Council recycling grinds to a halt

[Andrew Gabriel]

Interesting consequence of the credit crunch...

We mentioned a few weeks back how price for scrap copper and lead had plumetted. Same thing has happened for the recyclable rubbish. Councils suddenly can't get rid of the recycled rubbish they collect. Some items such as the plastics have dropped to very low prices. Some items such as paper/cardboard only have any value from those councils which take only paper and insist you tear out things like transparent windows from envelopes so the end result is high quality. Even this is expected to come to an end as postal advertising stops. Chorus (formerly British Steel) have stopped taking all recyclable steel [tins] (steel production has dropped to the point where they can meet it entirely from their long term iron ore contracts, which they can't get out of).

Councils are looking for somewhere to stockpile the recyclables until the recession ends, and have asked if they can use military bases.

[Andy Burns]

You might have credited Radio4 ;-)

Amazing how we can suddenly contemplate pulling out of CO2 reduction commitments, waste recycling commitments etc?

[David Hansen]

On 13 Nov 2008 12:23:18 GMT someone who may be [e-mail] (Andrew Gabriel) wrote this:-

One of the reasons why recycling is the last 'R', after reduce and re-use.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Yes, apparently it will be available as a podcast later today (and on the Listen Again service I presume "You and Yours").

Well, as we know know, the politicians didn't understand the advice from their government scientists, and much to the horror of their scientists, signed up to something completely unachievable without completely destroying the economy (and that was before the crunch).

CO2 reduction commitments will die as a result of European recession. What will be interesting is if we can get out of paying the massive fines. Actually, CO2 savings over the next few years are most likely to be directly due to the recession across Europe. Things like wind generation are seeing the government subsidies pulled across Europe, following the admission of Denmark that their massive investment in wind power isn't working. Given our dire country finances, I can't imagine our wind subsidy lasting much longer.

[Tim S]

David Hansen coughed up some electrons that declared:

with style!

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Tim S saying something like:

And a typically journalistic half-arsed grasp of technology, it seems.

[Tim S]

Grimly Curmudgeon coughed up some electrons that declared:

Surely they could just build one of those space elevator thingies and lob it all into the sun?

And where's my flying car that runs on seawater with anti-gravity blinds?

;->>

[neverwas]

Now you *know* you are supposed to turn off the cloaking device before you leave the car park.

[Owain]

I would have thought the sensible thing would be to bury it in some large holes in the ground, and then put some nice parkland over the top.

Owain

[dennis]

Weapons of mass destruction are banned and anti gravity blinds are weapons of mass destruction.

[Rick Hughes]

interesting that lead prices are at an alltime high for those that buy Scuba Diving weights ... lead shot for example currently £6 per Kg !

[geoff]

In message , Andrew Gabriel writes

and the vast quantity of paper and cardboard which has been sent to china has ground to a halt, as the cardboard boxes that it is converted into to send produce back to us are no longer needed in such quantities

[meow2222]

I tihnk the explanation is rather less honest. Senior politicians have scientific, financial and PR advisors after all. They seem to make a habit of promising things its clear they cant deliver, but promising them far enough off in time that they can say 'well we tried' 'things changed' 'we didnt know but meant well' 'we tried, the other lot didnt' or simply '2 out of 4 aint bad.'

NT

[Rod]

Surely almost anything is more sensible than having four separate collections from every house in the area? (As we have.)

[Andy Burns]

We have four (paper+card, glass, someplastic+tins, other-rubbish) with an optional fifth (garden).

[Rod]

I knew some smart-ass would be along to trump our measly four collections. YBS!!! :-)

(Ours is similar but glass is not collected here. Still have to trek to the recycling bins.)

Yes - even madder...

But possibly not as mad as having had at least three clothing collection bags through the letterbox in the last week.

[David Hansen]

On Thu, 13 Nov 2008 22:45:47 +0000 someone who may be Rod wrote this:-

Are these four collections made every week?

[Rod]

Not from every property. We are on the border between two areas so we actually get the noise and exhaust fumes of collections (2 x 1 - 'grey bin') one week and (3 x 3 - 'paper', 'plastic/metal' and 'green') the next. Each of these is collected entirely separately. If I can remember the schedule of what is being collected from one week to the next... :-)

[Andy Burns]

We have to trek if we want to recycle tetra-paks

The council have muscled in on that round here too.

[Rod]

We've got a huge clothing collection bin next to the glass bank - and still the "charity" collectors bother.