Is recycling a hoax?

[PinkyMacGodess]

I just watched this video, and am shocked. Is recycling a 'psyop' to make us *feel* like we are doing something? I feel so... I try to recycle everything that I can, and it's not working? Maybe I'm stunned... All those water bottles are contributing to the problem, and likely not being recycled anyway. It was all a con by the industries causing it. I'm sad more than anything I guess. Sad, and feeling gullible, played.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I just watched this video, and am shocked. Is recycling a 'psyop' to make us *feel* like we are doing something? I feel so... I try to recycle everything that I can, and it's not working? Maybe I'm stunned... All those water bottles are contributing to the problem, and likely not being recycled anyway. It was all a con by the industries causing it. I'm sad more than anything I guess. Sad, and feeling gullible, played.

If you really want to make a difference try to avoid single use plastics altogether. Never been one to drink from water bottles. Mostly I drink tea. Maybe a can of Diet Coke (aluminium is much easier and profitable to recycle). If it is water, it comes out of the tap.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

If you really want to make a difference try to avoid single use plastics altogether. Never been one to drink from water bottles. Mostly I drink tea. Maybe a can of Diet Coke (aluminium is much easier and profitable to recycle). If it is water, it comes out of the tap.

I will have to ween myself off bottled water.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I will have to ween myself off bottled water.

It is the way.

 

[MacNut]

Just buy a reusable bottle, plenty of ways to get water.

 

[Puonti]

It's a shame if you don't have effective recycling where you live, because making it effective is generally not in the hands of the consumer. You can separate plastics from cardboard from metal all you like, but if it all still ends up the same landfill instead of being re-used that sucks. I'm glad that's not the case over here.

Same with energy - if you don't have a choice in your source of electricity, there's not a lot you as an individual can do short of moving. Fortunately over here we can choose to pay for energy to be produced by certified renewable sources instead of coal-burning powerplants. It's more expensive, of course, but money is a signal I can send to inform local power companies of what I prefer.

Note that I'm not saying the electricity I get through the outlets at my home is certified renewable. That's not possible while there's mixed sources connected to the grid.

I have no illusions about my personal choices turning the course of climate change, but the way I see it I'm not losing anything I can't afford to be without by making planet-positive choices, and those choices are more likely to nudge things in a good direction than not giving a damn is.

And while there's plenty I can still do better, I don't blame myself for not doing more. Real, lasting change takes personal interest and persistence, not self-flagellation.

 

[KaliYoni]

I will have to ween myself off bottled water.

If you're worried about bacterial or viral contamination, I own a few of these and recommend them:

PHILIPS Water GoZero UV Self-Cleaning Smart Water Bottle Vacuum Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle with Handle Double-wall, Auto Cleaning, Keep Drink Hot or Cold, BPA Free

PHILIPS Water GoZero UV Self-Cleaning Smart Water Bottle Vacuum Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle with Handle Double-wall, Auto Cleaning, Keep Drink Hot or Cold, BPA Free

www.amazon.com

Otherwise, I have three daily bottles I use, depending on what I'm doing: a 32 oz. wide mouth Nalgene, a 16 oz. Nalgene (I wish this size came with a wider mouth), and a 17 oz. S'well for when I want to keep a liquid hot or cold for a long time. Yeah, S'well bottles are expensive up front but they have great build quality and last a long time.

I don't use bottles with complicated caps or with built in straws because they are a lot of work to keep clean, especially when in areas with water that needs to be purified.

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ETA: I don't regard recycling programs as hoaxes. There is both a supply side and a demand side to recycling; unfortunately, the demand for recyclable materials has not kept up with the supply over the last decade or so for many reasons. But I think private sector innovation and, if necessary, public sector incentives will improve the demand. The important thing, to me, is that the supply side depends highly on individuals developing steady habits that aren't interrupted or subject to trends. Recycling needs to be as easy and convenient as possible to make a difference.

ETA 2: BPA has been removed from virtually all plastic water bottles made by reputable companies. Or if you don't trust anybody, get a metal or glass bottle.

