Re: [greenyes] Decomposition in Landfills

["Justin Stockdale" <jstockdale@no.address>]

And not only do they guard the dumpster at their sites, they have locally
threatened litigation if the material is scavenged once it hits the big hole
in the ground we call the landfill. The standard response from the Wal Marts
of the world is that they believe donating these goods will engender
unwanted competition and missed sales opportunities.

The fact that they are willing to bury these dollars further points to the
most basic problem with the mega-retailer, they sell junk....engineered
obsolescence.....my favorite example: a dish drying rack for $2.99 (what a
deal) that you will replace in six months when it falls apart, so you buy
another, and another, and another because it was only $2.99!

Lowest Prices means one thing to me, cheapest goods.

All y'all out there on this list should be outraged not because they
landfill unsold merchandise, but because everything they sell is guaranteed
to be landfilled soon after purchase. The business model of the mega
retailer is based on this very practice....you have to keep the people
coming back for more....how do you bring them back....sell them junk in the
first place and make the buyer feel all warm and fuzzy because they got such
a great deal and they will be satisfied with pitching it six months later.

And how about Plastic Bag Recycling? You are truly fortunate if your local
discount chain accomplishes this seemingly impossible task. Maybe I have
been living in the few places where they bury all the bags they collect, or
maybe the recycling of them is the anomaly, but I have yet to find a store
who accepts the bags out front who isn't sending them straight to the
compactor out back.

I have many issues with the ubiquitous discount chains; from bull dozing
local zoning and land use regs to the complete disregard for resource
responsibility.....outrage can be born of almost everything they do, so
really do not be surprised when the junk they didn't sell ends up
buried.....at least they're not passing the disposal cost onto the people
who can afford it the least!

Justin