Recycling and Reuse

Jan 30 03:53 UTC 2006

For discussing recycling.

response 2 of 25:

Jan 30 14:08 UTC 2006

Jim likes to save lots of empty bottles to keep things in, such as spices.
You can buy bulk spices at various ethnic food stores very cheaply.  You can
also take the bottles back to the drug store and ask for refills.  I think
they put on a different cap.  You can carry olive oil around in little bottles
to put it on Zingerman's bread ends when you picnic there in the nice sunny
table with the southern exposure by the back door, which is 10-20 degrees
warmer than surroundings if the sun shines (brick wall heats up too).  You
can put computer screws into them.  

response 4 of 25:

Jan 30 18:56 UTC 2006

The OnlineAngels website mentions that but gives no address. But, isn't 
there somewhere local where the bottles/vials can be recycled? Perhaps all 
the schools and such places are already saturated with bottles for arts 
and crafts. The fact that the Sxrap Box doesn't want them suggests that.

Re #2: Like Jim, I also save empty bottles, and use a lot in my shop and 
laboratory. But there IS a limit to how many it is useful to save. as I 
said..."I've already saturated my need for such bottles" (and then some). 
These bottles come from online pharmacies and they don't ask for them 
back..

Plastics are made from petroleum or natural gas and if I recall correctly, 
amount to about 3% of the use of those resources. There is an enormous 
waste stream from just packaging/containers made of plastics. A lot of 
this, like many bottles, are just as useful after use as when new. It is 
just the lack of an economic collection system that prevents their reuse.

response 6 of 25:

Jan 31 03:23 UTC 2006

I included the address in #3.  You have to go a couple of pages into the site
to find it.  I had it from another charity group I belong to.  They are one
of our monthly charities.

response 8 of 25:

Feb 1 12:27 UTC 2006

Re 5: I doubt the drug companies would use cardboard boxes instead of
plastic bottles for at least two good reasons: protecting children 
(child-proof cap) and increasing the shelf life of the product (by
protecting it from humidity). 

response 10 of 25:

Feb 1 19:08 UTC 2006

Is it conceivable that the medicines could be shipped in simpler packages and
put into the child-and-environment-proof bottles the users have just emptied?

response 12 of 25:

Feb 1 21:23 UTC 2006

You can say "I don't know why some who uses X cares about small amounts of 
Y" until nothing is done about anything. You have to take action where 
action is takeable. Cars could be simplified too, and perhaps will be when 
the Peak Oil and Global Warming and Population Bomb get serious enough.

response 14 of 25:

Feb 2 04:18 UTC 2006

Because my personal and professional lives require the use of a car. 

response 16 of 25:

Feb 2 16:34 UTC 2006

They'll sell those drugs in little plastic bottles too.

You seem to be suggesting that reuse and recycling is not worth doing if 
one owns and uses a car. I don't agree with that.

You are also the one favoring reuse of practically anything that has a 
use, but for some reason are now excluding bottles from that.

But why are we, two people that in our own ways favor recycling and reuse, 
getting into an argument about our differences in those regards? This 
seems counterproductive.

response 18 of 25:

Feb 2 17:19 UTC 2006

I know it costs extra to buy drugs locally if you have health insurance that
covers drugs and want a 3-month supply.  I am pointing out to Rane that if
he really wanted to not acquire more plastic bottles he can do so.  K-Mart
and/or Village Pharmacy agreed to refill my bottle.  Also that I think he
should concentrate on changing aspects of his life that have more
environmental impact than the little bottles.  Buy food in bulk from a buying
club.  Even recycling containers wastes the fuel needed to move them around
and remake the containers into other boxes or jars.  Don't purchase reading
material, borrow from the library, or get your news electronically.  

response 20 of 25:

Feb 3 19:47 UTC 2006

So far we are still keeping them.  With STeve's little electric parts and my
crafting supplies we are sort of keeping up with them.  I have found that is
it cheaper to buy my beads in stranded form rather than the smaller vials.
I use Rx bottles to store them in when I take them off the thread to use them.
That alone will take most of the bottles that we will acquire for the next
year or three.  When we start getting a surplus I will either send them on
to the Online Angels or look for something similar around here.  The Angels
give them to free clinics.  Other people on my lists give them to the girl
scouts, boy scouts, boy/girl clubs, etc. for use in their crafting.

response 22 of 25:

Feb 4 06:37 UTC 2006

How are they used for slide guitar? As the slide? These bottles are #5, 
polypropylene (PP) and the sides flex, so are not as rigid as the drug 
vials made from polystyrene (PS) (#6). Is PP useful?

response 24 of 25:

Feb 4 18:21 UTC 2006

You are really getting on my case, aren't you Sindi?

Then I'll suggest that you reduce, reuse and recycle by moving to the country
and live in a tent, grow your own food, and chop wood for heat.