Funny, I never would have thrown something like paint thinner or engine oil down a drain. That was always kind of obvious to me, even as a little kid. Didn't need to learn that.
A lot changes over the years. When I was a kid, our parents only made us use seat belts on the highway, when the snow got slippery. This was just normal behaviour, if you even had seat belts in the car. Now it's almost unthinkable. Or, it was normal to dump toxic waste, just above the waterline, and build a housing tract over it (Love Canal).
I see what you're trying to do with that last sentence......you think that because you're pointing something out (like someone did for you) that we should be like: "Oh, I'll do that now."
Why Not? I've tried, in my posts, to point out why I think it's a good idea to not use an in-sink garbage disposal. No one has posted any rebuttals, other than it's inconvenient. I haven't really insulted anyone, though I do admit at pushing the American Sense of Superiority button a bit. (It's just so easy to do.
) Plus, being an immigrant from the States to Canada, I figure I'm entitled, plus I've got relatives in the US.
However, I don't think you can really compare disposing of a chemical like paint thinner down a drain and brushing off the scraps of grilled cheese from a plate down a drain.
At one time it was perfectly acceptable to dispose of paint thinners that way. There were even instructions on how to do it "safely". Same thing for photographic darkroom chemicals. Times have changed, as society has started to grapple with the implications of waste water, and the the lack of clean water.
It doesn't mean that I'm not civilized.
That wasn't me! I said something like "Not with it" or "Behind the times"
I do every recycling and environmentally friendly activity that I feel are reasonable, which includes taking my plastics and glass to the recycling depot in my local grocery store parking lot (no recycling pick up program in my building). If I don't feel like having a rotting pile of food on my deck, I think that's okay.
Fine. If the program doesn't exist, it can be pain.
If you are interested in composting, there are worm digesters that you can tuck under your kitchen sink. I understand they don't smell, and they are pretty cool. Only suitable for vegetable matter, not meats. Or, there is probably a neighbourhood community garden that will gladly take at least the vegetable matter off your hands, gladly.
I'm not actually interested in changing your behaviour. One does what they can with what they have. But, when we non-Americans state that, in this regard, the USA is behind the rest of the world, its just true. It would be nice to just hear a collective " Yes we are, and we are trying to do something about it." By the way, I might have grazed that American Sense of Superiority button again.
What is getting people riled up is the ridiculous generalizations that a certain poster is making in this thread and the rude way he has decided to post.
don't care anymore
Best way to deal with it is to ignore it, eh?
What surprises me is that Los Angeles hasn't moved to composting and banned garbage disposal units. They use a large amount of water to run. It doesn't make sense (to me at least) to move water hundreds and thousands of km to use it to wash garbage into the sea. But that's just me.
