Developing on my trip to the tip, Raedwald (the blogging boat) reckons it is probably all a waste of time anyway.
During the boom, councils driven by EU stupidity have set up vast recycling schemes across the country; millions of additional wheelie bins have been bought and distributed, expensive waste recycling plants and yards constructed and a national infrastructure developed. Now, of course, the entire market has collapsed. Prices for paper, metal and plastics have hit rock bottom. Glass cullet for some reason remains viable, but I fear not for much longer. And no one’s admitting it yet, but the truth is for the next couple of years at least all those cans, papers and plastics that you so painfully segregate on pain of a fine from the Bin Police will have to go to landfill or be ’stored’ in huge windrows on redundant airfield
recycling can work. in my country it is an industry like any other. not bcoz they love the environment but becoz there is money to be made.
Comment by Bengbeng — November 25, 2008 @ 1:34 am
Oh no. Depressing after all that effort and all our indoctrination.
Comment by jmb — November 25, 2008 @ 2:55 am
The reason for recycling has never been to make a profit, the reason is because landfill sites are hard to come by. It seems that everyone wants to be able to dump their rubbish, but the same people will object to a landfill site.
Now that the ammount of recycled material is getting larger, a use will need to be found for it. A quick search revealed that green recycled glass is not mainly used as glass because there is no demand for it, but instead road-laying material which comprises around 30% recycled glass.
Comment by Nigel — November 25, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
Bengbeng, there is an old Yorkshire phrase- “where there’s muck, there’s brass”.
JMB, I heard a rather good programme about mechanical recycling on radio 4 today, using technology to sort and grade PET plastic. There is money in it as long as the price of oil doesn’t slump too much.
Nigel, the reason for recycling is because we are forced to with the threat of punitive EU fines. many European countries have landfill site shortages. Britain does not. Some recycling costs us more in real terms than using new materials when the re-manufacturing costs are factored in. An interesting Mises institute post about the Swedish approach:-
The recycling myth
Comment by Shades — November 25, 2008 @ 9:49 pm
[...] What a load of rubbishGlass cullet for some reason remains viable, but I fear not for much longer. And no one’s admitting it yet, but the truth is for the next couple of years at least all those cans, papers and plastics that you so painfully segregate on . [...]
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