 

[leonremi]

as far as plastic go, yes, recycling is a joke (among other issues, it's almost impossible to efficiently recycle plastics as different types of plastics are usually mixed together). For example, you can only recycle a plastic bottle once. After that, the plastic is of too low quality to be reused...and that's the best case scenario, if there was a good faith effort to recycle and reuse.

Avoid using plastics.

Unless your tap water is non drinkable (and it very much should be), you don't need bottled water.....

 

[satcomer]

My water is rock hard! I know in my are made by ice most of small town water comes from wells because the water table is only 15 feet down even on hills! We're drowning in water we have done it from and already two floods have killed houses this past year! The 1930 water dykes some flood water even come over this 15 ft. water brakes! In Atlantic area we had more than usually rainfall this year while in West it's drying up for years in prolong drought!

 

[CPTmom2wp]

I stopped recycling 3 years ago when our local recycling center admitted that the market for recyclables had essentially dried up and the truck driver that picks up recyclables from the local collection sites said that he takes most of it to the landfill because the recycling center won't accept it. While I agree that we should all be good stewards of our world and avoid waste, I don't think there is much value in washing out cans, wasting gas carting around trash in our vehicles to various pick-up sites, or sorting garbage. More valuable things like aluminum cans can be left by the curb and are routinely picked up by local people who cash in on those. I would be happy if people just disposed of their dirty masks instead of throwing them on the ground. It also doesn't much matter what we do here in the US when the rest of the planet refuses to curb pollution or manage waste.

 

[leonremi]

I stopped recycling 3 years ago when our local recycling center admitted that the market for recyclables had essentially dried up and the truck driver that picks up recyclables from the local collection sites said that he takes most of it to the landfill because the recycling center won't accept it. While I agree that we should all be good stewards of our world and avoid waste, I don't think there is much value in washing out cans, wasting gas carting around trash in our vehicles to various pick-up sites, or sorting garbage. More valuable things like aluminum cans can be left by the curb and are routinely picked up by local people who cash in on those. I would be happy if people just disposed of their dirty masks instead of throwing them on the ground. It also doesn't much matter what we do here in the US when the rest of the planet refuses to curb pollution or manage waste.

First of all, many western countries (Europe) recycle more and consume less than the US.
Most of the « third world » consume and pollute much less than the USA.
And finally, a big part of the pollution in countries like China results from manufacturing stuff for American consumers.

 

[Puonti]

It also doesn't much matter what we do here in the US when the rest of the planet refuses to curb pollution or manage waste.

I realize it takes more effort to understand and acknowledge, but the "rest of the planet" is hardly homogenous. Perhaps a better way to put this sentiment of yours without having to learn about the wider world would be "I feel entitled to do nothing when my efforts are not supported and so many larger entities in this world do so much worse".

It's still defeatist and I understand why you'd feel that way - as said there's not much you can do if your local government doesn't provide adequate waste management. But at least it doesn't come across like a hot take, or worse, ignorant.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I stopped recycling 3 years ago when our local recycling center admitted that the market for recyclables had essentially dried up and the truck driver that picks up recyclables from the local collection sites said that he takes most of it to the landfill because the recycling center won't accept it. While I agree that we should all be good stewards of our world and avoid waste, I don't think there is much value in washing out cans, wasting gas carting around trash in our vehicles to various pick-up sites, or sorting garbage. More valuable things like aluminum cans can be left by the curb and are routinely picked up by local people who cash in on those. I would be happy if people just disposed of their dirty masks instead of throwing them on the ground. It also doesn't much matter what we do here in the US when the rest of the planet refuses to curb pollution or manage waste.

As one of the biggest consumers, it certainly does matter what you do in the US. It’s that sort of thinking that got us where we are in the first place.
Here in the U.K. our recycling is collected from our houses. My rubbish bin gets collected twice a month. It’s rarely a third full. Our recycling gets collected the same. It’s always about half to three quarters full.

We all need to do our bit. My electric car is on order.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Just buy a reusable bottle, plenty of ways to get water.

