More on Recycling
 

Here is another interesting article on recycling. It reinforces what we have been seeing from our thrash haulers and District Government.

Here’s why recyclables in Orange County are going to the dump

Yard/organic garden waste, carboard, newspaper, can all be shedded and composted.
Wife and I do exactly that and make lovely compost for our garden.
Have several plants doing it on industrial scale in UK.

Also if it's going to the dump, that's fine - it's turning into compost right there and providing for new plant growth. That's what happened to our landfill up north. Had all kinds of shrubs, weeds, wildflowers, and even trees started growing on it. They ultimately shut the landfill down when it resembled more of a hill than a landfill, and then they installed dozens of solar panels and hooked them up to the municipal buildings.

Same thing happened with the local landfill we used to use up north. Problem with that is that they now have to truck everything a long way to a different dump. Trash removal costs went way up, not to mention the increased carbon footprint required to truck away the trash. On a more positive note, they are opening up a dog park on the old landfill/solar farm site.

They would have had to find a new landfill anyway since that one was full. They can't expand indefinitely afterall, and this one was right on the bank of the Quinnipiac River. The WPCA would've had a few words to say about it if they tried to enlarge the landfill into the river. As would the residents of the state, among others.

I'll never forget when they shut it down for good - they had to spray some kind of thing over the entire property, and the resulting stench was nauseating, even from a couple blocks away when the breeze blew in the humid summer.

The entrance is still used for bulk trash collection but it all goes into dumpsters and gets hauled away.

We had a whole different part of the town for recycling and yard waste; chipped wood was available for mulch for free to anyone who wanted to shovel it off the mulch pile, and the pile was outside the gate of the recycling yard so anyone could drop it off or take it whenever they wanted.

I think this whole recycling thing is a scam. If it were really important, they would make it mandatory like other States and Counties do. And, they would provide detailed information to the residents about how much it costs, where the recycled stuff goes, how it is processed, and how much money it saves, if anything. What products do they make from the recycled stuff? Where is the tranparency about this recycling process? Also, do they get Federal money to recycle? How much? We are supposed to blindly accept that this whole process is good for the environment.

Do you blindly accept that there is zero impact on the environment by fracking for oil, stripping forests of trees, injecting cancerous chemicals into the soil, spraying from airplanes other chemicals that blow through farms, deplete coal from deep in the ground, leaving vast cavernous trails where there was once solid rock, churning oil into plastics that -cannot- compost and decompose, and therefore has to be piled up somewhere? Do you blindly accept that there is zero impact on the animals that live in these areas, and that those animals can't possibly be part of the food chain, and so if they go extinct, who cares?

If you don't blindly accept that, then you must blindly accept that the alternative - to preserve the environment instead of polluting it, is good for the environment.

Our society isn't going to go backward - we will keep moving forward. But we can still slow down the destruction. We don't have to give up modern conveniences but we CAN adjust our attitudes toward conservation and preservation, and take steps as individuals and corporations to conserve, and preserve, when possible and however practical.

I'm all in favor of protecting the environment. But, I just want the facts about how effective this recycling process really is and the cost. And, why is it voluntary and not mandated? If it is so effective, then why not require everyone to participate? There are a lot of people in The Villages who don't recycle anything, and they are not violating any rules or laws.

There have been several meetings and workshops about the subject, just attend one and they answer all your questions.

It is voluntary because the Florida government has chosen not to mandate it. Why have they chosen not to? I don't know. I'm new here. You should ask your legislators if you're truly interested in the answers to your questions.

Many questions may be answered by these NSCUDD workshop videos found of the districtgov.org web site

NSCUDD

Recycling
 

Watch the documentary on PBS about recycling ( probably on demand). It will better explain the issue.

Should be mandated because eventually the landfill we send our garbage to will fill up also. The recreation centers have never, in the five years that I have been here, recycled anything! That shows you what letting it be voluntary allows people to do, nothing!

So the article says that no matter how Concientious/vigilant I am about recycling,I’ll probably be wasting My time because of others neglect?

Worse than that. It is because the recycled is often mixed with other things so the whole thing goes to the landfill. Didn't you read that 85% of recycle goes to the landfill? Plus recycle is so expensive some have closed down. You can continue to recycle if it makes you feel good but in reality almost all of it still goes to the landfill.

Recycling does create jobs. Other than that we seem to be wasting our time. Kind of like global warming.

People have moved here from areas that had more or less control over this issue and everyone thinks the old way is right.

I keep saying that more laws will not be effective.

Individual responsibility is the only answer and unfortunately not all people will do it.

