destroying large quantity of paperwork? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 02:31:53 am
content: I have accumulated a fair bit of paper work that I want destroyed.I found that burning it is quite time consuming. I also bought a paper shredder which broke immediately and its pissing me off.If time is not a big factor, can you cause paper to disintegrate some how so it can be poured on a flat surface and dried to a denser form and burned nicely ? I thought about throwing it into a barrel (maybe with a few spoons of sodium hydroxide) and letting it sit for a week and using a cement mixer on it to 'pulp' it, then pour it out on concrete where it can dry in the sun and be scraped off.I want to do as little work as possible to destroy it with what I have without fire, but if I can make some kind of 'logs' out of it I would burn it.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 02:48:06 am
content: It used to be the fashion to soak and mash paper then use a small press to form fire-bricks out of it, one of my grandparents had one back in the 80s.I vaguely remember he soaked paper in a bucket for some time and then used a drill mounted paint mixer or something to zhuzz it up, filter out the majority of the water and pack it into the mould, stand on the bars to compress and expel more water and dump the brick out to dry.A hired wood chipper might make short work of large amounts of paper, depends how secure you need the shred.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 02:56:48 am
content: nah I am just lazy its like 3 grocery bags worth

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 03:04:57 am
content: You haven't been working for the Trump administration the last couple of years have you? /sTim

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 04:24:49 am
content: you should see trump towers recycled insulation, those documents are all more profitable if their used to insulate buildings rather then generate energy, too low quality for my tastes though I like rockwool (recycled slag)

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 04:27:20 am
content: those walls hold more bodies then the paris catacombs

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 04:28:41 am
content: fbi gonna order some trowels

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 07:06:44 pm
content: If burning it is too time consuming, then you need a bigger fire. Put a propane burner at the bottom of a 40 gallon drum with a grill and vent holes.

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 16, 2019, 09:34:36 pm
content: Put all of it in cardboard banker boxes or in yard waste bags (the big ones) and call a company that specialize in security shredding.They come to your place with a truck and will cross-shred the stuff right in front of you in a few minutes. Also includes computer disks and cd.You can keep the results (if paranoid) or they can dispose of it for you.Cost is quite reasonable in my town, in particular if you count your time.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 12:59:56 am
content: QuoteFor 3 grocery bags, wouldn't the lazy thing be to shred or burn it?You want to process 3 stinking grocery bags of paper into fire logs?QuoteMaybe you could do something like this. Drill hole through a big stack of papers and put a heavy steel plate with a hole in it over the top to weigh it down. Have some venting at the bottom, maybe some short sections of pipe laid out in a circle. Fire in the hole.

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 02:39:32 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on June 16, 2019, 11:25:22 pmOK. So I guess you are not a pro that has to give account to his paperwork tractability then.... carry on then.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 02:51:55 am
content: Maybe he's a pro's pro.Accountability? What papers. Never seen em.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 02:52:26 am
content: rofl a pro with traceability, unless its a physics package schematic you just throw that shit in a dumpster (no comment).. it makes me sad anyway if something cannot be fixed so screw people who file off part numbers and don't provide repair manualsbut engineering wise I am paperless anyway, and thats the bosses problem. If the designer is tasked with destroying paper work then its either severelyunderfunded(god damn get the office a secretary worth a damn) orseverelyshady, thats got to be polticially worse then dealing with nuclear warheads because you can find plenty of people that think they are weapons of peace and can be trusted to destroy trash for you. Illuminati bioweapons??what exactly are you up to mister? its going to get stolen from the assembly line not you..