I ride bikes. I have many water bottles, but they end up tasting nasty over time. Plus BPA. I really need to 'walk the talk' now. Just still stunned.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Japan is downright militant about recycling. They have 'recycling police' that roam around and open people's trash bags, and fine them for items that should be recycled. Japan is on an island, but it's not that small of an island. People around here said they would shoot any 'recycling police', if there was a move to do that here. But recycling CAN be done,a nd done well.

There was a plastic producer CEO caught on a hot mic saying that recycling was a waste of time because his company is about 'making' plastic, not 'reusing' plastic. Another hot mic incident was from a paper company executive saying basically the same thing. Another metals company said that adding recycled metal to their raw material was reducing the quality of it over time. Well, WTH... What time does the weight of the plastic they have created 'virgin' add up to a concern that out scales the profit? And steel and aluminum? It's really ridiculously easy to recycle it. I take old metal items, when I have enough, to a metals recycle company that has all kinds of sources of metals. But they also ritualistically underpay people dropping off stuff. They seem to want GIG/HUGE quantities of scrap, and I've caught them under pricing perfectly clean scrap before, but at least it's highly likely going to be actually recycled/reused.

We, ALL humans, have to at least try to reduce/reuse/recycle, or we are done...

So sad...

Hoping this thread doesn't get axed. It's not about politics, it's about our future. (Which doesn't look very good)

 

[GrumpyCoder]

If you're worried about bacterial or viral contamination, I own a few of these and recommend them:

PHILIPS Water GoZero UV Self-Cleaning Smart Water Bottle Vacuum Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle with Handle Double-wall, Auto Cleaning, Keep Drink Hot or Cold, BPA Free

PHILIPS Water GoZero UV Self-Cleaning Smart Water Bottle Vacuum Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle with Handle Double-wall, Auto Cleaning, Keep Drink Hot or Cold, BPA Free

www.amazon.com

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I'm curious...
I'm using an older stainless steel water bottle and clean/wash it after every use (unless I refill the same day). How well is the UV cleaning working on these, how often do you manually wash the bottle (or don't you do it at all?)? Maybe I'm getting old, but I've never seen self-cleaning bottles until now.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Sorry for hijacking the thread, but I'm curious...
I'm using an older stainless steel water bottle and clean/wash it after every use (unless I refill the same day). How well is the UV cleaning working on these, how often do you manually wash the bottle (or don't you do it at all?)? Maybe I'm getting old, but I've never seen self-cleaning bottles until now.

From the description on Amazon: The UV only works every 2-hours. I can't imagine that it works that long. People commented on the charger not working well, and the batteries dying within months of ownership.

My issue with stainless bottles is that the steel makes coffee taste 'rogue' and water too, eventually. Like by the end of the day, many bottles have the water tasting like, well metal... A not at all wonderful taste, BTW.

I have a glass bottle, 'Made in France', and have been completely panicked about it shattering. (BTW, I have 2 'Clean Canteen' insulated containers, and once, one of then cracked my windshield as I was braking rather urgently on a frigid morning. In hindsight I wasn't surprised at the damage, but it was a shock. AND expensive. (Judge your car insurance by their coverage for windshield replacements. That coverage was 'cheap', but I paid for that replacement. OUCH!)

 

[KaliYoni]

How well is the UV cleaning working on these, how often do you manually wash the bottle (or don't you do it at all?)

The UV is used to purify the water inside the bottle (and as a side effect sterilizes the interior walls of the bottle). I manually wash the bottle after a day of use if I've been drinking directly from the bottle, if I've had something other than plain water in the bottle, or if the cap, cap screw threads, or outside of the bottle have been exposed to contaminants.

The UV only works every 2-hours.

Based on my experience with multiple bottles over 3 years of ownership, the UV light works on demand. You push a button on the cap and a brief water purification cycle begins. As well, the UV will run on its own periodically if the cap has been on the bottle for awhile. This is a good feature because UV purified water does not stay safe as long as chemically purified water due to differences in the sterilization process.

I also haven't had any problems with charging or the batteries. The bottle is charged using a USB cable that connects to a user-provided charger. I've used both Apple and Amazon Basics chargers without any problems. Batteries can be kind of random, as anybody who owns iOS devices knows, of course but again, the batteries on my bottles have been working as expected over 36+ months of use.

