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- From: constant@gn.ecn.purdue.edu (Tino)
- Subject: Re: The Recycling Myth
- Message-ID: <1992Dec13.171011.1715@gn.ecn.purdue.edu>
- Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
- References: <15900004@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> <Bz7EDH.1EC@ccu.umanitoba.ca>
- Date: Sun, 13 Dec 92 17:10:11 GMT
- Lines: 33
-
- In article <Bz7EDH.1EC@ccu.umanitoba.ca> naldret@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Dana L. Naldrett) writes:
- >In <15900004@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> duanej@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Duane Jacobson) writes:
- >>What's the deal with recycling???
- >
- >The real problem with landfills is that nearly EVERYTHING we throw into them
- >could be used or put somewhere else. The question simply becomes, how much
- >money are you willing to spend to protect or environment? Obviously not much..
- >The Europeans were way ahead of us on this problem because of their large
- >population and lack of space. They also have an economy which is used to
- >paying more for everyday things. The result? Good waste management and things
- >get reused, recycled and simply not thrown away needlessly.
- >
- >Have you ever hear of a waste audit? Take one weeks trash, and keep track of
- >*exactly* what you throw out. Then, study it to see what could be diverted
- >from landfill. I bet you will find that nearly 90% of what you throw out
- >could be going somewhere else. This is true with most municipal waste in
- >North America. The problem is getting people to think this way. Hence, the
- >browbeating you talk about. There is a good reason for it- we are mostly
- >too lazy or unthinking to change our ways.
-
- I have a question:
- Since recycling is often not cost-efficient for communities, why isn't
- incineration a viable option? With it, the landfill growth can be checked
- while electricity can be generated.
-
- Besides having the environmentalists up in arms (as usual), what's the
- problem?
-
- Tino
- --
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- Pay off the national debt -- Tax the Church
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-