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 02:53:39 am
content: Make yourself a "no dig" garden with layers of paper, straw, "chook" poo, & sheep poo.Add some seed potatoes.By the time you harvest your spuds, the paper will have rotted down to compost & be completely unreadable.As a bonus, you will have delicious homegrown "new potatoes"!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 02:54:38 am
content: this is all alot of work, my main question is if the stuff dissolves after a week (printer paper). I just want it in soup form. I got a barrel like 10 feet away from my trash pile with a garden hose next to it, but I don't want to put it into a form thats even more difficult to deal with. Plastic drum.I am worried it wont dissolve and turn into a lump of shit I need to sawzall, I got enough stupid ass jobs around the house attacking me from every angle

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 03:33:14 am
content: Quote from: richnormand on June 17, 2019, 02:39:32 amthis your work ?

author: mjs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 06:55:02 am
content: Just use some secure shredding service. A friend of mine asked his lawyer who's got big service container.I usually burn top secret stuff right away and use a secure shredding service for the bigger piles. Modern coated papers are a PITA to burn in larger quantities.

author: daqq
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 07:44:20 am
content: QuoteFind a friend with a fireplace and have a party?

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 07:57:25 am
content: Buy a decent shredder. Cheaping out will bite you, as you found out.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 08:55:37 am
content: @coppercone, your approach to this is similar to what we get in some newbie questions on electronics projects. You already have a specific solution in mind (make pulp, dry, burn), and are not open to other solutions (although they might be much better suited).Just burning the paper as is, or buying a better shredder, or having a pro shred those papers, or finding someone with a decent shredder and asking them for a favor, all sound better to me than your pulp approach.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 09:14:11 am
content: I bought this really cheap cheap OHL portable barbeque that has a lid, and the plan is/was/might still be, to wait for a really cold day with no wind,chuck in the unclassified crap paper > aka bills, policies, receipts, outdated docs etc etcbasically anything NLR that has our details on it,light er up, close the lid, and instant pulp cremationoh yeah, and keep apre-testedgarden water hose nearby, in case Murphy come a knockin..The charred remains get mixed in with crappy soil which eventually gets used as a filler (a friendly FYI + FWIW for any serial greenies here)

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 06:33:00 pm
content: We bought a cheap cast iron chiminea years ago. We only used it a couple of times with wood and it has slowly rusted on the patio over the years. It's great for burning paper though, the updraught from the short chimney makes a huge difference. You can load it right up with paper, light it and leave it, nothing left but fine ash after a few hours. It kicks out an incredible amount of heat considering that the fuel is fairly low mass.P.S. I'm not actually that interested in your paper woes, but that stump burning video was amazing. Knowledge filed for future use!

author: KaneTW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 06:44:50 pm
content: If you really want a chemical solution (heh) just get some sodium hydroxide solution and use that to dissolve the paper. In fact, I'll just go put some in a jar with a folded piece of paper and see how long it takes.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 06:59:44 pm
content: Quote from: KaneTW on June 17, 2019, 06:44:50 pmThat one used to be a hidden peril in high school chemistry text books, handed down from the previous year. You'd be happily turning the pages and then suddenly one would disintegrate to flakes under your fingers!

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 10:06:25 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on June 17, 2019, 07:57:25 amactually its a good shredder but its from a thrift store. they don't seem to age well unlike most other thrift store things

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 10:08:54 pm
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on June 17, 2019, 09:14:11 amit takes forever to burn and the papers fall through the grill and clog up the burner after they partially disintegrate. You need to like stir it. And it makes massive quantities of smelly smoke because of the ink. I did a big paper job a few years ago with a old BBQ and it pissed me off enough not to want to do it until now. Like, if you crumple up every paper and burn it in small amounts its OK but its time consuming. And some papers seem to like, expand outwards and get all bubbly and stuff and snuff out the rest of the flames. Its completely infuriating.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2019, 10:55:00 pm
content: That may be a problem, looks like I move on to Plan B: > read all the comments again

