So I was reading this article on recycling and saw this graph:

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/7625/r20071214paperwasteyw2.gif

I was shocked to say the least. 12.9% of all solid waste is yard trimmings!!! Haven't people ever heard of compost? It makes me sick to think that perfectly good organic matter is being hauled away in trucks to be buried in a landfill when some jackass could have just thrown it in the woods, therefore completing the cycle. Discuss.

Yeah people are morons. You know one of the challenges I have at work is a kerbside greenwaste collection - crunching the numbers to make it feasible. Certain people want it but don't want to have to pay for it...go figure. People living in appartments wouldn't use the system so it's not an easy task.

The stupidest thing is people will dispose of their yard trimmings AND THEN go to a garden centre and buy things like mulch and compost!! They are willing to pay for disposal and then buy it back. Some people huh?

The % is higher if you allow food scraps to include fruit and vegetable waste and egg shells etc

The stupidest thing is people will dispose of their yard trimmings AND THEN go to a garden centre and buy things like mulch and compost!! They are willing to pay for disposal and then buy it back. Some people huh?

It's only stupid if you'd otherwise be prepared to wait for the damn thing to turn into mulch.

It's only stupid if you'd otherwise be prepared to wait for the damn thing to turn into mulch.

Well if you start now, you can buy mulch / compost for only 1 or 2 seasons, then have your own after that forever (assuming you continuously add to the pile.)

Use the mulch setting on your mower rather than bagging it. That will cut the % way down.

It's only stupid if you'd otherwise be prepared to wait for the damn thing to turn into mulch.

Prometheus got it, the MULCH feature on the mower...Instantaneous mulch. Think you might mean 'turn into compost' oh wise one.

All the power to people that hand over money season over season instead of piling it up and occasionally turning it.

SOTB you do much gardening in London? ;)

Prometheus got it, the MULCH feature on the mower...Instantaneous mulch. Think you might mean 'turn into compost' oh wise one.

Yes, I meant compost. I wasn't paying much attention TBH; the answer that people living busy lives don't have time to dick about with this shit seemed straghtforward. Clearly the truth of the matter is far more technical than I first imagined.

As for your snide remark about London, a large number of the people where I live who have gardens also have gardeners, as a consequence of disposable cash and city living. Little point in fannying around with compost bins and other such paraphernalia, when a guy rolls up in a van with compost, mulch, 30 litres of concentrated malathion, that fancy butterfly box topiary you asked for, blah, blah... already in it.

Yes, I meant compost. I wasn't paying much attention TBH; the answer that people living busy lives don't have time to dick about with this shit seemed straghtforward. Clearly the truth of the matter is far more technical than I first imagined.

As for your snide remark about London, a large number of the people where I live who have gardens also have gardeners, as a consequence of disposable cash and city living. Little point in fannying around with compost bins and other such paraphernalia, when a guy rolls up in a van with compost, mulch, 30 litres of concentrated malathion, that fancy butterfly box topiary you asked for, blah, blah... already in it.

It's a load of shit, when I was 3-4 I started throwing kitchen scraps in the back corner of our yard. As I got older and started mowing our lawn I started tossing the grass on top of it instead of my dad. Explain how that's more effort then putting it in a bin.

I'm happy for the work hard just to pay a worker to do something they could do themselves - Breaking their backs in an office instead of a garden to get it done. At least the gardeners are laughing.

I live in central West London, you don't; the culture is evidently utterly alien to you.

Some of the richest people on the planet live here, with me having worked for some of them (unfortunately I am still far from joining their exclusive ranks). Now explaining to some self educated, low expectation, bogan shit-kicker, the relative lifestyle merits and mental attitude of being an investment banker, who earns well in excess of $2,000,000 p.a. of your weak auzzie dollars, versus the average manual-labouring inner city gardener, is probably going to be a fruitless task.

So excuse me if I refrain from doing so.

I've seen two really nifty composting contraptions. My uncle had one that was basically a large drum that spun on it's axis. Throw crap in there, spin it with the crank now and then, and you get a nice plant rot smell (it's kinda pleasant) coming from there. Good stuff comes out.

