Is recycling working?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Liz on January 29, 2009 at 18:05

It seems that Mr Jones is a bit miffed about the DT's slant on this story and how he was represented according to this interview

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Permalink Reply by matt on January 29, 2009 at 20:16

Ah well, there goes the sensationalist, almost red top DT misleading their readers again. Well spotted Liz.

Jones is right of course, that a more intelligent recycling system is needed, including a look at all those miles.

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Permalink Reply by Joe on January 28, 2009 at 20:38

This is a website which shows what goes on in a Materials Recovery Facility (MERF)

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Permalink Reply by matt on January 29, 2009 at 20:44

Thanks for the link Joe. Very big facility and quite complex in its operation. Found the video tended towards the sales drive though. They claim a 95% recovery rate. Haringey uses this facility.

This article in last weekend's Observer is very interesting. The reporter lives in Hackney, which still does door step sorting, like Haringey used to do. The reporter traces all items to see where they go, what they're used for, how many miles are travelled (scroll to bottom of article) and what ends up in landfill.

He finds that the recent drop in China as recycled materials market has had little affect, with most recycling actually done in the UK.

He compares door step sorting to the materials recovery approach and finds that comapnies receiving recycled materials prefer the former. There's less chance of rejection and therefore a higher price is received.

Glass and cardboard travel to facilities just outside of London. Plastics can ultimately travel 1000's of miles.

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Permalink Reply by matt on January 28, 2009 at 11:54

To bring in the wider picture, commodities of all types have seen their price dive thanks to lower economic activity. Oil, which drives the economy, is literally wandering the seas in huge oil tankers with nowhere to go.

New cars also have nowhere to go. Below, Nissan's test track fills up;

See here for more images of spaces stacked to the brim with new vehicles going nowhere.

Back to recycling, clearly this council's refuse truck fuel bill will have gone up as they are using two trucks instead of one to cover recycling and refuse. WRAP however argues that it is still a better option both financially and environmentally for councils and their council tax payers to recycle rather than send to landfill.

Marcus Gover, Director of Market Development, at WRAP, said: "The growth of recycling in the UK over the last decade is a terrific success story. With almost 10m tonnes of waste recycled in the UK every year storing 100,000 or even 200,000 tonnes amounts to a small percentage of that total.

This of course doesn't deal with Biffa man's argument that it is better to burn than recycle. :)

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Permalink Reply by Bob Ruggles on January 30, 2009 at 11:16

Hornsey will Only Accept Domestic Waste

Not Trade..........

Seen Report's that Trade - carboard would be several times that of Domestic

But at least in Harringey it is being Burn't - for electricity

Must save a few Million Gallons of Fossel Fuel

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