Why haven't Republicans cracked down on recycling?

• 3/4 of recyclables go straight to the trash can at home.
• In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.
• Trash disposal is taxed to pay for recycling, which receives subsidies and matching grants.
• Then there's the problem that almost nobody but China wanted to recycle the waste, and they stopped.
• Then, if the waste doesn't get a quiet burial at sea, there's the terrible conditions under which child labor pick through the trash.
• Of the recycled material, 6-13% ends up as microplastics.
• All this so that you have to make sure that the fluffy bathrobe you see on the discount rack isn't polyethylene made out of recycled soda bottles, because that stuff will make you stink like nothing else can. Every time you wash or dry it in a futile effort to reduce the sweat oils, that's more microplastics in your home. I mean, in the end, even after it's recycled ... the stuff is still garbage.

bythoughts said:

There were some things I was hoping Trump would do if he won, and one of them has to do with recycling.

For years and years, I've had recycling preached at me like a gospel. Yet after all this time:

• 3/4 of recyclables go straight to the trash can at home.
• In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.
• Trash disposal is taxed to pay for recycling, which receives subsidies and matching grants.
• Then there's the problem that almost nobody but China wanted to recycle the waste, and they stopped.
• Then, if the waste doesn't get a quiet burial at sea, there's the terrible conditions under which child labor pick through the trash.
• Of the recycled material, 6-13% ends up as microplastics.
• All this so that you have to make sure that the fluffy bathrobe you see on the discount rack isn't polyethylene made out of recycled soda bottles, because that stuff will make you stink like nothing else can. Every time you wash or dry it in a futile effort to reduce the sweat oils, that's more microplastics in your home. I mean, in the end, even after it's recycled ... the stuff is still garbage.

If we contrast all that with a traditional 1950s garbage dump, you could back up your pickup truck, toss the stuff down, and for the most part, that was the last heard of it. No subsidies, no corporations, no child labor, not even much microplastics apart from the seagulls and rats. And the kids had hours of entertainment shooting the rats, which might have saved a few of their lives in Korea.

To their credit, Republicans have slow-walked or shot down expansive recycling proposals, but they have not initiated some kind of nationwide crackdown like on the Ivy League. Why aren't the Republicans as nostalgic for the old town dump as they are for the measles?

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holbritter said:

They are busy with other stuff.

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bythoughts said:

There were some things I was hoping Trump would do if he won, and one of them has to do with recycling.

For years and years, I've had recycling preached at me like a gospel. Yet after all this time:

• 3/4 of recyclables go straight to the trash can at home.
• In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.
• Trash disposal is taxed to pay for recycling, which receives subsidies and matching grants.
• Then there's the problem that almost nobody but China wanted to recycle the waste, and they stopped.
• Then, if the waste doesn't get a quiet burial at sea, there's the terrible conditions under which child labor pick through the trash.
• Of the recycled material, 6-13% ends up as microplastics.
• All this so that you have to make sure that the fluffy bathrobe you see on the discount rack isn't polyethylene made out of recycled soda bottles, because that stuff will make you stink like nothing else can. Every time you wash or dry it in a futile effort to reduce the sweat oils, that's more microplastics in your home. I mean, in the end, even after it's recycled ... the stuff is still garbage.

If we contrast all that with a traditional 1950s garbage dump, you could back up your pickup truck, toss the stuff down, and for the most part, that was the last heard of it. No subsidies, no corporations, no child labor, not even much microplastics apart from the seagulls and rats. And the kids had hours of entertainment shooting the rats, which might have saved a few of their lives in Korea.

To their credit, Republicans have slow-walked or shot down expansive recycling proposals, but they have not initiated some kind of nationwide crackdown like on the Ivy League. Why aren't the Republicans as nostalgic for the old town dump as they are for the measles?

Click to expand...

bythoughts said:

There were some things I was hoping Trump would do if he won, and one of them has to do with recycling.

