I'm having a middle class breakdown

[Stan1972]

Just returned from the pub a bit pickled, after picking up a pie and chips.

After eating said culinary delight, I've wrapped the paper, pie wrapper, chips, and ketchup into the plastic bag it came in. I've then wandered into the no-man's land of the bins... and popped it in the recycling by mistake.

I'm mortified, but have no desire to dumpster dive in the rain.

What would you do...

Firstly, and most importantly, What pie was it?
Surely has to be brown sauce with pie n chips n not ketchup?

Secondly, I would go to bed, wake up, have a bacon sarnie, with brown sauce, with a nice mug of Tea, and then go about my day as planned.

Life is too short, plus once the general household waste and recycling reach the same depot, they will all be dumped in same place anyway.

Up the O’s

[Long slender neck]

Just not true Stan.

[Real Al]

Just not true Stan.

Well, he's certainly wrong about brown sauce.

[George M]

Sounding like a conspiracy theorist.

So countries around the world are all recycling for no reason?

Did you not read the article. Individually placing items into a recycling bin does not mean that those items are being recycled. It’s trying to solve the result of the problem rather than the cause. Until we stop producing silly little plastic bottles of water , as an example , I will not take recycling seriously. As a minimum these should be banned with immediate effect.

"Because consumerism" and because "some things aren't recycled" are not good enough reasons not to try

We need to stop producing crap rather than finding ways to get rid of the crap that we are producing in such huge quantities.

[Mistadobalina]

My wife gets proper irritated when I put cans in the bin. Can I tell her she’s wrong?

I'm gonna be an absolute bore here but metals are the one thing that can't be incinerated so absolutely should go in the recycling. Otherwise it ends up in the waste incineration plant, releasing some of the most toxic chemicals as they get smelted effectively, and then the residual metal gets transported for recycling anyway as it can't be fully burnt for fuel.

If it relieves any guilty consciousnesses, carbon capture technology will mean most waste incineration energy will be carbon negative in the near future. So it's only the horrible toxins that can't be filtered out you need to worry about.

[CEB2ElectricBoogaloo]

Bugger

[Mistadobalina]

Plastic waste is generally sent abroad, where the treatment methods are dubious at best. So if you're a proper soppy leftie, the most ethical thing to do is just bin so that at least it's us who are inhaling tiny cancerous particles as it gets burnt into energy. Recycling is the proper reform option.

[Max B Gold]

Recently I have gone back to using bars of soap instead of the shower gel in a disposable single use plastic bottle.

It helps salve my conscience as I am ignoring the council diktat to not put food waste in the general waste grey bin. They've upped the ante by putting a red sticker on the top of the grey bin saying " no food waste". I now sneer at it as I put my rubbish in the bin.

[Celtient]

Just not true Stan.

I second that. Brown sauce is one of humankind's most revolting inventions. Makes me gag just thinking about it

[Long slender neck]

Did you not read the article. Individually placing items into a recycling bin does not mean that those items are being recycled. It’s trying to solve the result of the problem rather than the cause. Until we stop producing silly little plastic bottles of water , as an example , I will not take recycling seriously. As a minimum these should be banned with immediate effect.

"Because consumerism" and because "some things aren't recycled" are not good enough reasons not to try

We need to stop producing crap rather than finding ways to get rid of the crap that we are producing in such huge quantities.

Do both

[George M]

"Because consumerism" and because "some things aren't recycled" are not good enough reasons not to try

We need to stop producing crap rather than finding ways to get rid of the crap that we are producing in such huge quantities.

Do both

You can do both , of course, but I prefer not to buy items covered in 3 layers of plastic. Go to your local Turkish shop where fruit and veg is still sold loose. That way you are not contributing to the problem in the first place

[Long slender neck]

Sounds like you're advocating for a net zero approach

[George M]

Sounds like you're advocating for a net zero approach

Not at all. I’m doing things that feel right and make me happy. Net zero is an unobtainable myth. It will never happen . It’s already pointless and if I lived long enough I would tell you I told you so. You need to travel more and witness the sad reality first hand

[Long slender neck]

Yes but it'd be worse without any recycling

[Rich Tea Wellin]

Assume you only buy British produce that’s in season and nothing imported George?

