Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Re: Arctic Ice at Lowest Point [...] Ideas for Change

Iscariot

Iscariot

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Aug 16, 2007
2,627
3
Toronteazy
In response to the thread posted by Pani, I thought it would be a good idea for us to share ideas on reducing our personal environmental impact. I'm more leaning towards innovative and simple ideas that anyone could adopt.

Examples:

I keep a towel in my locker at work to dry my hands after I wash them to eliminate using paper towels.

We have green bins in my city for organic waste, but there's no system for apartment complex collection. I got permission from the restaurant beside my building to use their green bins provided I do so in an orderly fashion that helps keep the alley clean.
 
Well stop it already! We're trying to warm up Canada and you maybe contributing to a counteraction against our greenhouse gas production in the tar sands. I repeat, stop that and keep buying our oil, we love you America. Help keep Canada warm and we'll send you all the orphaned polar bears for your zoos, too!:)
 
How about a nice punch in the junk for people who drive huge gas-hog vehicles for a fashion statement? Better yet, a punch in the wallet. I really like London's congestion charge. People won't change unless you make it hurt, usually this is achieved by putting the squeeze on their finances.

Also, I have yet to see ONE bathroom in London with paper towels. There are hand-dryers, full stop.

I don't know, I just notice that everywhere you go it's impossible not to take note that the area is trying to eliminate waste. I was never so aware of it until I moved here, because I saw f*** all effort made while I lived in the US.
 
iBlue said:
How about a nice punch in the junk for people who drive huge gas-hog vehicles for a fashion statement? Better yet, a punch in the wallet.
Click to expand...

I see you've taken a shine to that usage of "junk" :)

I agree, if you can afford to buy these cars then you can afford to pay higher road taxes.

It just so happens the rubbish is being collected, as I type this, on the side of the trunk it says they Newport is now recycling and composting 31% of household and garden waste. It's about the only thing Newport council does well at.
Our waste is collected every 2 weeks and our bin is very rarely more than 1/2 full when it's collected. Everything else we recycle.
 
iBlue said:
I don't know, I just notice that everywhere you go it's impossible not to take note that the area is trying to eliminate waste. I was never so aware of it until I moved here, because I saw f*** all effort made while I lived in the US.
Click to expand...
And yet we are seriously behind our cousins on the continent. In Spain there are three complete sets of recycling bins within a two minute walk of our flat, including composting bins for organic waste. In London we have one set about five to ten minutes walk away, enough to be a hassle for most people. Unless you make it so convenient people think nothing of recycling, people are not going to do it. London still generates far too much landfill. It also still wastes far too much energy.
 
We are fairly bad at it...

wrfg08.gif



wrfg20.gif
 
Stop drinking bottled water. So much plastic waste. Get a refillable washable bottle and use that.

My girlfriend and I also recycle our soda cans, but it's hard to do even that here in Phoenix. It's such a conservative city (which is strange for being so large), so we don't have a good recycling program.

I also ride my bicycle to school and take a bus if I need to get to the other campus (will ride to work when it stops being 110 degrees every day).
 
dynamicv said:
And yet we are seriously behind our cousins on the continent. In Spain there are three complete sets of recycling bins within a two minute walk of our flat, including composting bins for organic waste. In London we have one set about five to ten minutes walk away, enough to be a hassle for most people. Unless you make it so convenient people think nothing of recycling, people are not going to do it. London still generates far too much landfill. It also still wastes far too much energy.
Click to expand...
I'm given orange bags for recyclables; it's just put out with the rest of the rubbish. I think it's pretty easy. They don't accept glass though, that we save up and put in a designated bin (which is quite a ways from our flat, yes. we have to drive there, ironically)

Sure, much more can be done but from where I come from, I think this place makes leaps and bounds in the right direction.
 
We have:
Large bin (green lid) for household waste
Large bin (orange lid) for garden waste and cardboard

Blue box for
Paper, inc newspapers, magazines, writing paper, shredded paper and phone directories
Textiles inc shoes, clothes, belts and bags
Mobile phones and toner cartridges

Green box for:
Metal inc. cans, tinfoil, tins and tin cartons
Glass inc beer bottles, jars and wine bottles
Plastic bottles inc. shampoo bottles, pop bottles, washing up bottles

Plus we were given a composting bin, which we use when we can get to it.

We sold our 10 year old 2.0lt Alfa Romeo and got a 2 year old 1.2 Fiat. Changed our old storage boiler for a B rated combi.
 
iBlue said:
I'm given orange bags for recyclables; it's just put out with the rest of the rubbish. I think it's pretty easy. They don't accept glass though, that we save up and put in a designated bin (which is quite a ways from our flat, yes. we have to drive there, ironically)
Click to expand...
It is better out in the suburbs. A friend of mine that lives down in Sidcup says it's incredibly easy there. He has boxes in the garage for glass, metal, paper etc. that he just leaves out on the kerb when they're full and the Council collect them. Shamefully, my council (Camden) is actually cutting back on recycling provision at the moment, as they're trying to save money. Considering that half the people down the Town Hall don't seem to do any work I would have thought a 25% reduction in the workforce would be more effective for that end, but unfortunately that will never happen :rolleyes:
 
dynamicv said:
It is better out in the suburbs. A friend of mine that lives down in Sidcup says it's incredibly easy there. He has boxes in the garage for glass, metal, paper etc. that he just leaves out on the kerb when they're full and the Council collect them. Shamefully, my council (Camden) is actually cutting back on recycling provision at the moment, as they're trying to save money. Considering that half the people down the Town Hall don't seem to do any work I would have thought a 25% reduction in the workforce would be more effective for that end, but unfortunately that will never happen :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Seems it is so.

It's a shame that so often the cuts are in the wrong places. :/
 
recycling is already way past the point the point here where you feel bad if you don't do it

it's amazing if you compare the situation to 10-15 years ago
also with people getting more aware of their garbage you might end up with less dirt in the streets as well
 
takao said:
recycling is already way past the point the point here where you feel bad if you don't do it

it's amazing if you compare the situation to 10-15 years ago
also with people getting more aware of their garbage you might end up with less dirt in the streets as well
Click to expand...
The entire EU needs to get up to German/Austrian levels pretty quickly. The main thing is that the will is now there amongst the average person. Taking steps to help the environment is no longer seen as something only the hippies do. There still needs to be more information available, but I've now got confidence that we'll get there.
 
gikku said:
All that incineration just cannot be good!
It'd be better going into a landfill that creates parks and gardens.
Click to expand...

Personally i think inceration is better than landfill. If the burners are managed properly there is little pollution being emitted barring C02. The energy released can also be feed back into the grid. Where as with landfill a lot of methane not only cause potential fire risks but is a pollutant and a wasted resource. Not to mention the potential for the water course to be polluted.
 
gikku said:
All that incineration just cannot be good!
It'd be better going into a landfill that creates parks and gardens.
Click to expand...

depends it's quite a difficult calculation.. after all you get energy back from incineration (the incineration plant in Vienna actually is a power plant and supplies heat and electricity
landfills also poison ground water and use up otherwise usable space which could be used for building housing etc.

going with recycling/reuse is still better than both especially with aluminum cans, glas bottles and paper since not material is saved but also energy for refining
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back