to Incinerate or not to Incinerate?

[Brook]

How do people feel about managing their wastes by incineration in the rural community? Should we be concerned with causing air pollution problems and fines?

[Deb]

Waste incineration is not an intelligent way to get rid of garbage. Think of all the things that go in your garbage. Used batteries full of heavy metals, toxic leftover cleaners of all kinds, wet stuff and plastics which are a dioxin hazard if not burned at exactly the right temperature all the time (which is impossible because when they are started cold after routine maintenance, they obviously aren't burning hot for quite awhile.) Incinerators don't have a long livespan either.

Now if you take out the recyclables, like paper and cardboard, it will save trees by the thousands. Paper burns well though, but to me, burning something recyclable is a waste.

We should collect kitchen food waste and garden refuse like leaves and grass clippings and compost it into humus which can be added to the soil. If you try to burn it, it is wet, and it takes energy to burn it.

So you are left with things that don't burn very well and the chemical compounds formed during burning go up the chimney. Some particulates go out the top in spite of the scrubbers and you breathe it in, some ash settles out onto the walls of the stack and some falls to the bottom. One scientist will say one or both ash contain toxins and another scientist will say all the ash is "inert" and not to worry. I worry.

I also see the day that our resources will dwindle to the point where mining the landfills will be a profitable, cost-effective business. Think of the tons of metal, plastic, paper, etc. lying in those burial pits. Why send the rest of our garbage up in smoke? there goes future resources and profits.

Finally, we can collect and use the methane from a landfill cheaper and easier than financing the constructing, operating and maintenance of waste incinerators.

I think burning our waste is a lazy and expensive way to get rid of our garbage. We should be learning how to create less garbage. For example, containers should be standardized so that all ketchup or mayo or whatever, comes in the same shape and material of recyclable jar. We also, as consumers, should be looking to buy stuff made from recycled things. That way we close the loop and it becomes more profitable for manufacturers to buy recyclable and recycled packaging. This would cut down the waste stream by a lot. So buy recycled paper at least.

When the wind blows in southern Alberta, all the trees (and irrigation ditches) east of any landfill end up full of plastic grocery bags. Plastic grocery bags are a menace. If we all took our own reusable cloth bags to the store it would also make a huge difference. It's not a big deal to bring your own bags. I get 5 cents off for every bag I bring. I've done this for 20 years so I reckon I've saved a lot.

Anyway, back to incineration. God recycles, the devil burns. Have a peaceful Christmas.

[ValueChainFX]

Deb:

What a lady! Thank you for the smile you give me to read your words. One persons garbage is anothers treasure. I do believe that every single item we look at as waste holds value, the question is how do we get the value out of it.

Working on ways to get that value is something all of us should do!

My contribution is:
http://www.obviously.com/recycle/

enjoy and recycle

[bmj182]

I guess a big problem with recycled
goods is the freight cost, and the
cost of turning the recycled goods
into something useful. Often it is
cheaper to manufacture new
products.

[rookie]

I personally agree with the theory of us all recycling and wasting less. And do so partly. I can try harder to be more efficient but time to time step out of the box and look at our society. Natonally and globally. Not a pretty site to me and no end in site either.