The Great Recycling Swindle!

[Guest guest]

Recycling industry insiders have told us that Cardiff residents’ waste, which is picked up all in one bag without being separated, ends up far too mixed & contaminated to be recycled effectively. The situation is the same in most UK towns. Much of it is sold on to waste dealers who export it halfway across the world to Indonesia, India & China, burning tonnes of carbon dioxide to dump rubbish on poorer people in the global South.

Our waste should be recycled separately by operations in the UK, but because it is collected mixed together in one bag, paper mills, plastics, & glass handlers find it impossible to work with. Many UK paper mills have had to close down because councils are too short-sighted to implement proper recycling schemes to provide them with clean materials.

One insider told us: "Cardiff Council will claim that it sends its paper to the paper mill at Ayelsford in Kent to be recycled. But none of the kerbside recycling from Cardiff gets there. By the time it’s been picked up & taken to the central depot it’s been contaminated by broken glass & other materials, & it’s mostly unusable. I know this because I’ve been speaking to people at the paper mills. I don’t know exactly where it gets sent, but it stands to reason that if the UK recyclers are refusing it, it’ll be sold by middle-men to the big dealers in the Far East."

Another industry expert, who also prefers to remain anonymous, told us that lots of our waste ends up in the global South where it is picked over by poor labourers in dangerous & unsanitary conditions. "There are containers full of mixed materials illegally exported to developing countries where health & safety is not a consideration & where children sift through what we would call landfill sites. I’ve heard rumours that Cardiff’s so-called recycled waste gets sent to Indonesia, but only a few people know for sure. They don’t want to broadcast it".

Cardiff Council only recently opened the expensive recycling ‘sorting’ facility at Lamby Way. One source told us, "Lamby Way is a complete disaster. All it produces is low-grade contaminated waste that’s next to useless. That place was a total waste of money".

Another told us that big & costly separating plants like Lamby Way wouldn’t be necessary if the public were asked to do the job in the home, or if collectors separated on collection. "Getting individuals separating waste in the home is not difficult – it’s common practice in other European countries like Germany, & it’s also done in Newport!"

One big difference in the Newport recycling method, apart from separating waste at source, not exporting it & actually recycling it, is it isn’t run by the council, it’s run by a community group! Check out:

http://www.realrecycling.org.uk &

http://www.wastesavers.co.uk

Peter H

 

Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try

it now.

[Guest guest]

ours in oakland is all mixed together as well

we use to have seperate bins, but those went away a number of years back

Peter VV Sep 7, 2007 2:16 PM Re: Re: The Great Recycling Swindle!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recycling industry insiders have told us that Cardiff residentsÂ’ waste, which is picked up all in one bag without being separated, ends up far too mixed & contaminated to be recycled effectively. The situation is the same in most UK towns. Much of it is sold on to waste dealers who export it halfway across the world to Indonesia, India & China, burning tonnes of carbon dioxide to dump rubbish on poorer people in the global South.

Our waste should be recycled separately by operations in the UK, but because it is collected mixed together in one bag, paper mills, plastics, & glass handlers find it impossible to work with. Many UK paper mills have had to close down because councils are too short-sighted to implement proper recycling schemes to provide them with clean materials.

One insider told us: "Cardiff Council will claim that it sends its paper to the paper mill at Ayelsford in Kent to be recycled. But none of the kerbside recycling from Cardiff gets there. By the time itÂ’s been picked up & taken to the central depot itÂ’s been contaminated by broken glass & other materials, & itÂ’s mostly unusable. I know this because IÂ’ve been speaking to people at the paper mills. I donÂ’t know exactly where it gets sent, but it stands to reason that if the UK recyclers are refusing it, itÂ’ll be sold by middle-men to the big dealers in the Far East."

Another industry expert, who also prefers to remain anonymous, told us that lots of our waste ends up in the global South where it is picked over by poor labourers in dangerous & unsanitary conditions. "There are containers full of mixed materials illegally exported to developing countries where health & safety is not a consideration & where children sift through what we would call landfill sites. IÂ’ve heard rumours that CardiffÂ’s so-called recycled waste gets sent to Indonesia, but only a few people know for sure. They donÂ’t want to broadcast it".

Cardiff Council only recently opened the expensive recycling ‘sorting’ facility at Lamby Way. One source told us, "Lamby Way is a complete disaster. All it produces is low-grade contaminated waste that’s next to useless. That place was a total waste of money".

Another told us that big & costly separating plants like Lamby Way wouldn’t be necessary if the public were asked to do the job in the home, or if collectors separated on collection. "Getting individuals separating waste in the home is not difficult – it’s common practice in other European countries like Germany, & it’s also done in Newport!"

One big difference in the Newport recycling method, apart from separating waste at source, not exporting it & actually recycling it, is it isnÂ’t run by the council, itÂ’s run by a community group! Check out:

http://www.realrecycling.org.uk &

http://www.wastesavers.co.uk

Peter H

 

 

Answers - Get better answers from someone who knows. Try it now.

 

 

 

 

I never thought about the universe, it made me feel small

Never thought about the problems of this planet at all

Global warming, radio-active sites

Imperialistic wrongs and animal rights! No!

Why think of all the bad things when life is so good?

Why help with an 'am' when there's always a 'could'?

Let the whales worry about the poisons in the sea

Outside of California, it's foreign policy

I don't want changes, I have no reactions

Your dilemmas are my distractions

I never looked around, never second-guessed

Then I read some Howard Zinn now I'm always depressed

And now I can't sleep from years of apathy

All because I read a little Noam Chomsky

I'm eating vegetation, 'cause of Fast Food Nation

I'm wearing uncomfortable shoes 'cause of globalization

I'm watching Michael Moore expose the awful truth

I'm listening to Public Enemy and Reagan Youth

I see no world peace 'cause of zealous armed forces

I eat no breath-mints 'cause they're from de-hoofed horses