitated that we concentrate on the recycling of different products. Continue reading “Scrap Metal Recycling”

Originally published on October 14, 2015 4:17 pm

Is recycling good for the environment? Well of course, but maybe not the way we do it. John Tierney argued in The New York Times that much of our current recycling, while well-intentioned, is wrongheaded, costly and in some cases may be doing more harm than good.

Bucknell University economist Thomas Kinnaman similarly wants America to rethink recycling. He says some materials – like tin cans and aluminum – are very hard to make using virgin materials and it’s best to recycle them.

But for others, like glass and plastic, if you take into account the cost of hauling the recycling to recycling centers (which can sometimes be further away than landfills), and how easy it is to make plastic and glass from virgin materials, it may not make sense to recycle them as much as we are now.

Here & Now‘s Robin Young speaks with Kinnaman about his vision for how the U.S. should be recycling.

Interview Highlights: Thomas Kinnaman
On findings that recycling is not as beneficial as once believed

“It surprised me as well. So once we consider the full effects of recycling to both the economy and the environment, it does look like some of the benefits associated with recycling are not as strong as we once thought. You know, every time you make a decision as a household whether to recycle a bottle or to throw it out, you are entering a life cycle. So there’s a life cycle associated with the recycling process and there’s a separate life cycle that’s associated with the landfill or disposing process. And so you have to list all of the environmental and economic consequences of entering each life cycle. So for recycling, it does take energy to collect that material, to process it, to transport it to recycling facilities, and then to finally put it back into production. And the benefit we’re seeing from that is that for some materials, the ability to use those recycled materials offset the need to use virgin or raw materials for the same production processes. So that turns out to be a great benefit for some materials, but for others it doesn’t.”

What items are not as cost beneficial to recycle and which are beneficial?

“OK, so the really beneficial things to recycle are aluminum cans or any forms of aluminum that you have around the house that you’re considering to dispose. The environmental costs to mine new alumina and bauxite to produce new aluminum from scratch are fairly substantial, so anything we can do to maximize our recycling of aluminum turns out to be a win-win. Bimetal tin cans – these are the soup cans, the vegetable cans that we buy some of our food with – those also have a very, very positive life cycle signature, and again, we want to refocus policy to recycle more of these things than we currently are. Some of the other materials – and actually, by the way, paper as well has a very positive life cycle signature mainly, again, because it’s difficult and arduous to produce paper from scratch. Glass bottles, plastic bottles, other forms of plastic – a lot of us want to recycle those things. I think the environment and the economy would rather that we didn’t.”

Why is it not as economical to recycle plastic and glass?

“Well, first of all, it’s fairly comparatively easy to make plastic and glass from scratch. So it doesn’t have as much of an energy requirement, as much as an environmental impact. Secondly, I know plastic itself per bottle, they take up a lot of space. You can try to smash them up, but it’s relatively more expensive to take a ton of plastic somewhere to get it recycled. So the transportation costs, both the economic and environmental costs associated with the transportation of plastic tend to be higher than for other materials on a per ton basis because they’re not very dense in terms of weight.”

On landfills now being built in ways that make them more valuable

Glass bottles, plastic bottles, other forms of plastic – a lot of us want to recycle those things. I think the environment and the economy would rather that we didn’t.

“A lot of this, these advances in landfills, have happened primarily in the United States and primarily in response to both federal and state legislation that require very strict standards on how you build a landfill and how you manage and operate that landfill. They still present a problem to neighborhoods. Nobody wants to live next to a landfill. Economic data and models are very clear that being located within two miles of a landfill does reduce the value of your properties. So these things are not environmentally great, but you just compare in the margin using a landfill relative to putting plastic through a very energy-intensive process to recycle, then in terms of a carbon footprint, it comes very close and it may actually, in some cases, be beneficial to recycle that. Modern landfills require very thick linings of clay or impermeable plastics. When they are constructed, they have imbedded in them special grids to allow all methane and all leachate to be collected and treated. In the case of methane, it’s increasingly being used to produce electricity, which can offset the production cost of electricity by using coal or other fossil fuels. And again, a good life cycle model will account for all of these things, and the life cycle models are looking more favorably on landfilling and incineration then they were 25 years ago.”

On changing the way people view recycling

“Recycling and the culture that surrounded it, I think a lot of people and advocates of recycling thought of it as sort of a gateway behavior in that once you began recycling it would open up a whole flurry of other environmentally responsible activities that we could pursue. We might start riding our bike or walking more than driving our car. And, you know, I think other experts could talk about this as well, but it just doesn’t seem to have worked that way. I think in some cases, you could almost characterize recycling as a way of atoning for all of our environmental sins, if you will, and as long as we’re recycling, then we feel better about ourselves and then we can go ahead and drive our big car, and go ahead and keep our lights on and keep our thermostat high, and it’s almost being viewed as a substitute for other forms of environmental responsible behavior.”

GuestThomas Kinnaman, cChair of the Department of Economics at Bucknell University.
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.