Is it really recycled?

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Is it really recycled?
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Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 11:37 pm Post subject: Is it really recycled?

Our recycling bags are put into the same truck as the general household waste. We are told that the waste is sorted at the municipal tip site, but I find it hard to believe that a facility of that small size can cope with the number of truck-loads arriving daily.

Given that the new incinerator for the area was brought on-line at about the same time as the local council started to provide recycling bags I am inclined to be suspicious.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28233
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 11:40 pm Post subject: Re: Is it really recycled?

Tristan wrote:

There are certainly a lot of documented examples of schemes being a fraud

judyofthewoods

Joined: 29 Jan 2005
Posts: 804
Location: Pembrokeshire

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 11:54 pm Post subject:
I heard rumers from within the waste department when I worked at a civic amenety site that much of the stuff collected for recycling was dumped.

Tristan

Joined: 29 Dec 2004
Posts: 392
Location: North Gloucestershire

Posted: Wed Mar 09, 05 11:58 pm Post subject:
Ive had that confirmed by a family friend in Nottinghamshire who followed a glass recycling truck to the local landfill where it tipped 17 tonnes of broken glass in with the household waste. Not really surprising when the cost of recycling glass is greater than the cost of making it from scratch

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28233
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 12:00 am Post subject:

Tristan wrote:

Ive had that confirmed by a family friend in Nottinghamshire who followed a glass recycling truck to the local landfill where it tipped 17 tonnes of broken glass in with the household waste. Not really surprising when the cost of recycling glass is greater than the cost of making it from scratch

Once apon a time you could recycle intact glass

Marigold123

Joined: 06 Feb 2005
Posts: 224

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 1:45 am Post subject:

jema wrote:

Once apon a time you could recycle intact glass

Yep! My siser and I used to make a bomb when we were kids, by knocking on doors and taking away folks' old lemonade and beer bottles for them, then taking them back to the shop for the deposit.

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 7:31 am Post subject:

I've got my own little recycling scheme.

I buy in jars for my pickles, chutneys and jams - these are sold onto my friends and neighbours and when they finish the jars they give me them back, I check for any damage and if they are 100% ok I sterilise them, to be re-used later. I can then deduct the cost of the initial jar from their next order. I'm not out for making a profit - I enjoy cooking and my friends and neighbours enjoy the product!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 7:40 am Post subject:

jema wrote:

Once apon a time you could recycle intact glass

Some businesses still do, Young's brewery in Wandsworth(the one that uses dray horses) re-use the bottles from their own pubs. I once got a bottle of Ramrod which had been made in 1948. The bottle, not the beer.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 8:46 am Post subject:
Young's: one of their drays ran over my great-grannie and killed her. Long time ago, even before your bottle was made, Sean!

Sarah D

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 2584

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 12:01 pm Post subject:
If these stories ar true, then it is an even greater incentive to reduce before we re-use or recycle, no?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45669
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 12:02 pm Post subject:
Yup, reduce is the best policy all the way around.

joker

Joined: 08 Nov 2004
Posts: 188
Location: hiding

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 12:10 pm Post subject:

mochyn wrote:

Young's: one of their drays ran over my great-grannie and killed her. Long time ago, even before your bottle was made, Sean!

Sorry but this made me think of the line in Mrs Doubtfire when she/He says It was the drink that killed her husband he was hit by a guiness truck

Its true youngs do still use drays i saw one only 2 weeks ago

Gertie

Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Posts: 1638
Location: Yorkshire

Posted: Thu Mar 10, 05 6:21 pm Post subject:
There used to be a few breweries which would use the dray horses, Vaux brewery used to use them - shame they don't anymore I'd love to see more Clydesdales and Shires being used - only time we get to see them now is 'turned out' at the Great Yorkshire Show.

tinyclanger

Joined: 27 Dec 2004
Posts: 190
Location: in the kitchen, baking

Posted: Thu Mar 17, 05 2:30 pm Post subject: Tristians recycling dilema

Dear Tristian,

I looked on the Hampshire Council website and have found the answer to your concern about your rubbish and your recycling going into the same truck.

Use the link here

https://www.hart.gov.uk/waste/bluebin.htm

It says that the refuse and recycling bins are collected by a split rear end loader. This is a refuse truck which is split in two, thus keeping the refuse and recycling materials seperate.
I hope this aleviates your fears for the destination of your recycling.

Cheers,em:-)

tinyclanger

Joined: 27 Dec 2004
Posts: 190
Location: in the kitchen, baking

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 05 2:54 pm Post subject:

Tristan,

I had a look into this problem ....

[/quote] Not really surprising when the cost of recycling glass is greater than the cost of making it from scratch [quote]

I contacted WRAP who commisioned a report on container glass manufacture last year, this is what they has to say....

The UK average energy requirement for container glass melting is 4.97 GJ/tonne with an average recycled content of the feedstock at 30%. At current energy prices this is equivalent to approximately �14/tonne. Extrapolating backwards and assuming no recycled glass in the feedstock gives a melting cost of �15.20/tonne. Therefore, it is estimated that overall the glass container sector saves some �2 million/year from the use of recycled glass.

This was over 6 months ago and as fuel prices have risen since I should emagine that the cost savings per tonnes are now greater.

Cheers, em:-)

PS I have the whole document if anyone would care to PM me I can forward it to you.

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