It seems such a waste that certain plastics can't be recycled but they're used anyway, and so abundantly. Why can't yogurt cups be made of #1 or #2 plastic, if not waxed paper?

As hard as greeners have been coming down on water bottles — and they are evil, no doubt — it just seems that the sheer amount of plastics involved in food is similarly wrong-headed. Why do I have to have a #7 (or whatever) container for a microwave dinner?

And how much water is used in rinsing out all these milk and soda bottles? How much water would be consumed if everyone recycled their plastics appropriately? It all just feels so wasteful, even if there is recycling.

I consider myself a fairly well-informed greeny but I was horrified (and POed) to learn that many recyclable plastics are discarded by municiple recycling centers.

I (and most recyclers) see that little triangle on the bottom, toss it in the blue bin, and wipe my hands with the sense I'm doing a little good. Turns out I'm adding an extra step to the process (and using more resources as a result). My own city says to throw it all in there together, but from what you're saying just because they accept it all, doesn't mean they recycle it all. This seems (perhaps purposefully) deceitful.

A nearby city says they can't accept polystyrene. It's unfortunate, but I prefer the honesty over, "Give us every recycleable item you have (so we can throw them in the trash)."

Most people aren't all that dedicated, they need to know that recycling is easy and effective. I worry that a lot of people are going to decide it's neither.

It's letter to the city time!

-Kevin

Whoa...one is "horrified" that a cup of Dannon doesn't get recycled, and the other feels icky for using a hunk of plastic once in a while. I just hope the terrorists aren't reading this, because we just became the world's number one wuss if they did.

But hey, FT5S, as soon as they read your post, we can go right back to being the world's number one asshole!

Nice save. Thanks buddy.

Next quack scaremonger theory: they hate us because we recycle!!

Is there anything these guys don't bring terrorists into?

Dead and Shen, neither of you paid attention to what I actually said. Come on, guys activate your brains for a minute here. I'll explain my rather simple comment in full detail so that there is no more misunderstanding.

Let's pretend you want to kill someone. Are you going to go after the guy with a hunting rifle, or the one that hyperventilates over a yogurt cup? I was making a wise crack at the idea that there are people in this country that get their 100% recycled cotton panties in a bunch over something so small compared to real problems. If you lose your mind over a freaking cup of Yoplait Light, I hate to see how you handle a tornado crushing your house or a hurricane flooding your home town.

Just for the record (since I have to explain every little word written here), recycling is a good thing. Are we all calm now? Sheesh.

FT5S,

And the others are right, you are indeed an ass. Forgive me if I feel put out when I think I'm doing the planet a small favor but find out I'm just paying a company to throw my plastics in the trash.

And you may be shocked to learn that while I was horrified (okay horrified may be an exaggeration) that recycling centers aren't providing the service they advertise, I am also very handy with my hunting rifles, shotguns, etc.

That's the point. You said "horrified." You didn't say that, "It bugs me a little that the recycling centers aren't doing X or Y." You said you were "horrified." I only went off of your words, buddy. Maybe you didn't see where I said recycling was a good thing. For the record, for the second (wait, now third) time, recycling is a good thing. Are we ok now?

Hey, thanks for calling us wusses, and for your totally bs apology about the merits of recycling rather than the offensive calling us wusses thing.

Plastics are made from petroleum, so when you mindlessly consume them, and don't look for ways to cut back or reuse them, you are effectively paying for oil from many hostile states to fund your passivity. I'm sure that means more to terrorists than the fact that two people in the Fray can be concerned about their personal plastic consumption. Like we've never been concerned about other things or brave about anything.

I'm sure the terrorists love your flippant disregard for your personal impact on the world. But hey, keep feelin' awesome no matter what, buddy!

"Plastics are made from petroleum, so when you mindlessly consume them, and don't look for ways to cut back or reuse them... "

Who does this? I think I stated that recycling IS A GOOD THING. That's now the 4th time. Did anyone say that I don't look for ways to cut back? Tell me who said that so I can personally address that inaccurate statement with them.

"I'm sure the terrorists love your flippant disregard for your personal impact on the world."

Demonstrate this. Just because I don't breathe into a paper bag every time someone throws something in the trash can doesn't mean that I have "flippant disregard" for my impact on the world. You're making assumptions based on things I never even said. I'll again state that I made a wise crack. I suppose you've never done that in your life, so you may not recognize one when you see it. I'm sorry that I hurt your feelings, dude, but I read your post and thought, "Man, what would these guys do in a real crisis?" If you're "horrified" over a yogurt cup, I'm sorry, but that's a bit over the top, don't you think?

FT5S is correct. Most people shouldn't be "horrified" over a misunderstanding of recycling code. Upset is one thing, "horrified" is a deep dive off the wrong cliff. People should be horrified at the amount of child abuse in this country (just a random example), not a system that already has fail-safes in check for people who obviously don't read the material sent to them on their recycling programs.

Waeq, thank you. Calm, rational thought is always my goal. I'll even put an environmental spin on the "horrified" vs. "rubbed the wrong way" thing. If someone dumps 40 gallons of toxic waste into the Allegheny River, you can be horrified. If someone spews tons of radioactive material into the air, you can be horrified. Hell, if someone cuts down a whole tree to make one tooth pick, you could probably go down that road. If a recycling plant tosses a container of "Helluvagood" dip into the trash, you might want to rethink how "horrified" you are. Just trying to bring everyone back to Earth here.

I was reacting to your characterization of me as a wuss. I am demonstrably not a wuss. Quit acting like your saying "I believe recycling is a good thing" cuts to what was offensive — calling me a wuss. I'm southern and touchy about that sort of stuff. I'm not a wuss, and you are acting very rudely in your pretend apologies.

Believe what you want, but read the first two posts in this thread. What does it sound like to you? You both sound like you're having heart palpatations over whether or not a couple of pieces of plastic got recycled or not. It didn't exactly scream "Southern tough guy" to me. Maybe you don't like it coming from me, but read again what waeqhswife
said...

FT5S is correct. Most people shouldn't be "horrified" over a misunderstanding of recycling code. Upset is one thing, "horrified" is a deep dive off the wrong cliff. People should be horrified at the amount of child abuse in this country (just a random example), not a system that already has fail-safes in check for people who obviously don't read the material sent to them on their recycling programs.

I admit, she was nicer about it than I was. My bad. Hopefully you can see where we're both coming from.

Since when does feeling something is "so wasteful" merit being rated as a raving overreaction? (I believe writer #2 was using "Horrified" as hyperbole. It's a literary device. Learn about it.)

My transgression is allegedly getting all hyped up about plastic ("just so wasteful" reads more as chagrin than anything), yours is actually calling me a wuss, which reads as rude and disrespectful.

Think twice before you call people "wusses."

As for Whatever's Wife, I have a long history of knowing about, thinking about, voting for and acting in support of ending all kinds of awful shit. It is wholly possible to care about one's personal ecological impact while still hating child abuse! If you think *I'm* overreacting, there are grips that you need to get.

Seriously, I don't get the vested interest in making out people who try to reduce their impact in small ways out to be hyperventilating hippie freaks who don't think about other issues. Why the hateration has created this false target is beyond me.