Re: Pearls Before Swine: Rat The Luddite

On 14 Aug 2024 17:35:55 GMT, Chris Buckley <alan@sabir.com> wrote:

On 2024-08-14, Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 13 Aug 2024 22:15:25 -0700, The Horny Goat <lcraver@home.ca>
wrote:
>

On Thu, 08 Aug 2024 18:35:55 GMT, scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal)
wrote:
>

The only solution is to completely eliminate single-use
plastics.    I'd even go so far as to include milk and
juice jugs in that ban (glass is far more recyclable
and aside shipping weight, similar in cost).
>
Paper milk cartons can eliminate the plastic lid.

>
What does "single use" mean? I understand in the context of fast food
cups but how about less common items like those 4 liter milk jugs I
get my milk in (and generally put out each week in the recycling bin)
or similar such items - for instance my cheddar comes wrapped in
plastic and once the cheese is eaten, that plastic wrapper isn't
getting used again <grin>

>
He is explicitly including milk and juice, suggesting we go back to
glass.
>
Which is fine, so long as, when I drop one on the floor and it breaks,
he comes over, cleans up the mess, and gives me my money back.
>
Plastic jugs don't break as often, although I suppose you could get
one to do so if you tried hard enough.
>
There is a /reason/ we replaced glass with plastic, at least in some
cases.

>
>
In addition to the inconvenience of glass, it is not nearly as
economically recyclable as most people think.
>
Nearby local counties have stopped recycling glass because it just
costs too much. Much cheaper for the county to just throw it away.
>
An older news report (5 years ago, all I could easily find) among other
things says:
  The issue is that glass comes in many colors and often breaks,
  making it too difficult to separate from other materials. Plus,
  there isn’t as big of a market for recycled glass, compared to
  other products, such as cardboard and plastics.
https://wtop.com/local/2019/05/trashed-can-the-dc-area-clean-up-its-waste-problem/

As others have noted, traditionally, glass bottles have been /reused/,
not recycled. The whole deposit folderol is based on reuse.

Here in Seattle, broken glass is garbage. At least some intact glass
objects are recyclable, IIRC (I don't have occasion to get rid of
intact glass objects very often, so it's been a while since I
checked).
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"