From: boylan@sltg04.ljo.dec.com (Steve Boylan)
Subject: Re: Social inhibitions to environmental change
Reply-To: boylan@ljohub.enet.dec.com (Steve Boylan)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 21:17:06 GMT


I'm afraid I'm still a few days back in following this thread, but
I've reached a point where I'm ready to comment . . .

While A.Lizard is laughing at Ashley, there's a few of us laughing
at A.Lizard.  For the specific examples you're laughing at Ashley
for, Ashley is closer to the truth.

Porcelain and other clay bodies can be reused directly in creating
new ceramics.  All that's required is crushing the material.  In
pottery, this is called "grog".  A problem with using grog in
porcelain bathroom fixtures, however, is that these fixtures are
usually slip-cast rather than made from a whole clay - instead
of molding a lump of clay into the desired shape, the clay is mixed
with water to a creamy consistency and poured into a mold.  Grog
interferes with the liquid flow of slip.

And the finish you see on the surface has little to do with the
color of the clay body underneath.  The best porcelain tableware
is translucent, and any color in the clay body will show, but
bathroom fixtures are typically made with opaque clay bodies and
glazes.  All the color (or lack thereof) is in the glaze;  the
clay can get pretty dark before it will show through.

While toilets alone aren't a big percentage of the stuff going
into landfills, building materials in general do make up a pretty
hefty chunk.  As an aside, I learned (kind of the hard way) that
new Massachusetts laws require any new toilet be a "water conserving"
model, using less than 1.5 gallons per flush.  We were going to
reuse the old toilets in our new bathrooms, until both the plumber
and the building inspector explained otherwise!

As for Sheetrock . . . first, the term "Sheetrock" is a registered
trademark of U. S. Gypsum corporation for their gypsum wallboard.
If it ain't gypsum wallboard from USG, it ain't "Sheetrock".

Minor quibbles aside . . . on to the major ones!

Drywall itself is composed of a gypsum core, sandwiched between
two layers of paper.  The "front" is a decent grade of paper that
gets painted or papered or plastered for a finished surface;  the
"back" is a cheap grade of paper that provides the second surface
of a stress-skin panel.  The gypsum in the core can be and is
recycled;  USG, for one, does that.  The process consists of
crushing the old wallboard (just like they crush the rock, but
takes less energy), then "roasting" out the water (just like
they do with the rock).  Once that's done, you've got the same
stuff you'd dig out of the ground.

(Unfortunately, the folks in the USG sales office in Boston don't
know the exact percentage of recycled gypsum off-hand - I just
called and asked!)

I DID notice that the gypsum drywall I was installing last month
(some from USG, genuine Sheetrock, and some from another manufacturer)
was labelled "Paper 100% Recycled".

Of course, gypsum drywall is not the only stuff to build your walls
with.  Yes, you CAN reuse wood and plastic to create wall surfacing.
Wallboards with a fibre core are made from some recycled wood and
paper.  Some plastic wallboards also use recycled plastic.

One big problem is treated lumber - you basically CAN'T recycle the
stuff.  It's even hazardous to work with it;  you're warned to wear
gloves and protective clothing, and be sure to wear a dust mask so
you don't inhale the sawdust.  You CAN'T make the stuff non-toxic;
trying to recycle it will just expose more toxins to the environment.

Untreated lumber can be recycled.  The pretty stuff can be re-milled,
and the construction-grade stuff can be used for new construction or
for wood fibre.

Most of the commercial framing being done in eastern Massachusetts
these days uses steel channel, not wood.  Builders like it because the
material cost is comparable, there's a lot less labor in installing
it (if you have the right tools), and it doesn't warp.  (It DOES
bend real easy, but you can usually fix that with a pair of pliers.)
Of course, I can't resist the sweet smell of fresh-cut pine . . .

Dawn is, of course, correct in pointing out that even 75% recycling
won't really solve the problems . . . but I don't agree that space
offers much of a solution, either.

Ashley is correct in pointing out that the biggest current problem
wood products is clear-cut harvesting.  Woodlots CAN be managed for
a sustained yield;  it costs a bit more than clear-cutting in the
short term, but you get to cut the wood and sell it again a few years
later if you use sustainable harvesting!  Much better long-term
yield . . .

	Let me wrap up this sub-thread, and go on to another . . .

				- - Steve, hoping to educate
				A.Lizard as well as Ashley . . .

				boylan@ljohub.enet.dec.com