Thoughts on recycling,hoarding,repurposing,organizing....

[scott2000]

I've heard mentions here and there about rationing during times of war in the past and it interests me....And , I've always been fascinated with the amount of trash that goes into the landfills since I've visited my nearby landfill and others countless times throughout my lifetime .

I'm just curious how people generally view waste, recycling, repurposing,rationing etc.. etc....

I removed and replaced a bunch of electrical outlets for a friend of mine because they didn't match her new paint and I'm looking at all of these still working outlets, even a couple of GFCI, and know I don't need them. I also know they are useful but to who where?

I've been in those old barns and sheds with shelves of mason jars attached to them with various screws, etc and, they haven't been touched in a half century probably....

I don't know..... I'm getting to the point where  I have a pretty good stash of bits and pieces (although I can't resist the occasional circuit board at the surplus I scavenge with a stash of  transformers and nice large caps with some transistor heatsinks, etc) and, it's that classic saying, as soon as I throw something out, I'll need it that seems to happen to me more times than not...

It's definitely nice to have stuff on hand when I need it but, it's not too much trouble to just pick something up on my way out since there's a hardware store every few miles around here.....

I like the idea of rationing to a certain extent. If I install something that comes with new wire nuts, I just use the old ones and stash the new ones....Even the screws....I just feel bad throwing away a perfectly good screw but, I don't need those jars taking over I guess.....

I've taken entire trailers full of pretty nice stuff to Goodwill before and they actually searched through everything and I leave there with the trailer half full of stuff they don't want because I guess they can't or don't want to sell it in their stores....... I don't donate there anymore..... I know Craigslist can be helpful I guess.... Seems around me, nobody is as appreciative of some of the stuff on the side of the road as I am....

Also, We just got recycling notices that they actually reject entire loads of recycling if wrong items are  spotted in the mix for fear of breaking the expensive machinery they use.... then it just gets dumped..... I can imagine tractor trailers full of plastic bottles, etc just being buried everyday forever...... I've seen the piles.....it's really amazing....

I'm just rambling ...... The amount of trash daily that I alone can produce is disturbing......

I'm just looking for some rational thinking on this kind of stuff.....
What are everyone's thoughts on all of this?

How do you organize?

Where do you draw the line when something goes into the garbage?

What are some different  ways to get stuff to people that could use it???

I realize I may be overthinking but this disposable lifestyle is crazy..... I'm not a fan....

 

[emrr]

It's so hard to parse.  You can be militant and spend all your time being as personally green as possible, then you can visit any industrial site and observe their waste flow and realize your personal actions really hardly make any difference in the big picture.  But our individual actions add up to a big picture.  I think we should be observant and try to get things to the right places, but there are practical limits and multiple confusing interpretations of 'best practice', many political or with financial interests slanting the recommendations.  I note the vast amount of packaging waste we take in to our homes with the advent of direct shipping, with many companies telling you in theory how to recycle it all, which is possibly practical if you live in LA or NY, but for most people there is no avenue, and it is purely waste. 

 

[gridcurrent]

What are everyone's thoughts on all of this?
How do you organize?

extra trash cans, cardboard boxes.

Where do you draw the line when something goes into the garbage?

if it realistically has no value to anyone.

What are some different  ways to get stuff to people that could use it???

cardboard:  local recycling center if your locale has one.
same some for lighting your wood fireplace/stove.
plastic bottles and things:  recycling center and hopefully it will be recycled. 
metal:  local scrap metal dealer.
electronics:  local recycling center after you have pulled any usable parts.
food waste:  some of it can go to feed wildlife.
non-perishable food items that you no longer want can go to a charity.
unwanted furniture, clothing, functional electronics:  thrift store

I realize I may be overthinking but this disposable lifestyle is crazy..... I'm not a fan....

the amount of stuff that is thrown away is criminal.

 

[Gold]

which is possibly practical if you live in LA or NY, but for most people there is no avenue, and it is purely waste.

If it’s paper, metal, plastic or food waste it’s easy. There are three cans. Paper, plastic and metal and regular trash. It’s very difficult to dispose of batteries and toxic chemicals. There are places to bring them but I don’t know where they are.  There isn’t one around here.

 

[emrr]

If it’s paper, metal, plastic or food waste it’s easy. There are three cans. Paper, plastic and metal and regular trash. It’s very difficult to dispose of batteries and toxic chemicals. There are places to bring them but I don’t know where they are.  There isn’t one around here.

I see a lot of claims for plastics other than #1 and #2, but there's no avenue locally.  Most goes to the landfill.

