Deposit return scheme (recycling) - Part 2

It does not mean that.

Only a fraction of collected plastic is recycled. Most end up in incinerators. Plus, to this day we do not have a clue what happens with plastic return is collecting.

One can even argue that return actually worsened situation simply because plastic and cans were collected by refuse collecting companies which still go around and collect waste we just added another middleman with their own fleet of lorries spewing out carbon driving all bottles to Limerick and then driving it somewhere else. All of which was done by classic refuse collection companies until this glorified waste collector came to existence.

The classic refuse collection is long gone. The Council lorry which came around once a week to pick up the contents a single steel bin. To be transported to the local dump/tip/landfill, the home of odours, fires and seagulls. Replaced by coloured plastic bins collected on various pickup schedules. Two of my neighbours have changed contractor lately, so we have at least three separate lorries on the street at different times.

My next door neighbour never uses bins. He brings his stuff to the local Recycle Centre. I could do this too and save money, but I must have a drop of the don't care attitude in me which make people throw away 15/25 cents. The other big change is that these lorries go on to the country roads. Unless it was different in other places, farmers never got bin collections where I grew up.

I think you know more about the plastic and aluminium than you are letting on. If you know that it is being driven somewhere beyond Limerick, then you must know where that is?

If you don't understand, then find out. You proclaimed your ignorance before. But there is no chance you are going to leave it to those who do know. You will still keep coming up "one could argue" "not sure" and "perhaps" interventions.

"You are asking me, an individual who has zero expertise in this specifica area, zero access to actual figures and research to come up with a solution for a PET free future. Aren't there tonnes of professionals/organisations etc supposed to be working on this very problem - or perhaps those resources have now been shifted elsewhere as DRS is our magic non saviour and the impact of DRS hasn't been felt at all in the profits of those who should be looking at this?

If it's something you made up in your head, then I don't agree. If you present the figures, I will make a judgement on that.

What figures do you need presented?

Let X be the number of collection trucks involved in the collection of waste/recycling 12 months ago.

X will remain static into this year as the DRS does not result in a lowering of X over time.

Let Y be the number of collection trucks involved in the collection of DRS related items.

Amount of trucks involved in waste/recycling at end of 2024 = X+Y

X+Y > X - therefore more carbon being produced versus last year in the collection of waste/recycling……………..

I at least, have the capability to acknowledge where I have been wrong, or where the DRS may have its positive points, but you don't seem to have the capability to acknowledge ANY of the issues with the scheme.

I am not sure why…………

Well what is your opinion on the current implementation of DRS…….just so the good people of boards know.

Maybe a Pros and Cons style answer would be good.

Oh you remember it alright. Your reply in the end was "what was the question again?"

I see you've now refused to answer kippy's question. Im shocked*

*Not really.

You're always going to have people querying you if you keep trying to post in support of this DRS and refuse to acknowledge any of the obvious gombeenery.

The only people who knows where collected plastic is driven from Limerick are return people and they refuse to disclose that. What is clear so far or what they let us to know is that all collected plastic is coming to Limerick private company which compact and bale it. I do not for a second think that they do it for free.

What happens after that is pure guessing game so incineration is valid example of how it may be disposed unless you or return can provide some new information as to what happens with it next.

There is a video on the homepage of the Re-Turn site, which tells a bit about what happens in Limerick and beyond.

"(recycling)" should be taken out of the thread title until Re-Turn provide the details of exactly where the recycling happens. Theres a good section (43:00 to 48:00) in the new Netflix documentary called "Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy" that explains how producers use labels and store dropoff of plastics (basically Re-Turn) to make customers think theyre doing their bit and plastics are actually getting recycled. Its all green theatre. Pure nonsense.

There is another factor missing from your calculations, maybe we could call it Z for the sake of argument.

Pre DRS the trucks that collected from houses and businesses only delivered their contents to the bin company yards around the country.

There would have been other trucks collecting from the yards and bringing the recyclables to Limerick.

In fairness, some of these trucks are still on the road collecting whatever PET and cans are still handled by the bin companies.

But journeys by these trucks will have been greatly reduced after DRS.

Taking that reduction from your total represented by Y gives us Z which is the real transport emissions impact of DRS.

So to sum up while we don't have an exact figure for the carbon produced by DRS transport I think Z should be in the mix.

No, the bin companies would not take the recyclables to Limerick or any other destinations but they had to be moved.

Their trucks only collect from houses and businesses.

The bin companies yard was and is not the destination, only a holding place.

Mostly independent truck companies move the loads.

It still involves truck movements which is the salient point in trying to assess the carbon emissions from the transport.

Went to the bottle bank this morning-lorry was there emptying the "bins" or whatever. As I waited was chatting to your man on the lorry, about DRS. He reckons they will soon do away with the aluminium cans bin as its not worth their time to empty it as there is so little in it!

Not a good look imo.

I think most people will fit a visit to the RVM in with a shopping trip.

Those like yourself who get home delivery will mostly do the RVM in conjunction with some other errands.

Overall I'd guess that there is an increase in transport emissions due to DRS but I don't have any figures to prove one way or the other.