eyeon2050...recycling

Recycling in the Far East, and Here

2008-07-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

Everywhere in China--from the streets of Shanghai to the peaks of Wu Dang mountains--public trash bins...like this one in Zing Tai, are divided into two sections...half for recyclable material and half for non-recyclable wastes. The proud gentleman in this shot, whose task was 'keeping the streets tidy', was curious as to why I would be taking a picture of his trash can. The answer being too complicated to convey in sign-language, I simply asked him if he wouldn't mind posing with it.
I found out later, that even 'paper' goes into the blue, recy section--all to be sorted out by hand, I suppose.
Note (in the close-up) the 'inverted' recycle symbol on the top of the yellow part. I thought that was pretty clever.

In Japan, [at least from what I saw at the airports] trash receptacles are divided into 4, clearly-marked portals--"glass", "plastic", "paper", 'rubbish'. Minimum 'post-sorting', in this system, I would think.

Then, when I returned home, I was pleasantly surprised to see that our own Opala crew, had placed Blue recycle containers in Honolulu's public parks, while I was away. Congratulations to them...for taking the leap. In our system, independent 'collectors'`are welcome to retrieve HI-5 containers from the bins; while the county maintains the rest. This is really a big step, in my view, towards sustainability for Hawaii. So, a big 'thumbs-up' for the Opala folks.

Every can counts

2008-05-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

Primo--[probably before your time], came in one of the first all-aluminum beer cans. It's maker, Hawaii Brewing Company, manufactured their own cans, and intended to recycle them. See the full scoop on Primo Beer here>> http://www.rustycans.com/COM/month0304.html

Recycling 0ne Can:

Replacing the amount of energy we currently draw from the oil industry with alternative sources is no small task. Certainly we need to 'do more with less'. We may find that every Watt counts.
So, since it is pretty well established that frugal energy management, is central in sustainable development, 'recycling' becomes like a 'cornerstone' of sustainability.

Nothing illustrates that point better than the energy saved by recycling a single aluminum can. The amount of energy saved by recycling one can, [instead of manufacturing it from raw bauxite (aluminum ore)] is estimated to equal 350 Watt.hours.

The same amount of energy is equivalent to about six ounces of gasoline.

While, lighting a match to six ounces of gasoline would be a dramatic demonstration of the amount of energy we're talking about here...Don't try that at home...or anywhere, for that matter. I speak from experience:

As a kid, a friend and myself stupidly filled about six ounces of gasoline in a luau torch--thinking it was kerosene. The explosion, when we lit it, sent us both flying 10 feet backwards, singed the hair off our bodies and left us temporarily deaf and blind...and tingly numb.

We were lucky.
We discovered 'how much energy is saved in recycling one aluminum can', the hard way; and lived to blog about it.*

The same energy harnessed as electricity, however, will power a 100 Watt light bulb for 3.5 hours; or a 50 Watt light bulb for 7 hours; or a one-Watt light bulb for 350 hours. etc.
http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p1672.htm

I don't know if that is a lot of energy or just a little. I guess it's a matter of opinion. But, either way, it serves to illustrate that 'when it comes to attaining sustainability through frugal energy-management...EVERY CAN COUNTS!

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* (Incidentally, with gas at $4.00 a gallon...that makes one aluminum can actually worth about four-times the HI-five value.)

By some accounts, the energy saved by recycling one aluminum can equals the amount of energy it takes to run a TV set for four hours. This is the energy equivalent of 0.5 gallon (1.9 liters) of gasoline. http://www.enotes.com/science-fact-finder/energy/how-much-energy-saved-by-recycling-one-aluminum

Why recycle: http://savingenergy.wordpress.com/2006/12/18/saving-energy-one-aluminum-can-at-a-time/
Aluminum recycling pop-quiz.
http://www.recycle.novelis.com/Recycle/EN/Employees/Library/Pop+Quiz/

Recycling Page

2008-04-05T02:43:00.001-07:00

Under construction.