The other is basically a large box with a wide mesh on the bottom, like you'd get overlapping a couple pieces of chicken wire. In the bottom of the box, before you put your waste in it, you have a rod of some sort. I personally would do metal, since it will take a lot of abuse. The rod is exactly as long as the box is wide, and has handles on either side. F it, I'll make a diagram...

Diagram's nearly done. Too tired to complete it now. Will post it in about 12 hours.

As much waste as possible should be buried in landfill!!!

Due to the extraction of fossil fuels, the net level of carbon in the carbon cycle has increased (and some argue this has lead to global warming - a seperate debate)

Therefore to combat this we need to take carbon out of the system - there are many different methods, landfill is one of them!

Sean

I live in central West London, you don't; the culture is evidently utterly alien to you.

Some of the richest people on the planet live here, with me having worked for some of them (unfortunately I am still far from joining their exclusive ranks). Now explaining to some self educated, low expectation, bogan shit-kicker, the relative lifestyle merits and mental attitude of being an investment banker, who earns well in excess of $2,000,000 p.a. of your weak auzzie dollars, versus the average manual-labouring inner city gardener, is probably going to be a fruitless task.

So excuse me if I refrain from doing so.

Richard Pratt (LOL 'Pratt') look him up if the name rings no bells. Rich Australian, cashing in on the worlds 'waste'. Maybe we are just smarter here...and I've worked for him myself, big deal...stop trying to make things sound impressive.

You've completely missed the point, as predicted.

You've completely missed the point, as predicted.

It was 6am after a bender, mehhh. I don't care about the so called 'culture' and that it's just not what people do, if people don't they are simple and I don't care how much money they rake in.

The issue here is waste, these pople you speak of have gardeners and the WASTE still stands which brings into it so much more i.e. Paying a shit gardener. If they are as wealthy as you suggest they are, then it just proves to be wealthy you don't need a brain.

Tax the fuckers, charge them more steal from the rich, suits me - Might try to transfer to London and boss you fuckwits around ;)

Don't blame me--as long as we have lived here, we have never cut any of the grass or weeds in the yard.

Cut down a few dead trees, though--didn't want them falling on the trailer.

Cutting down dead trees is a good idea, if they pose a hazard, or if you really need the firewood. I favor leaving the standing deadwood in all other situations though, many animals use it as a habitat.

The woods are like half a mile away from my house. I don't have time to go half a mile with 8 trash bags

idiot

Use the mulch setting on your mower rather than bagging it. That will cut the % way down.

Usually that doesn't work very well if the grass is long, at least it doesn't on my mower. Depends how nice it is i guess.

And how sharp the blade is, and if the grass is wet.

Can't be all bad, throwing in a bit of natural composting stuff into the landfill can only help it decompose. Might speed it up a bit.

It isn't like throwing it away causes a huge problem or anything, especially as where I live there is a bin specifically for garden waste. I expect as they go to the bother of keeping it seperate they put it to good use.

Can't be all bad, throwing in a bit of natural composting stuff into the landfill can only help it decompose. Might speed it up a bit.

It isn't like throwing it away causes a huge problem or anything, especially as where I live there is a bin specifically for garden waste. I expect as they go to the bother of keeping it seperate they put it to good use.

no,
but transporting it from your collection point to the dump causes somewhat of an enviromental impact.

Why are people talking like compost is just thrown with the trash? It is taken to the compost dump and put to use. Doesn't cost anything extra to have bags of it hauled as far as I know.

The woods are like half a mile away from my house. I don't have time to go half a mile with 8 trash bags

idiot


You don't have to go anywhere, as stated by TrouserSnake, you can have the compost be in a corner of the yard somewhere closer by.
"It's a load of shit, when I was 3-4 I started throwing kitchen scraps in the back corner of our yard. As I got older and started mowing our lawn I started tossing the grass on top of it instead of my dad. Explain how that's more effort then putting it in a bin."

so quit being lazy about changing your ways.