For years and years, I've had recycling preached at me like a gospel. Yet after all this time:

• 3/4 of recyclables go straight to the trash can at home.
• In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.
• Trash disposal is taxed to pay for recycling, which receives subsidies and matching grants.
• Then there's the problem that almost nobody but China wanted to recycle the waste, and they stopped.
• Then, if the waste doesn't get a quiet burial at sea, there's the terrible conditions under which child labor pick through the trash.
• Of the recycled material, 6-13% ends up as microplastics.
• All this so that you have to make sure that the fluffy bathrobe you see on the discount rack isn't polyethylene made out of recycled soda bottles, because that stuff will make you stink like nothing else can. Every time you wash or dry it in a futile effort to reduce the sweat oils, that's more microplastics in your home. I mean, in the end, even after it's recycled ... the stuff is still garbage.

If we contrast all that with a traditional 1950s garbage dump, you could back up your pickup truck, toss the stuff down, and for the most part, that was the last heard of it. No subsidies, no corporations, no child labor, not even much microplastics apart from the seagulls and rats. And the kids had hours of entertainment shooting the rats, which might have saved a few of their lives in Korea.

To their credit, Republicans have slow-walked or shot down expansive recycling proposals, but they have not initiated some kind of nationwide crackdown like on the Ivy League. Why aren't the Republicans as nostalgic for the old town dump as they are for the measles?

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soap box said:

GLass recycling is a risky venture because demand fluctuates. Plastic recycling is worse. However metal and paper are profitable. If entrepreneurs decide to run a recycling business, why should the government stop them?

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bythoughts said:

By "crack down" I didn't literally mean to ban the act of recycling (it would be a hard law to write!), but to end all of the subsidies and taxes meant to give it economic viability.

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bythoughts said:

In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.

Click to expand...

bythoughts said:

And the kids had hours of entertainment shooting the rats, which might have saved a few of their lives in Korea.

Click to expand...

bythoughts said:

There were some things I was hoping Trump would do if he won, and one of them has to do with recycling.

For years and years, I've had recycling preached at me like a gospel. Yet after all this time:

• 3/4 of recyclables go straight to the trash can at home.
• In many cities, "recycled" items go straight to trash anyway, or are burned like trash.
• Trash disposal is taxed to pay for recycling, which receives subsidies and matching grants.
• Then there's the problem that almost nobody but China wanted to recycle the waste, and they stopped.
• Then, if the waste doesn't get a quiet burial at sea, there's the terrible conditions under which child labor pick through the trash.
• Of the recycled material, 6-13% ends up as microplastics.
• All this so that you have to make sure that the fluffy bathrobe you see on the discount rack isn't polyethylene made out of recycled soda bottles, because that stuff will make you stink like nothing else can. Every time you wash or dry it in a futile effort to reduce the sweat oils, that's more microplastics in your home. I mean, in the end, even after it's recycled ... the stuff is still garbage.

If we contrast all that with a traditional 1950s garbage dump, you could back up your pickup truck, toss the stuff down, and for the most part, that was the last heard of it. No subsidies, no corporations, no child labor, not even much microplastics apart from the seagulls and rats. And the kids had hours of entertainment shooting the rats, which might have saved a few of their lives in Korea.

To their credit, Republicans have slow-walked or shot down expansive recycling proposals, but they have not initiated some kind of nationwide crackdown like on the Ivy League. Why aren't the Republicans as nostalgic for the old town dump as they are for the measles?

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j brown's body said:

Like destroying effective environmental policy. If recycling is a failure, its fine with them.

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Peacenik said:

Sounds like a determined effort to trash the planet and make it unlivable.

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Peacenik said:

The environment would be far better off if we just taxed the crap out of anything plastic. - And it would probably pay off the US federal debt in time!

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aociswundumho said:

Mandatory recycling is yet another form of performative virtue signalling by the morons on the left.

If recycling is worth doing, then the market will take care of it. Note that we don't have to force anyone to recycle metals.



I was one of those kids. Going rattin' at the dump was so much fun.

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