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 12:54:56 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on June 17, 2019, 10:06:25 pmAs chance would have it, I recently got a hand-me-down shredder from a friend.And it wasn't happy, struggling to shred 4 sheets at a time (it's rated for 5).6 screws later, and the problem was obvious: the gear train grease had polymerized to a tacky mess. A few spritzes of fresh lube (I didn't even remove the old grease) and it was fixed. I also went ahead and liberally oiled the shredder mechanism itself (as in, the actual cutters).Upshot is, chances are your shredder just needs proper lubrication. People really underestimate how important this is for proper operation.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 12:57:56 pm
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on June 17, 2019, 10:08:54 pmYup. Paper destruction by burning is one of those Hollywood tropes that doesn't work in reality at all. It's massively time consuming to burn any kind of quantity of paper, and in pure theory, it's not even that secure, since the inks don't burn the same, so flying ash can actually reveal information. Fine shredding is far better.But yeah, maybe just ask your local Staples how much they'd charge for you to add your papers to their secure shredding bin.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 01:45:36 pm
content: Get a chiminea.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChimeneaI often burn papers on mine - it is great, especially on Autumn. Tied with some of the fallen dry oak leaves... It burns, baby!

author: ptricks
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 02:31:27 pm
content: Easiest method is just to check when one of those shredding companies does a local event, usually around tax season, then you just take it to them by the box and they shred it right in front of you.https://www.shredit.com/en-us/about/shredding-eventsOf course you can also pay them to shred it , usually cheap unless you have more than a few boxes.Some UPS stores shred documents and some office supply places.Anything else is going to be labor intensive and either use toxic chemicals or produce waste you still have to dispose .

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 02:46:10 pm
content: Quote from: sleemanj on June 16, 2019, 02:48:06 amIt is the typical ignorance of the old generation. About 1/4th of generated waste is paper, and burning it releases huge amount of pollution into the air. It is not "just wood", it is toxic metal, carcinogenic materials, glues, bisphenol, etc.Shred it and place it into the recycle bin.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 09:01:33 pm
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on June 19, 2019, 01:45:36 pmThat makes two of us then (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/destroying-large-quantity-of-paperwork/msg2491443/#msg2491443). Clearly a winner!

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2019, 09:14:36 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on June 19, 2019, 09:01:33 pmI didn't see your post. That is the way to go!

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 09:55:46 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on June 19, 2019, 02:46:10 pmContempt from the alleged typical ignorance of the old generation asidewhat you comment is all good, green and logicalbut exactly what do the 'recyclers' do from there?i.e. aren't urban battlers and ricketty old genners better off making some half baked use of the fire/energy potential of paper waste,rather than trusting the local authoritieslandfillersflogging another 'recycle' 'scheme', in order to do a simple job properly,which I would not bet on that they can ?

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 10:23:50 am
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on June 20, 2019, 09:55:46 amIt typically gets turned into cardboard, or paper again. AFAIK, making paper from recycled paper is less energy than wood, so they have a financial incentive to do it. And probably worth noting that 50% of the mass of wood cannot be used for paper production, so each KG of recycled paper saves twice as much wood. AFAIK EU recycles something like 3/4 of it's total paper production.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 11:16:13 am
content: Hire a tree shredder from the hardware store?

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 04:23:44 pm
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on June 20, 2019, 09:55:46 amPlastic, and to a much smaller extent glass, are the materials where recycling is problematic, and where the whole world was shipping it to China instead of dealing with it locally. (I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Switzerland is a notable exception: the recycling rate for PET beverage bottles is above 80%, and of that, 93% is recycled domestically, with the balance going to Germany.)But other things, like metals, were being recycled long before recycling became a “thing”. Something upwards of 90% of all steel is recycled. With lead it’s even higher (since the vast majority of lead used is for car batteries, which almost always get swapped out, not purchased as spares, so it’s easy to collect the old ones and single-stream their processing). Paper came later, but it’s so useful that it’s widely done.There’s no evidence that paper recycling is subject to any of the problems of plastic recycling, or at least not on anything approaching that scale.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 05:12:49 pm
content: US cities have started dropping mandatory recycling with the separate bins. One reason is that the restrictions on what may be placed into the bins have reached the point where compliance is poor.