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Now that we're talking about water bottles, I confess that I've accidentally become sort of a collector of bottles and sterilization devices. The place where I live has a de facto ban on commercially bottled water, natural disasters are an ongoing risk in my area, I like international travel, and I used to do a lot of backpacking. So here are some personal opinions:

• When I don't want a bottle affecting the taste of a liquid, I go with either Nalgene or glass.
• If I want to be sure a bottle won't break, I go with Nalgene in most cases. Metal if extremely cold temperatures are possible.
• I like wide mouth bottles best because they are easy to fill and to keep clean.
• I try to only buy bottles with a leash for attaching the cap to the bottle so that it is hard to lose or drop the cap. Nalgene has had this feature on most of its bottles for decades.
• Double walled metal bottles are great for keeping something hot or cold for up to 12 hours.

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ETA: I've noticed that items that are popular with Amazon Marketplace sellers will have a lot of negative or fear/uncertainty/doubt "reviews" on the major brand version. I bet it's an attempt to get shoppers to not buy from Amazon itself.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

The UV is used to purify the water inside the bottle (and as a side effect sterilizes the interior walls of the bottle). I manually wash the bottle after a day of use if I've been drinking directly from the bottle, if I've had something other than plain water in the bottle, or if the cap, cap screw threads, or outside of the bottle have been exposed to contaminants.


Based on my experience with multiple bottles over 3 years of ownership, the UV light works on demand. You push a button on the cap and a brief water purification cycle begins. As well, the UV will run on its own periodically if the cap has been on the bottle for awhile. This is a good feature because UV purified water does not stay safe as long as chemically purified water due to differences in the sterilization process.

I also haven't had any problems with charging or the batteries. The bottle is charged using a USB cable that connects to a user-provided charger. I've used both Apple and Amazon Basics chargers without any problems. Batteries can be kind of random, as anybody who owns iOS devices knows, of course but again, the batteries on my bottles have been working as expected over 36+ months of use.

----------
Now that we're talking about water bottles, I confess that I've accidentally become sort of a collector of bottles and sterilization devices. The place where I live has a de facto ban on commercially bottled water, natural disasters are an ongoing risk in my area, I like international travel, and I used to do a lot of backpacking. So here are some personal opinions:

• When I don't want a bottle affecting the taste of a liquid, I go with either Nalgene or glass.
• If I want to be sure a bottle won't break, I go with Nalgene in most cases. Metal if extremely cold temperatures are possible.
• I like wide mouth bottles best because they are easy to fill and keep clean.
• I try to only buy bottles with a leash for attaching the cap to the bottle so that it is hard to lose or drop the cap. Nalgene has had this feature on most of its bottles for decades.

I apologize. I was basing my comment on the notoriously accurate (COUGH COUGH) reviews on Amazon. I would hope it works better than those say. Wow...

 

[ucfgrad93]

Most of the time I use double walled stainless steel bottles and tumblers from Yeti or Hydroflask. They don't leave an aftertaste, they keep drinks cold for a long time, and they don't sweat.

 

[Huntn]

I just watched this video, and am shocked. Is recycling a 'psyop' to make us *feel* like we are doing something? I feel so... I try to recycle everything that I can, and it's not working? Maybe I'm stunned... All those water bottles are contributing to the problem, and likely not being recycled anyway. It was all a con by the industries causing it. I'm sad more than anything I guess. Sad, and feeling gullible, played.

My understanding is that plastic recycling is a a scam or kind of a scam thought up by the plastic industry to reshape the reputation of plastic as environmentally unfriendly as in we will recycle them, wink, wink. That said I have no idea how much plastics are actually recycled Vs end up in the land fill or ocean.

Once I called the local hardware store because I was told they recycle florescent light bulbs. When I got there, I asked the guy are these recycled or just put into your trash? He looked at me and said, we throw them in our trash. I told him, then you should not say you recycle. I took them back home and found a other place who said they recycled.