In NC it's illegal to throw away aluminum cans, but there's no enforcement.  Working in a lot of convention halls, all over the east coast, I see venues put out recycling and garbage cans, and people indiscriminately use them all the same without regard.  Most of that ends up in the landfill dumpsters out back, venues aren't paying people to sort garbage.  It's sad to see people not care, when it's been made as easy as possible for them.  Perhaps they are all illiterate?  Plenty of reading without comprehension is a constant problem too. 

 

[shabtek]

+1 EmRR industrial waste stream comments.

At work we used to re purpose/stockpile decommissioned materials or leave materials with nearby landowners/farmers; they'd be thrilled.
Now we are more green in some capacities BUT it (greenness) must be tracked to have happened--so we can officially claim a pat on the back.
All unwanted materials are supposed to be tracked all the way to the landfill--ANY metal or metal containing items go to a recycler--often there is more porcelain weight than metal. We used to separate semi-precious metals and scrap them at a different rate--actually had big scales and there would be an estimated weight that would be compared to actual weight when copper was taken out of service to see how much 'walked away'--the salvage money would go into a local fund. Now all scrap goes in the same hopper. Not sure if or how the value is determined--would not be surprised if the goal is recording high weight to pad the PR claim of "we recycled X #'s"
We now have dirt from excavations trucked away--all documented--to pass liabilities of potential contaminated soil. In the past that soil would have been used to improve the grade  of grounds surrounding the work area-- but for that purpose, certified clean fill is trucked in.
Used to drink from an insulated igloo cask, now we go through pallets of 20oz water bottles--most go to landfill...

This morning was talking to my son about merits and pitfalls of frugality:Lots of time is wasted trying to conserve.
I can't undo the mentality thats been passed down from my great gramps whom lived through the great depression. Frustrating no doubt.

 

[PRR]

HomeDepot will take batteries. I take a heap twice a year. They want them in bags (so they don't short against each other); they are always out of bags. Use your wasted bread-bags, or all that wrap which protected your new MrCoffee.

H-D takes CFLs but not 4-foot fluorescents (wtf?).

Habitat For Humanity has stores called ReStore. They accept donations of building material. Some things go fast, others linger for years. Also a good place to shop before you go to the Home Store. Prices tend to be half the big-box price, but wild variations. Nice windows may be near H-D's off-brand price; sadly the same for not-nice salvage windows.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I am an old pack rat who hates to throw away anything I might find use for later.  This served me well for decades but now on the downhill slope I worry about leaving a mess for somebody to clean up.. (again won't be my problem.)

For years now, I have made a concerted effort to throw more stuff away... I recently trashed a broken digital camera that was given to me when it was already obsolete (for a friends use) last century... I replaced it with better(?) new for $35. 

I am constantly surprised by my neighbors frugality. I recently had a new roof put on my house, and people came to cart away the scrap aluminum, shingles, etc piled up in my yard.

Regarding waste, I refill my glass beer bottles (with beer) so none of them in my trash. I have a compost pile, so I don't even discard vegetable food scraps. In a typical week I may barely fill one small kitchen garbage bag. 

JR

PS: The closest HD is maybe a 1 hr drive so I have a box full of nasty stuff my neighbors just throw away, that I am sitting on. Not a lot, I even have still working CFLs in that pile. No hurry.

 

[madswitcher]

Where I live we have three rubbish (trash) bins supplied by the local council: one is everything that can be recycled - paper, plastic etc., One for land fill and one for food (rubbish that is) and it seems to work well.  Its sort of ingrained-in now as part of normal life to put rubbish in the right bin and seems to be similar all over the UK.

We also have a communal tip where you can take big stuff - they even 'recycle' garden waste like grass cutting and hard core/bricks.  Stuff like old TVs and computers are built up into  lots and bought by salvage companies for the benefit of a local hospice.  They reckon they recycle about 80% of what gets delivered to the tip.

But I think it is also a sad comment on our generation that most things cannot be repaired, or that there is now no willing to do so.

I know the feeling John, I hate to throw stuff into the bin it if can be re-used, even it if it can be given away. 

One tip I have adopted for years is to collect what we call 'Flora' or margarine tubs.  They make a super self-stacking storage system and can take most things.  They even deteriorate themselves after a couple of years or so, but at least they can stack nicely saving 'stuff' for the next owner. 

Cheers

Mike

 

[gridcurrent]

a plug for Habitat.
took them a riding lawn mower,
and a 16 input mixing console which they sold in an hour.

 

[JohnRoberts]

a plug for Habitat.
took them a riding lawn mower,
and a 16 input mixing console which they sold in an hour.