author: KaneTW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 06:47:45 pm
content: On the other hand, Japan has very strict restrictions on what can be placed where and has excellent compliance.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 07:07:38 pm
content: Quote from: KaneTW on June 20, 2019, 06:47:45 pmThe compliance problem is because the rules are incomprehensible.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 10:28:31 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 20, 2019, 07:07:38 pmNo, not at all. Americans are just lazy. (I'm American, but have lived in USA and in Switzerland, a place with high recycling compliance.)I recently saw a program about a Japanesetown that requires its residents to separate recyclables into almost 50 different categories. Americans can't even be bothered to separate paper, glass, plastic, and metal.It's purely cultural, nothing more.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 11:13:57 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on June 20, 2019, 10:28:31 pmNo, not at all. American politicians are just idiots, orbought and paid for.We faced this issue where I live a couple months ago when the city issued new, resized and expanded guidelines, that nobody can apply because they are mutually contradictory. (1) The list of rules is now so long that it no longer fits on the recycle bin.To put it another way, distributing the sorting load to everybody such that they waste their time is not a solution. The sorting must be made *easier* and not more difficult. If this cannot be done, then the economics of the whole scheme are questionable which coincidentally is exactly what they are finding causing smarter cities to drop it.(1) This is after doing the same thing earlier. Obviously if it did not work earlier, the solution is to do it again, and again.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2019, 11:34:44 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 20, 2019, 11:13:57 pmWould you have a link to those guidelines? That would help readers from countries with established recycling systems to compare the approaches.Edit: To add some European perspective, here's a summary of the recycling pathways in Hamburg, Germany:https://www.hamburg.com/welcome/living/housing/11841466/waste-recycling/There's more detail behind that, but I could only find that information in German.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 12:07:03 am
content: Maybe if the govermints educated the population properly to begin with at school on what recycling is and how it works and why it's important,showed how it's done on TV commercials during sports games (captive audience)and local councils inspected bins at random for compliancy (with letterbox good/bad feedback notices) as they have started to do here,and or cameras in the pickup trucks,and or offered incentives for residents and industry, like discounts on their rates etcthere would be no feeble excuses and buck passingMost people I know are absolutely clueless about what goes in what bin,I've seen 'intelligent' people place rubbish in their rubbish bin (DUH..) AND same in their recycle bin and garden waste binCome on let's be real, no one is going to wade through that stinking messy mixed up crap to sort it out for 'recycling',the entire recycle truck load is knackered, it's landfill bound now, problem sorted, end of storyand don't get me started on the stupid bin and bin lid color schemes, and color updates for even more confusion between the old style bins and new,that make no sense or logic, even to compliant recycle sorters like me.The pickup truck people must go nuts, sporting facepalm crease marks from every second bin/house stopSeriously, I used to believe most people were either ignorant or apathetic (hey, nothing new there LOL)but the reality is that in this situation, they just don't know enough about it to care,much less make an effort to play the '3 Bin Shell Game'FWIW children get it immediately, and very good and particular at it too,they see it as a cool 'using your brain' game, not a 'hassle' chore

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 12:25:49 am
content: Quote from: Electro Detective on June 21, 2019, 12:07:03 amSo how is that different from tooki's "just lazy" hypothesis?I would have the same request to you as I have to David Hess: Could you post a link to those incomprehensible, unreasonable guidelines in your country? It would be good to compare and see whether the requirements are really that much more complex than in Europe, or people are just less willing to bother.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 12:29:32 am
content: Paper is mostly cellulose, and often very boring. Douse it in an appropriate mix of sulphuric and nitric acid to recycle it into nitrocellulose which can be a lot more fun.

author: bsfeechannel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 01:07:59 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on June 16, 2019, 02:56:48 amI had to get rid of a lot of paper once. I tried everything. I burned it, shredded it with a paper shredder that kept clogging every half an hour, and even soaked it in water to shred it with a blender.My takeaway is that shredding paper requires patience. Unless you have some industrial machine to do the job like Dave suggested: a tree shredder (Why didn't I think of that?).

