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----- Original Message -----
From: Darlene Vandever <blaan@flash.net>
To: <zerowaste@grrn.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2000 6:47 AM
Subject: plastic recycling
Dear Sir or Madam,
I sent a similar letter to EDF and have not gotten a response. I hope I get
more information from you as this is a very disturbing incident and I need
some answers.
When I first moved to this country area, I was outraged by the litter on the
roadways. I contacted my local garbage company and was told that they had
no recycling program. They said the area residents didn't ask for one or
seem to want one. I did some searching on my own and found a recycling
company in the next town (Conroe Recycling Co.) which took #1 & #2 plastic,
aluminum, steel, glass, and paper. For 3 years, I did a little grassroots
organizing and a number of my neighbors and I saved our recyclables and once
a month, one of us in rotation would load up everybody's stuff and take it
over to the next town to be recycled.
Now comes the question and the disturbing incident. My turn was a couple of
weeks ago. I took my very full pickup of recyclables over to the plant as
usual. When I pulled in, the worker at the plant told me that they were no
longer taking the plastic! They told me that the company(s?) they sold the
plastic to were no longer buying it from them. They said that the plastic
company(s?) had told them that the process of melting and reusing the
plastic had been discovered to be releasing some type(s?) of carcinogens!
They were told that the recycling process was being suspended until the
process could be reevaluated and revamped so it was no longer dangerous.
Whose leg is being pulled here? What is going on? I know the chemistry of
those plastics and I don't see how they could release a carcogenic product
upon melting. I am suspecting a big excuse perhaps because recycled
plastics aren't selling to the public?
The upshot is that I had to put nearly 15 cu. feet of plastics into the
local landfill to sit there for the next million years. I am very disturbed
by this. What do we do with the plastics now? My neighbors and I have
decided that we will do even more to reduce and curtail our use of plastic
containers but it is nearly impossible to completely eliminate all use of
them.
Please help me out. Tell me what you have heard of this.
Disturbed in Magnolia, Texas
Darlene Vandever
If it was not for the discontent of their
women...men would still be living in caves
and eating raw meat.
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