I had a young guy (with his kid) pull into my driveway and ask me I would sell my (very) old snapper riding mower.  It had just started leaking oil on my carport,  so was getting on my last nerve. I already bought a big dog zero turn so only used the snapper to cut one back rain ditch...

I gave him the mower for free and helped him get it into the bed of his pick up truck...  If I sold it, I'd feel back about all the wear and tear... this way, we were both happy. win-win  8)

JR

 

[Scodiddly]

I bought a house 3 years ago, which gave me a lot more room to play in.  But on the other hand, it is now "Put up or shut up" on all the stuff I was saving for when I finally had a house. Already a fair bit of that has gone away through various means. 

I still can't believe the amount of stuff I was keeping in my one-bedroom apartment.

 

[sodderboy]

Last year the town combined the two separate glass/metal/plastic and paper bins into one "single stream" otherwise known as "trash".


I save everything in boxes and bins and sort/purge every five years or earlier if something is full.  My shrink box is getting there!  Stripped multi pair jacket has hundreds of uses. So do the unused dsub grommets, but I keep only a gallon bag of them.  I had a box of wired synth panels that I kept too long and finally gave it to the repair guys at the local MI store.
I have to be careful taking ewaste to the dump because I always remove more than I deliver. I can't pass up a nice APC UPS that someone tossed rather than replace the batts. So I fix them and give to family/friends.
Mike

 

[benb]

I have to be careful taking ewaste to the dump because I always remove more than I deliver. I can't pass up a nice APC UPS that someone tossed rather than replace the batts. So I fix them and give to family/friends.
Mike

I agree, I hate to see such things just trashed, but the batteries are a large percentage of the cost of those things. I've seen them for $5 to $20 at thrift stores depending on size/rating, and a new/replacement battery costs substantially more.

 

[Scodiddly]

I agree, I hate to see such things just trashed, but the batteries are a large percentage of the cost of those things. I've seen them for $5 to $20 at thrift stores depending on size/rating, and a new/replacement battery costs substantially more.

Don't worry too much. The latest generation of UPS's seem to hold the battery in place with a cobweb of brittle plastic. I'm still using an old all-metal APC unit that's probably 20 years old*, but the new ones just aren't as sturdy.

*at least three battery changes so far.

 

[Seeker]

+1 for habitat

There is a no kill pet shelter near me that I donate a lot of stuff to as well.  There used to be a yahoo group called free cycle that I posted stuff on (and got some stuff from as well), but it became a pain with people no showing so I got a bit burned on it.  Not sure if it’s still around.

 

[Rochey]

Here's a sad thoguht to add to this.

I have bins and bins of components. I've offered to donate some of them before, and the local makerspace won't take them. Without knowledge on how to use them, they are essentially worthless.

I'm rapidly getting to the point, where I'm starting to think that having amazon deliver next day (yes, even components) is a smarter way of operating, rather than the packrat "I'll keep one here, just incase!" mentality.

I'm taking 3 old PC's to Goodwill today, because they recycle PC's. I came to conclusion that they are so old, taht I can replace their functionality with a raspberry pi, at 1/20th the size, or worst case, amazon a refurbished, newer PC that runs newer Os's for $50. With warranty. It's so depressing.

But, so much stuff sits around my garage, and will never be used. What's the difference between my house and landfill?

By the way - I have a pick and place machine that's looking for a new home.

 

[JohnRoberts]

I had an idea years ago to come up with some sort of free or barter parts exchange... I have piles of NOS components left over from my 80's kit business that would gladly sell for peanuts  (like alps pots), but not worth the trouble to process and mail individual items.

JR

 

[dmp]

I'm just curious how people generally view waste, recycling, repurposing,rationing etc.. etc....

Viewing it on the consumption side is important. When you buy things think about how disposable it is, how much packaging it has, how recyclable / biodegradable it is.
It was only a generation ago that people purchased things without all the packaging and items were made to last longer. We have a refrigerator at a family cabin that was made before WWII and is nearly as efficient as a modern fridge.
Unfortunately, the shift to purchase things online has only increased the waste.

 

[fazer]

My 28 year old refrigerator works good but all the plastic is falling apart.  I’ve heard that the life span of a modern frig is 8 years,  criminal if you ask me.  All the energy to build a product with high repair cost and so throw it away into a landfill and buy another. 

Currently using my ampex ATR to transfer some baked tapes.  That machine is how I want my frig built.  What a wonderful electro mechanical device. I want an  Ampex frig.  I also love my Bosch dishwasher.