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 02:46:41 am
content: because you need to rent it, tow it, pay out the ass, etc

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 09:18:04 am
content: Good luck with those generic tree shredders, been there alreadyyou'll be lucky if it can shred dry brittle anorexic branches without stuffing up,and if you try paper I reckon the affordable dud shredder will seize up,and tempt you to stick your hands in there and may suddenly begin to shred nicelyA real tree shredder is big dollars, and I don't believe it will shred paper that well anywayaka > YMMV

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 11:17:39 am
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 20, 2019, 11:13:57 pmHow is this not precisely the “Americans are lazy” argument I made? As I said, in other countries, far more onerous sorting is required of people, and people happily do it.Here in Zurich, for example, paper and cardboard are the only recyclables that have curbside pick up. Plastic, light bulbs, batteries, CDs, whippets, and appliances go back to the store. Glass, metal, and used cooking and motor oils go to neighborhood recycling bins. More exotic recyclables like corks, styrofoam, pottery, and window glass must go to the city recycling center.And tell me again how Americans aren’t lazy? They won’t even recycle if they merely have to separate glass, paper, plastic, and metal...

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 05:53:48 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on June 21, 2019, 11:17:39 amThat seems a bit harsh on the poor creatures!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WhippetI agree though, other countries including the US should be doingmuchmore. It's a source of frustration here in the UK that local authorities seem to pick only the easiest / most profitable items and significant variation between areas, at least for curbside collections. There is widespread confusion over recyclable plastics. We have recycling centres that handle a much wider range of materials but that relies much more on avoiding apathy (which does seem to be what David Hess is describing).

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 06:20:07 pm
content: Quote from: Gyro on June 21, 2019, 05:53:48 pmNah, gotta call animal control to come and recycle your used dog!What I had in mind, of course, were these:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whipped-cream_chargerQuote from: Gyro on June 21, 2019, 05:53:48 pmYep. And I was trying to get across that the level of apathy varies wildly by country. The Japanese are willing to put in effort the Swiss won’t. And the Swiss put in effort that Americans won’t. I don’t think this is really a contentious claim, considering the evidence...

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 06:46:56 pm
content: When we moved to our current house, the city had full separation of recycling, which we complied without a problem. One year later, though, they withdrew the separate containers and brought a single blue massive one for recycling... Probably compliance was low and the larger container can be easily picked up by the large fork.Back in Brasil, recycling started in the 1990s but there was a strong resistance to adopt it. At the same time, my brother was living in Germany and mentioned the harsh sanctions for non-compliance there.Over the years, aluminium recycling picked up quite massively given that it became a steady source of income for the absolute lower end of the population.All in all, I think people need to be "convinced" with jabs to the weakest part of a human's body: the pocket.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 08:28:04 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on June 21, 2019, 11:17:39 amIf that was all that was required, then it would be easy. But only specific types of paper and plastic are accepted and the presence of the recycling symbol is no guaranty. Metal and glass are not the problem.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2019, 10:51:39 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 21, 2019, 08:28:04 pmSame sort of confusion here afaictand then there's the millions of numbskulls that don't rinse the metal and glass, corrupting the entire 'recycle' binand most likely the truckload too, once assessed back at the drop off point/depotcorporats are worse than zombie urbans and arrogant trades wankers,not only is their kitchen etiquetteand WC hygieneat work of a lower standard than wild pigs wading in a wet dung heap,the state of their dumpsters has to be seen, and whiffed cautiously, to be believedfwiw it's the only place I've never seen curious cats poking around..

author: CustomEngineerer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 03:58:23 am
content: Quote from: ptricks on June 19, 2019, 02:31:27 pmThis. Doesn't get much easier than this.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 10:42:57 am
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 21, 2019, 08:28:04 pmAgain, that’s the caseeverywhere. Here in Switzerland, you have to separate the glass into 3 bins by color. PET and HDPE bottles each go in a different bin at the store, any other plastic has to go to the recycling center. Paper and cardboard must be separate.And that Japanese town requires separation into 45 different bins.And their residents do it.Boo hoo, you have to look at a few symbols and think a bit. Again, tell me how that isn’t simple laziness??