[George M]

Assume you only buy British produce that’s in season and nothing imported George?

Is all you can do is what you think is best. I do try but as we produce very little it’s not always possible.We can’t produce enough of our own food to feed 70 million people. We could all continue to live as we do with less people , or live differently with more restrictions with more people. What do you think is best ?

[George M]

Yes but it'd be worse without any recycling

You are attacking the issue from the wrong end. Rather than produce masses of waste we don’t need , then pretend to recycle , surely not producing it in the first place is the simplest solution. In the end that will be the only way. Stop producing crap. It ends up in the sea , spread over the countryside, spread over someone else’s country. Individual countries taking a unilateral view will not stop climate change. It’s already here . It’s accelerating at a frightening pace and recycling your rubbish may appease your guilt , but it won’t make a difference. Just look at the volume of plastic Chinese crap , toys etc , that are bought daily . Look at the pages of junk mail pushed through letterboxes and ends up in the bin without being read. Birthday balloons hanging from trees , fireworks terrifying wildlife with the remains strewn across the land. There are so many simple changes we could make but won’t. If it impacts growth , it won’t change.

[Long slender neck]

The world isnt going back to the stone age

[George M]

The world isnt going back to the stone age

How is banning plastic crap going back to the Stone Age. And you need to be aware , that is exactly where we are heading. Let’s get back to where the thread began with recycling. The article made it clear , I have seen it first hand , recycling is not the solution. Using less plastic is. End of.

[Long slender neck]

No, we can reduce consumption and plastic while also recycling

[WilliamTell]

Nothing from the NHS appears to be recyclable judging by what's in my bin. No pills in bottles anymore, just incased in plastic.

[Long slender neck]

Read recently that Boots are recycling pill thingys and you get points for it too.

[RedDwarf 1881]

If I were running a country where the education system is stretched , failing ,and underfunded , where the NHS is overrun, where the transport infrastructure sinks under the volume wishing to use it , my first thought would not be to increase the population further . And yet that is exactly what Labour propose and we all sit here accepting that as a policy that will put us back on the track to greatness. It is a policy that makes no sense to anyone other than those making the decision.

All parties are on board with population expansion, mainly to cover the fact that we have an ageing population and need the younger ones to pay for it. That in itself suggests that as a country/population we have under-funded (or been ineffective) under our own model of governance (we are definitely underfunded to some degree). Having less earning adults can only affect our output and so gdp. Population growth = economic growth?

You’re forgetting about the elephant in the room. Immigrants also grow old so who will look after them . It’s a classic case of kicking the can down the road.

[Proposition Joe]

If I were running a country where the education system is stretched , failing ,and underfunded , where the NHS is overrun, where the transport infrastructure sinks under the volume wishing to use it , my first thought would not be to increase the population further . And yet that is exactly what Labour propose and we all sit here accepting that as a policy that will put us back on the track to greatness. It is a policy that makes no sense to anyone other than those making the decision.

All parties are on board with population expansion, mainly to cover the fact that we have an ageing population and need the younger ones to pay for it. That in itself suggests that as a country/population we have under-funded (or been ineffective) under our own model of governance (we are definitely underfunded to some degree). Having less earning adults can only affect our output and so gdp. Population growth = economic growth?

Immigrants also grow old so who will look after them .

Probably other immigrants, because they're the only ones filling these underpaid and undervalued roles.

[Dunners]

That well will run dry eventually. It also ignores the negative impact on those countries that are losing their human capital.

The economic benefit of immigration was not just that they did the jobs nobody else wanted, but that they would have enough kids to push the fertility rate above 2.1 (and their kids would be educated in the UK so eventually become employees in a higher-value roles).

The former is happening, but the latter isn't. Which means immigration will increasingly compound the effects of an ageing society. We'll need increasing levels of immigration to try and mitigate the impact of... immigration.

Immigration is just about all that is driving the marginal GDP growth. But with declining productivity rates and GDP per capita, this has the potential to end badly.