Environmentally minded Californians love to recycle — but it's no longer doing any good

Los Angeles Times ^ | July 9, 2018 | George Skelton

[jurroppi1]

in my nape of the woods they do.

[raybbr]

“””Recycling is without any human or afterlife benefit.”””
A truly moronic declaration. Recycling has some benefits but certainly not what is claimed. I’ve worked in the plastics and glass industry and we recycled constantly to the benefit of the company.

[IYAS9YAS]

Do they use 3 different trash trucks to collect all the stuff?

Don't know for certain. Three stops were made (once before I got up, once while I was there, and once after we left to go other places). IIRC, it's the same lady/driver, so it may be the same truck, making three different trips.

[ConservativeWarrior]

Not to mention the environmental impact of producing and discarding of the thousands of battery cells per car.

There was as study showing how electric cars are many times more harmful to the environment than conventional vehicles.

[Reeses]

The bill is particularly aimed at plastic containers. The goal is to establish a bigger market for plastic recycling in California. It also would help reduce greenhouse gases, the senator says, because “we wouldn’t be burning more oil to make plastic bottles.”

It would increase greenhouse gases. If government makes something more expensive it's a trivial matter to track down where it increases energy consumption and emissions: just follow the money.

Money is nothing more than data, sometimes in paper form but mostly as bits stored on bank computers. More than anything the data represents the amount of energy consumption something uses, and indirectly the amount of pollution it generates. The greenest option almost always has the cheapest total cost. If something green costs you more, you've been had.

[smokingfrog]

Seems like you’d be creating more air pollution by having to make three trips or use three separate trucks.

They have plasma incinerators that can just burn everything and create some electricity in the process, which seems like a better solulion.

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/24/plasma-a-clean-energy-game-changer.html

[Reeses]

The LA Times still prints on paper and amazingly still in English. Even though the Democrats now have a permanent supermajority in California, the LA Times still advocates for importing more third worlders, increasing resource consumption through the solar paneled roof. The LA Times has a huge carbon footprint and is one of California’s biggest polluters, both of body and mind.

[minnesota_bound]

We have two trash bins. One is labeled Recycled only and the other Trash only.
The garbage truck picks up both at the same time.....

[IYAS9YAS]

Seems like you’d be creating more air pollution by having to make three trips or use three separate trucks.

Well, it's not like environmentalists actually think about these things. It's all a feel-good thing. Actual results don't matter.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

I dont have a choice but to recycle in my northern California town. They gave me a huge recycling bin and a tiny trash bin. If I dont recycle all of my glass, plasic, and cardboatd, my trash bi overflows and I can’t shut the lid.

California is hooked on social engineering. I hate this communist hell hole so badly. Iam out of here the second I retire.

[olepap]

Money is nothing more than data, sometimes in paper form but mostly as bits stored on bank computers.

Very interesting statement, Reeses...it makes sense!

[Romulus]

Actually, it costs quite a lot, because recycling programs require a subsidy to be integrated with municipal trash collection.

[subterfuge]

Here is how it works.

Goverment gives big contract to refuse collector buddies.

Refuse buddies take recyclables to a landfill because it’s more profitable than actual recycling.

[SkyDancer]

Umm, not involved. She’s a friend of the female persuasion as am I.

[catnipman]

"Nearly 1,000 recycling centers have closed in the last two years, about 40% of the total, leaving consumers in many communities with no local place to leave their bottles and redeem their nickels."

Problem solved:

[Wallace T.]

Recycling is beneficial only when it is market driven. Where there is a demand sustainable by the market place, and not by Federal, state, or local regulations, there is nothing wrong with reusing materials.