When we go to Oregon, they recycle everywhere - at the restaurants, in the airport, every place you can imagine. And they have separate containers in the public areas for paper, plastic, cans, glass, etc. Over time people are trained and it becomes a habit. To rely on the voluntary actions of people is just pure foolishness. Its like the seatbelt law. You always had a lot of people that refused to wear seatbelt, until it became law and they could get a ticket. But people do need to be educated to recycle properly.

Seatbelts save lives.

This is a sincere feeling and view on your part but the debate you just stated was on a different matter and not on saving lives. One does not relate to the other. Often when we overstate our views, we lose credibility.

No matter how well people are trained to segregate trash for recycling, if the is no really viable market , it is a horrible waste of funds .Stop the collections and re focus the funds on something than produces a better return. I don't have a suggestion about what this would be , but any minor improvement on current results would be positive. Stop the financially wasteful weekly collections.

I'm sorry but you are misinformed. There is money in recycling, not to mention the benefits to the environment in conserving energy and natural resources. Oregon is a model state for recycling. Perhaps Florida should model their recycling efforts after a program that works very well.

Perhaps you don't grasp that saving the environment ultimately means saving lives.

There are 5 trash cans at my postal station, trash cans all around and inside the rec centers, and trash cans at all the shopping centers, restaurants, and Government buildings. Apparently, none of the trash collected in these cans is recycled. It seems absurd that they send special trucks to everyone's house to pick up clear plastic bags for recycling every week.

For years, Villagers have requested that the junk mail at the postal centers be recycled. And the powers that be, will not agree to do that. I agree, it is hypocritical.

Sorry mate, but you are flogging a dead horse.
To many believe throwing all the rubbish in a hole, covering it with some dirt, get some weeds and a few plants to grow is recycling and the way forward.
"Why change?" is the mantra, "we have always done it this way."
It's like sweeping dirt under the carpet, eventually it gets to much to hide.
The youngsters grasp the problem, but until the dinosaurs have gone, nothing will change!

Again, you exaggerated. You put your own meaning on my words. There are very few people alive who do not realize the globe is warming and there is climate change and that we need to take care to reuse, recycle, repurpose, not to waste and to avoid use of one use plastics and to see that the ozone layer is not further damaged.

Just exactly WHAT can be done to slow it down or stop it without the entire population of the world doing the same thing... is the matter of debate. Using seat belts will and can and does save lives every day with every collision. Using seatbelts WORKS now and immediately. The other efforts head us the right direction but does not at this point save lives.

That's the thing right there. Has nothing to do with safety (or in the case of recycling, ecology). It has to do with reinforcing behavior until that behavior becomes habit. People will refuse to do something they don't want to do - UNTIL there are consequences for refusing. Eventually they will comply. And if they don't, the municipality's revenue will be increased by the fines they have to pay for refusing, and offset the added cost of sortation.

It didn't work with marijuana.

More news of disposing of nuclear waste.

Germany is closing all its nuclear power plants. Now it must find a place to bury the deadly waste for 1 million years

The epitome of laziness: people can’t bring their junk mail home and recycle it there.

South of 44, we don't even have the option of recycling. All of our trash goes to one place, which claims to be turning it into energy production--but it's designed to burn all the stuff that can't easily be recycled. It would be great if The Villages would at least provide drop points down here for things like glass and aluminum. (News flash: they don't.)

Can you help me understand by citing reliable sources for "Recycling Profitability" If so, why are most political subdivisions dumping the stuff in regular landfills?

Where is there the option of recycling that you wish for?

It would be great if "The Villages" did this or that, but the bill has to be paid by someone.

Burning the stuff IS energy production. It is used for fuel. Waste Management is known for this, at the Waste Management golf tournament, almost 100% of the trash generated by participants and spectators is re-purposed as fuel, which converts to steam energy.

The one in Phoenix?

The Phoenix Open, yes. But I misread the info: it's 100% of the materials used for the tournament is EITHER recycled, donated, converted into energy, or composted. So it's not all converted to fuel. But it is a zero-waste campaign and they have been doing it for 8 years in a row.

Point being - it's doable, it's profitable, it's handled by the people who already handle your garbage (at least up here in Lady Lake), and it's not even a new thing.

Perhaps, there is a parcel of land near the prison where we could accommodate a trash to energy plant owned by TV. Then we could all enjoy the benefits of trash burning.

Or not as much:

Oregonians are recycling less while generating more waste, report says - oregonlive.com

Seems Oregon is having the same issues as everyone else and the residents are no longer cooperating.