Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for June 10, 2017

As long as the guests are deluded, it’s all good.

I’m a diligent recycler, and I’m pretty confident that it pays off….

Rat will never be recycled; he’s just not good for anything.

I have heard of some municipalities that do that — they make the people separate the recyclables from the trash — it’s THE LAW you know — and the brown truck comes to pick up the trash, and the blue truck comes to pick up the recyclables — and it all goes to the same landfill.

expect for tossing the little bins (with their contents) in the dumpster, the idea of those bins in every hotel room sounds like a nice idea

San Diego International Airport does exactly this. Each trash bin has two openings, one for trash and one for recyclables, but if you take the lid off, it’s just one container.

Unfortunately, Rat is essentially right. There really is only one thing one can (not) do that will have any significant impact over the long haul. The rest is feel-good window dressing. To wit:

Below are a few examples of how much carbon dioxide (in metric tons) is saved over a lifetime (80 years) by a typical American for certain actions, including not having one child.

Increase car’s fuel economy from 20 to 30 mpg: 148

Reduce miles driven from 231 to 155 per week: 147

Replace single-glazed windows with energy-efficient windows: 121

Replace ten 75-watt incandescent bulbs with 25-watt energy-efficient lights: 36

Replace old refrigerator with energy-efficient model: 19

Recycle newspapers, magazines, glass, plastic, aluminum and steel cans: 17

Reduce number of children by one (with emissions fixed at 2005 per-capita values): 9,441

Source: “Reproduction and the carbon legacies of individuals” by Paul A. Murtaugh and Michael G. Schlax

The placebo trashcan.

To tar the myriad forms of recycling with the same brush is intellectually lazy at best and stupid at worst. Just because some efforts turn out to be inefficient or otherwise counterproductive is no reason to reject the entire enterprise. It will only continue to be practiced if private businesses can make a profit from it. Therefore, to the extent that such businesses make money, spend money, pay wages, it’s good for the economy. To say that the end product is more expensive is sometimes true, sometimes false, and often beside the point as it often has zero to do with whether the practice benefits the environment. Is it “better” to make paper products from newly harvested trees or from previously used paper? It’s a complicated question with arguments on both sides. A blanket statement that evaluates all the possible forms of paper re-use… and is also a true statement… is impossible.

Some whacko was on the news the other day railing against leaf blowers. She stated that a leaf blower puts out more pollution than a car driving 4000 miles.

that might be me…actually I don’t rally against them but I personally seldom use one. It was only when I had to get leaves out of gravel that I found it useful to blow leaves. In my yard I gather and mulch the leaves, no hardware store brown bags for me. But then again I don’t have to deal with a HOA>

I don’t think there’s anything “whacko” about railing against leaf blowers. It’s not the air pollution, but the noise pollution that’s the problem.

Given that most recycling is not all that resource efficient, Rat may have a point about humoring the greens.

I used to work for CAE Global Academy (let ’em sue me for defamation) in Arizona. They had separate trash and recycling bins in the office. One night I was working late when the janitorial service arrived to clean. i witnessed them picking up both the trash and the recycle bins and dumping them both into the same dumpster.

Rat.. is 100% right.. different piles of garbage in the same landfill. For all those concerned… STOP drinking bottled water.. That one simple act alone would do more to stop pollution than all the other wacko ideas combined.

Another way is direct recycling. Instead of throwing glass containers in a bin, consider reusing them yourself. Washed glass jars can be used as cannisters, vases or drink containers. Also, the US once had a thriving, world-class glass industry. There is so much used glassware on the secondary market, why buy new glass products.

Wish Rat would get thrown in the dumpster…

xxx

The apartment building where I live issues us special recycling containers and has what is labeled as a recycling bin standing beside the trash bins outside. Now, the big “however!” When the trash truck arrives to collect, it dumps both of the trash bins and the recycling bin, all into the same load. I work nights, so I am up to see when it happens.

Rat is the most thoughtful and considerate character in the PBS universe!

He is always dealing with Goat, and that’s tough for anyone….

(Sarcasm?)

Works out here. We go to a lot of trouble to separate our recyclables from our trash and they both end up in the same landfill. It was worse when we had to separate our recyclables (glass one day, paper another, cans a third…).

Sadly, the fake recycling cans are a reality. I just learned from a staffer at Potbelly that they just throw out the recycling with the trash. What wonderful deceptiveness. There oughta be a law.

Even trash cans become trash!