Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005
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FR
There is more to our waste problem than "paper or plastic". There are a number of things that are much harder to recycle, and figuring out what to do with those is not just a good thing overall, it can net you some $$$. Car tires come to mind. Right no my buddy who works for a boneyard is in the process of building a tire wall. A bunch of old tires they don't want to pay to dispose of are being specially cut, stacked up and filled with concrete. But this doesn't work for everyone. I hear tell in some countries old tires are shredded and used for filler in the roads. That's not a bad idea, but realize just how tough a tire is these days. Even a bald maypop, in fact even a didpop takes quite a bit of energy to shred. Melting them down really doesn't work so well, and even with the aid of a chemical process to "melt" them down costs, and results in another waste product - in the form of strong steel cords covered with a very tough "gook". Sure you can throw that into a melting pot but it is going to smoke like hell and will not be very "green" to say the least. Solve this one and I can almost guarantee you a profit. Actually my buddy had a dog that would chew tires up, but each would take him months and he didn't leave much in the way of anything useful.
And then there is the innocuous TV set. No matter what type of TV it is, CRT, LCD, DLP or plasma, all of them are very nasty to the environment. And they are very hard to recycle in any meaningful way, because with the modern manufacturing methods the different substances are very difficult to separate. What would you do with some "shit" that contained in unknown amount phosphorous, lead, tin, aluminum, phenolic, plastic, plus a quite hard thermoset resin plastic and steel, among who knows what else ?
Another emergent problem, and I say emergent even though it already exists is disposable diapers. Years ago there was a big fire, and it was discovered that what was burning was used disposable diapers. With all the kids born in the world and the convenience of disposables, it can be a problem. One might question just why someone would stack up a huge warehouse with used diapers, the only thing that comes to mind is that he intended to try to do something with them. Space like that costs money. The fact that the place burned down may be an indication that they just gave up and decided to torch the place. But what do you have there ? Plastic, some paper and that special absorbing stuff they fill them with. I think it a pretty tall order to figure out how to make any good use of that.
Cars are another thing, while they are recycled there is much waste. One company here in Cleveland has made some progress. They have an operation that is run off a computer database. It's called Pull A Part and people bring in their own tools and literally pull the parts they need. Hell, they have to put them in anyway right ? This system has allowed alot of backyard (though competent) mechanics to make some money. With their system, that company offers parts at 50-70% off of what other boneyards will charge. Each car is set up on old rims and tires, no need for a jack. The location on the lot is logged and the "slots" are numbered. You call in with the make and model and they can tell you how many they have. Prices are quoted right over the phone. And while they even pay higher for junk cars, $500 for just about anything that resembles a car, they make enough to support four locations and TV advertising. They call themselves the best strip joiint in town in those commercials.
Innovation in the field of recycling is not only a good thing overall, but can be profitable, but you are going to earn it. Many things have been tried and failed. We need more ideas, and they don't come easy. If you figure out how to, basically, make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, the world will literally beat a path to your door.
There are already think tanks going on about this subject, but don't let that discourage anyone. Alot of innovation comes from common people, because there are millions of angles from which to attack a problem which seems insurmountable. Three hundred million angles in this country to be a bit more precise.
To illustrate that a little kid came up with a great idea. He saw those old bars of soap discarded and saw, through the eyes of a child that this resulted in waste. He invented a doodad that would take all those little bars of soap and snoosh them into a nice big bar of soap. The simplicity is staggering. Each and every one of us has seen this waste, but one figures this out, and it's a youngster to boot ! So the point here is that you do not have to be a rocket scientist.
And as to the title "Shameless". BE SHAMELESS. If you can find something useful to do with dogshit, do it. Anything helps, although alot of people will just use dogshit for fertilizer, not everyone has a garden.
ANY idea that works is good, and if taken to a large scale of operations could make anyone $$$. You don't need a degree, and even a half a brain will suffice. You never know where the next good idea will come from, literally.
T
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