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 11:37:33 am
content: QuoteThere's something definitely 'tidy' about the oriental mentality. Recent examples I can think of are the Japanese world cup fans tidying up the stadium before they left and the recent Hong Kong protesters returning to sweep up after themselves.If only it was a more global trait.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 03:45:15 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on June 22, 2019, 10:42:57 amYou are not getting it. We get one bin and a big list of conflicting restrictions which nobody can understand.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 06:52:35 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 22, 2019, 03:45:15 pmYou've been asked at least once to show this list of “confusing” and “contradictory” rules. Cuz without seeing it, it sounds like the same whining I’ve heard countless times before from other Americans who simply can’t be bothered to endure even the tiniest inconvenience for the sake of the environment. (I don’t say this flippantly; it really is what I’ve seen countless times from my countrymen.)

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 08:25:07 pm
content: QuoteI don't know of any super strange rules in my city. The most complicated is regarding cardboard. I understand it as no shitty cardboard, the thin flat stuff like what is used to hold beverage cans and bottles. And of course, no food or oil contaminated paper or cardboards.I boil it down like so. Glass. Empty plastic beverage bottles. Aluminum cans. Clean papers. Good corrugated cardboard. But Americans are so lazy, we can't even do that. Pizza boxes go in there. CD's. Snow globes. Even in my own house, I am tired of telling a certain someone what does or doesn't go in there. As long as the city keeps emptying it, I don't care that much.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 08:49:35 pm
content: In my city they distribute a leaflet with the rules. It is quite simple, as plastic number 5 is the only one they don't accept. Unfortunately, these numbers are sometimes applied willy-nilly by the manufacturers and do not mean necessarily the same material all across the packaging.Regarding paper, cardboard, etc. all is game as long as they don't have fat or plastic lamination/lining. Glass Bottles and aluminium are ok as well, but the rules are a bit more complicated when other metals are involved.I tend to wash the recyclables, but I try my best to not use clean water to do so, but instead the water I am already using to wash other items. After all, I can't solve in my head the fact I am using potable water to clean trash.

author: chris_leyson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 09:07:34 pm
content: QuoteMy local council don't seem to provide much guidance on what plastics can and can't be recycled which is crazy given that many countries will now not accept plastic waste imports, Malaysia is one example and who can blame them.One thing that really annoyed me the other day was that I was stripping something down at work and sorting it into glass, wire, PCBs, plastic and metal bins and somebody said "I wouldn't bother, it all goes into the same container anyway". I hope they are wrong or misinformed about that, I will have to ask. Glass and metals are easy to sort, some of it is done by hand and some by machine but plastics are not so easy and I am often left wondering how much just goes into landfill.

author: KL27x
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2019, 10:06:45 pm
content: QuoteYeah, composites like this are annoying. I wonder if they use them in Japan.In my home, I have box-cutter/recycling-bin duties. No matter how many times I explain this stuff isn't recyclable, I end up with composite mailers in my pile. But that shouldn't be a surprise, because my GF thinks the plastic bags of air and styrofoam packing peanuts count as part of the cardboard, too. She means well. She actually washes plastic food containers before putting them in (I'd just throw them away).There's a point where a bin of recyclables is probably not worth recycling. I'd rather make a small pile that follows the rules; she wants to "recycle" everything. I don't know who's right, and I have a feeling most Americans make up their own rules.I don't know why my city doesn't want the thin cardboard. They specifically state the cardboard carrier for 4/6 packs of bottled beverages is a no-no. But they take paper. Maybe these things are made with pulp that was already been recycled too many times, or maybe it jams some machine.I assume the major things to be recycled are cardboard and disposable beverage containers. If it is any kind of composite that has to be deconstructed or shredded, I assume it goes to the dump.