20101130

Bottles

I heard recently that the idea when recycling plastic bottles is to either remove the lid, or puncture the bottle, so the recycling machinery can deal with the different plastics and crush the unsealed bottle easily.

From now on I'll be screwing the cap firmly on (I also spindle, fold and otherwise mutilate official forms).

20101121

Recycle, its good for you!

Like most local governments in Australia, we are encouraged to 'recycle' our recyclable rubbish: we've got bins for 'green' waste (bits of plants), glass and plastic, paper and of course the real rubbish. That's FOUR bins.

Who do they think they are kidding?

At my place everything goes in the rubbish bin, except the paper and the bits of plants, there's just too much of them. But glass, plastic, and old fish heads all go in the little grey bin.

Why, you ask?

Two reasons:

1. My local council consistently makes it difficult to get building additions approved, so why am I going to cooperate with a bunch of intrusive fascists?

2. If recycling was worthwhile, doing it should bring me an economic benefit. If the recyclers can make money, then they need to share it with me, their raw materials supplier. If they can't make money, then the market is sending the signal that its a waste of time! I'd be more amenable (except for point 1) to recycle if it lead to a reduction in my garbage collection fees. But, it doesn't so I treat it for the 'do-gooder' crock that it is, and don't.

Why don't you join me?

20101117

Welcome to country

You've probably been there, like I have a million times: at the start of some event a pompous do-gooder gets up and recognises that the land we are on used to belong to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, and we thank the elders for clearing off and letting us build here.

Well, wrong!

I'd like to remember James Cook without whom we wouldn't be in this building with its nice toilets and hot and cold running water, or have the roads we used to get here (well, it was really the Romans for the roads, but never mind). None of which the Eora nation achieved!