[MissoulaGov] Recycling (was Committee Update 10-28-09)

[Bob Jaffe]

We touched on the issue of glass recycling. The thing about glass is that it is the least important items to recycle. It is non-toxic and the raw ingredients are the most plentiful stuff on the planet. It takes relatively low energy to produce and the energy differential between recycling and using raw materials is minimal.
But some of the suggestions mentioned are the sort of thing Matt from Home Resource was talking about. There are small business opportunities. Matt also mentioned some regulatory hurdles that we could help with such as finding ways to allow the crushed glass to be used in concrete and backfill materials.

A higher priority item that I would like to see us get a hold on is electronics waste. Tons of old electronics go to the landfill and they are full of precious metals and all sorts of awful toxins.

Bob



From: missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com [mailto:missoulagov-bounces at cmslists.com] On Behalf Of Ethel MacDonald
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2009 2:30 AM
To: Jed Taylor
Cc: missoulagov at cmslists.com
Subject: Re: [MissoulaGov] Recycling (was Committee Update 10-28-09)

Amen on the glass frustration!  Personally I think we should return to the good old days when glass bottles were re-used, not crushed and recycled.  For econ.dev how about if our several fine local breweries got together and, with gov support, manged to maintain a bottle re-use industry?  Of course, I'd still have a garage full of wine bottles waiting for my next trip to Seattle.  Along those lines, too, an interim aid would be some organized effort to transport bottles to recycling in Montana -- I understand Drummond actually has the faciiities --

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