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From: Ohioguy on 27 Nov 2009 10:52
I was out banging on the exhaust pipe of our van, testing to make
sure the pipe was in good shape, when I saw a guy stop by our trash cans
and city recycling containers. He took an old blender out of our trash
(I had already removed the copper wire windings), and also took some
items from our recycling containers. I'm not worried about the trash -
I've always felt that as long as people aren't taking any personal
papers, they are welcome to anything else - especially since they have
to brave loads of dirty diapers in our dumpsters.

However, the recycling containers are a different story. My
understanding is that the city gets some $$ from the aluminum, etc.,
which are put in there, and that $$ helps keep our cost for waste
collection from going up. If these guys are going around and taking the
aluminum out of the recycling containers, doesn't that take $$ away from
the city, and ultimately make us pay higher rates?
From: Michael Black on 27 Nov 2009 13:26
On Fri, 27 Nov 2009, Ohioguy wrote:

> I was out banging on the exhaust pipe of our van, testing to make sure the
> pipe was in good shape, when I saw a guy stop by our trash cans and city
> recycling containers. He took an old blender out of our trash (I had already
> removed the copper wire windings), and also took some items from our
> recycling containers. I'm not worried about the trash - I've always felt
> that as long as people aren't taking any personal papers, they are welcome to
> anything else - especially since they have to brave loads of dirty diapers in
> our dumpsters.
>
> However, the recycling containers are a different story. My understanding
> is that the city gets some $$ from the aluminum, etc., which are put in
> there, and that $$ helps keep our cost for waste collection from going up.
> If these guys are going around and taking the aluminum out of the recycling
> containers, doesn't that take $$ away from the city, and ultimately make us
> pay higher rates?
>
There's a kid around here who's started a "business" collecting cans from
rcycling bins, acting like he's doing the world a favor, and of course
then taking them to the store for the deposit.

His promotion is false, since it at first glance sounds like he's doing a
good thing. But, some years back there was a story in the paper that can
recycling was going too well, so many cans were brought back that they
weren't able to fund it properly. They were counting on a certain
percentage of cans to not be returned, and that money went to paying for
the whole process.

Cans and bottles with deposits that go right into the recycling bins,
that leaves the 5cents for the whole recycling process, yet still does
what the deposit is about, keeping the cans from littering the sides
of highways, and keep them out of landfill.

So in trying to earn his five cents, the kid is actually doing a bad
deed.

Michael

From: Rick Merrill on 27 Nov 2009 15:47
Michael Black wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009, Ohioguy wrote:
>
>> I was out banging on the exhaust pipe of our van, testing to make
>> sure the pipe was in good shape, when I saw a guy stop by our trash
>> cans and city recycling containers. He took an old blender out of our
>> trash (I had already removed the copper wire windings), and also took
>> some items from our recycling containers. I'm not worried about the
>> trash - I've always felt that as long as people aren't taking any
>> personal papers, they are welcome to anything else - especially since
>> they have to brave loads of dirty diapers in our dumpsters.
>>
>> However, the recycling containers are a different story. My
>> understanding is that the city gets some $$ from the aluminum, etc.,
>> which are put in there, and that $$ helps keep our cost for waste
>> collection from going up. If these guys are going around and taking
>> the aluminum out of the recycling containers, doesn't that take $$
>> away from the city, and ultimately make us pay higher rates?
>>
> There's a kid around here who's started a "business" collecting cans from
> rcycling bins, acting like he's doing the world a favor, and of course
> then taking them to the store for the deposit.
>
> His promotion is false, since it at first glance sounds like he's doing
> a good thing. But, some years back there was a story in the paper that
> can recycling was going too well, so many cans were brought back that
> they weren't able to fund it properly. They were counting on a certain
> percentage of cans to not be returned, and that money went to paying for
> the whole process.
>
> Cans and bottles with deposits that go right into the recycling bins,
> that leaves the 5cents for the whole recycling process, yet still does
> what the deposit is about, keeping the cans from littering the sides
> of highways, and keep them out of landfill.
>
> So in trying to earn his five cents, the kid is actually doing a bad
> deed.
>
> Michael
>

I think he's doing the right thing - after all, his incentive comes from
our putting a deposit on the bottles and cans.

Did you know a coke can is worth more than 5 cents at the refinery
because it costs at least 50 times the electricity to refine bauxite as
it does to recycle that can?

From: Al on 27 Nov 2009 16:19
On Nov 27, 10:52 am, Ohioguy <n...(a)none.net> wrote:
>    I was out banging on the exhaust pipe of our van, testing to make
> sure the pipe was in good shape, when I saw a guy stop by our trash cans
> and city recycling containers.  He took an old blender out of our trash
> (I had already removed the copper wire windings), and also took some
> items from our recycling containers.  I'm not worried about the trash -
> I've always felt that as long as people aren't taking any personal
> papers, they are welcome to anything else - especially since they have
> to brave loads of dirty diapers in our dumpsters.
>
>    However, the recycling containers are a different story.  My
> understanding is that the city gets some $$ from the aluminum, etc.,
> which are put in there, and that $$ helps keep our cost for waste
> collection from going up.  If these guys are going around and taking the
> aluminum out of the recycling containers, doesn't that take $$ away from
> the city, and ultimately make us pay higher rates?

In my area you can get a scrap license from the city for a paltry few
bucks in which case anything at the curb is fair game. Another local
municipality has laws against touching anything in the recycle bins.
You answer is only a phone call away.
PS. The really big city nearby has tried recycling and they sent
everything to the same landfill anyway.
From: Rod Speed on 27 Nov 2009 18:51
Technically, yes.

Ohioguy wrote:

> I was out banging on the exhaust pipe of our van, testing to make
> sure the pipe was in good shape, when I saw a guy stop by our trash
> cans and city recycling containers. He took an old blender out of
> our trash (I had already removed the copper wire windings), and also
> took some items from our recycling containers. I'm not worried about
> the trash - I've always felt that as long as people aren't taking any
> personal papers, they are welcome to anything else - especially since they have to brave loads of dirty diapers in our
> dumpsters.

> However, the recycling containers are a different story. My
> understanding is that the city gets some $$ from the aluminum, etc.,
> which are put in there, and that $$ helps keep our cost for waste
> collection from going up. If these guys are going around and taking
> the aluminum out of the recycling containers, doesn't that take $$
> away from the city, and ultimately make us pay higher rates?

Just higher costs for the trash collection at most.


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