The benefits of recycling – real or apparent?
Howard Wright blogs on recycling for Post&Parcel.
I was working at home this Monday – something I have not done for a while. Monday is recycling and rubbish collection day around our way and I hadn’t appreciated that where we used to have one rubbish collection we now have three – one for general
rubbish, one for garden waste and cardboard and one for recyclable products.
This activity, which was once one vehicle with three guys, is now three vehicles with 12 guys. Apart from the extra cost of the wages for all these people, the carbon cost of three vehicles being used must be significantly higher – in carbon terms and well as in pollution terms as they are all diesel vehicles of course. It may be just our area but the vehicles seem to be smaller too, which will mean more trips back to the depot.
Don’t get me wrong I am all for recycling and am very diligent in making sure our waste is split into the various categories and receptacles – but you do have to question the cost of doing a collection rather than at a central facility. There are lots of rumours on the web about councils putting all the separated goods into landfill anyway as it is too difficult to actually find ‘homes’ for the split down products s – these could be true I don’t know.
It would be interesting to do a carbon calculation of the new ‘improved’ rubbish management system and do an equation of carbon in/carbon out and see of it balances or not.
Your thoughts?
Here in Dublin (Ireland), the same applies, but it does depend on the vehicle type too. Some minimise carbon emissions due to their fuel mix and extra capacity.
Recycling is good. For example, it takes more energy to manufacture virgin cardboard than it does to make cardboard from from pulping existing cardboard – this is a scientific fact.
For postal services that encourage direct marketing as a revenue source, this is obviously a challenge.
For individuals who want to make a difference, the core strategy is to reduce consumption in the first instance which helps alleviate the carbon increase that three trucks supply!
The ‘power of one’ remains important and cannot be underestimated.
And don’t forget that those extra trucks create jobs….from those driving the truck to the men emptying bins, to the shippers of this material and those that re-process it for new products!