Is this frugal?
James
Living in a world without waste
MHO
For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste
of clean water. Another is what you time is worth. Assuming a low
$10/hr it would be a lot cheaper just to toss out garbage than to
spend the time to wash and sort everything.
val189
I give 'em a quick two second dunk at the end of washing the dishes, I
certainly don't rinse, and my area offers curbside recycling and NO
sorting necessary. I spend no more than three minutes a day on recyc
efforts and am glad to keep what I can out of the landfill.
sarge137
Excellent point James. Without getting into the merits of recycling
(I do - but only because I don't have to wash and sort), you're the
first person I remember, in the several months I've been in this
group, who has suggested that their personal time has monetary value,
and gets factored into their decisions.
If you have the ability to do something, that you could pay some else
to do for you, how much is your time worth? That's always been part
of my calculation, especially if it's something that I consider a
chore. Like any other commodity, the more time you have, the less
it's worth. Now that I'm retired I have much more time to do stuff so
it has less monetary value, but is still part of my calculation. I
now do some things that I use to pay people for, but I'm still paying
for others.
clams_casino
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
>
>Living in a world without waste
>
>MHO
>For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste
>of clean water.
>
Why would you wash and dry cans / bottles for recycling? A quick rinse
is all that's required.
> <>Another is what you time is worth. Assuming a low
> $10/hr it would be a lot cheaper just to toss out garbage than to
> spend the time to wash and sort everything.
How much time does it take to toss a can / bottle into a recycle bin -
assuming you live in an area advanced enough to provide curbside
recycling?
Answer - probably no longer than it would take to place it into a trash
bin - assuming you live in an area advanced enough to have curbside
trash pickup.
The Real Bev
> James wrote:
>
>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
>>
>>Living in a world without waste
34 containers? I don't think so!
>>MHO
>>For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste
>>of clean water.
Son in North Carolina has to pay $80 for 3,000 gallons. Gardening in
the neighborhood is generally minimal -- a serious gardener up the
street pays $700/month for water. They don't wash their recyclables either.
> Why would you wash and dry cans / bottles for recycling? A quick rinse
> is all that's required.
a. Some people are really anal.
b. The Recycler may require it.
We pay extra for recycling -- not that there's any choice. I toss all
plastic, metal, glass and paper (excluding used paper towels, which go
in the trash) into the recycling container unwashed. If they want it,
they can wash it.
Water is nearly free, so it's just time. And the principle of the
thing, of course. Some cities figure that just tossing everything --
garbage and recyclables -- into the same container and sorting it at the
plant saves money. Fewer trucks required, for one thing.
--
Cheers, Bev
================================
Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway.
Seerialmom
> clams_casino wrote:
> > James wrote:
>
> >>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
>
> >>Living in a world without waste
>
> 34 containers? I don't think so!
>
> >>MHO
> >>For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste
> >>of clean water.
>
> Son in North Carolina has to pay $80 for 3,000 gallons. Gardening in
> the neighborhood is generally minimal -- a serious gardener up the
> street pays $700/month for water. They don't wash their recyclables either.
>
3000 gallons for $80?? Ugh...we just went to metered water in my
area...right now our water usage is still "drought level" (dead
backyard, front yard half dead, dishwasher only when full, etc).
Luckily the toilet that's used a lot by my son is a low flow 1.6. Our
utility will charge flat rate for the next couple of months but show
what we would be charged if it was the metered rate, too. That way we
can do whatever cutbacks we need to before they actually bill us that
way.
I agree with some others about the needing to "rinse"; if it's going
to take extra water or energy to do that I'll toss it as well.
Rod Speed
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
> Living in a world without waste
> MHO
> For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste of clean water.
Yes, but its always more frugal than manufacturing it again.
> Another is what you time is worth.
It often isnt worth anything in the sense that its got a value.
> Assuming a low $10/hr it would be a lot cheaper just to toss out
> garbage than to spend the time to wash and sort everything.
Yes, but thats a completely bogus way to analyse it.
Coffee's For Closers
018f86...@i76g2000hsf.googlegroups.com>, j006...@hotmail.com
says...
Personally, it takes very little effort for me. I just give
containers a quick rinse, and toss them into my recycle bin,
right there in my kitchen. Biodegradable waste like food scraps
go into a bucket, which I empty every couple of days into my
compost bin outside. I later apply the finished compost to my
vegetable garden.
As far as money, it comes out positive. The water isn't metered,
so no extra cost for the rinsing. I set out the recycle bin at
the curb every week, and it is emptied for free. Whereas, in my
area, regular rubbish must be in special city council bags, which
cost more than plain bags, with the premium helping to pay for
the pickup. So recycling and composting mean using fewer rubbish
bags, for a small savings.
As far as the theoretical dollar value of my time, this only
involves less than one minute per day (rinsing the containers,
and dumping stuff into the compost.)
--
Get Credit Where Credit Is Due
http://www.cardreport.com/
Credit Tools, Reference, and Forum
The Real Bev
> On Jul 14, 10:08 am, The Real Bev <bashley101+use...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> clams_casino wrote:
>> > James wrote:
>>
>> >>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
>>
>> >>Living in a world without waste
>>
>> 34 containers? I don't think so!
>>
>> >>MHO
>> >>For one thing having to wash and dry before recycling can be a waste
>> >>of clean water.
>>
>> Son in North Carolina has to pay $80 for 3,000 gallons. Gardening in
>> the neighborhood is generally minimal -- a serious gardener up the
>> street pays $700/month for water. They don't wash their recyclables either.
>
> 3000 gallons for $80??
Next 1K is $27, pro-rated. They've managed to stay under the limit in
the year they've been there. New area, lots of houses being built, much
new piping etc. needed, plus the water company got stuck with some
high-interest loans that need to be paid off.
> Ugh...we just went to metered water in my
> area...right now our water usage is still "drought level" (dead
> backyard, front yard half dead, dishwasher only when full, etc).
> Luckily the toilet that's used a lot by my son is a low flow 1.6. Our
> utility will charge flat rate for the next couple of months but show
> what we would be charged if it was the metered rate, too. That way we
> can do whatever cutbacks we need to before they actually bill us that
> way.
> I agree with some others about the needing to "rinse"; if it's going
> to take extra water or energy to do that I'll toss it as well.
I laugh when they urge people to water their lawns only every other day.
My "lawn" gets 15 minutes every two weeks and if it doesn't like it it
can move elsewhere. Of course it looks ratty, but it's alive.
--
Cheers, Bev
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Todd Flanders' hobbies include being quiet on long rides,
clapping to songs and diabetes.
root
>
> Water is nearly free, so it's just time. And the principle of the
> thing, of course. Some cities figure that just tossing everything --
> garbage and recyclables -- into the same container and sorting it at the
> plant saves money. Fewer trucks required, for one thing.
>
If they aren't doing it now, recycling companies can develop
equipment to recycle the water they use to wash the
stuff they get. Ordinary people would use drinking water
to wash their recylables; it makes no sense for us
to wash the stuff.
Rod Speed
no more merits the tread of a man's foot, ye needled:
> Ring-a-Ring o' Rosies, A Pocket full of Posies, A-tishoo! A-tishoo! We
> all fall Down!