All posts by tylertalkstrash

Sun Chips Bags Still Too Noisy?

Sun Chips Still Too Noisy?

I had so much stuff planned for tonight, and then I stumbled upon this video about a new Sun Chips bag.  Reading people’s comments about the bag being too noisy heavily increases the chances of me attempting to stomp my own face into a jar.  What is the issue here?  Are you really going to stop eating something based on its packaging?

First of all, kudos to Frito-Lay for trying to design a compostable bag.  Someone’s gotta start the movement sooner or later.  Be clear about whether it is actually biodegradable, or a product that just breaks down into smaller pieces causing problems.

To all my fellow composters out there:  Good luck composting this bag at home.  It isn’t easy.  The bag is designed for disposal in a commercial composting facility (example video of the process found HERE) that maintains crazy high temperatures that can even process stuff like chicken bones.  If you’re going to try it anyway, be sure to shred it up before adding to the pile.  If you try to compost it whole, it will be more trouble than it’s worth (think of how unshredded leaves and newspaper clump up your finished product).

I don’t know why something like this gets me so riled up…I guess it’s because there’s really no reason to complain that a chip bag is too loud.  It’s just a chip bag.  If you’re complaining the bag is too loud, your friends (if you have any) think you complain about everything.  If you liked Sun Chips before the bag was created, why wouldn’t you like them now?  The product is the same.

Hell, I feel just as lame because I’m going to buy one of these new bags just to make a new video reminding you yet again why you should be happy that a major corporation is attempting to try something innovative for once.

There is one major flaw on Frito Lay’s part: A good portion of people that buy this bag will think that they can just dispose of this in the regular trash and that it will magically biodegrade…it won’t.  Landfills are anaerobic, which means there’s no oxygen.  Whether your bag is designed as biodegradable or not won’t make a significant difference…don’t let anyone tell you different, not even waste hauling companies.

I guess that I’m not really helping by saying that, either…because now even more people will be disenchanted that their bag isn’t going to do anything differently in the dump.  Well, apply that thinking to all of your waste from here on out.  Reduction is the key here, and it will lead to satisfaction and simplicity.  I promise.

Proper Pick #1: Paper Parking Placards

I was walking home earlier today, and I happened to see a cop tossing a handful of these in the trash:
Really?  What’s wrong with these?  Quite a nice candidate for paper recycling.  I pulled them out, and was actually quite impressed with how sturdy they were…so I took them.  I feel like these always have the same timeframes scribbled on them, too…so how about “No stopping today from the hours of 9a – 6p”?  Might not need to print so many…

The Trouble with Tyvek

Last week, I ordered one of these to take my vermicomposting efforts to the next level… and I got distracted before I even opened up the package.  It came in one of those Priority Mail envelopes…not made of papery material, but the plastic-like stuff.  It occurred to me that I didn’t know what this was made of, so I did some research…lo and behold it’s Tyvek.

Invented by the ever-lousy Dupont, supposedly Tyvek can be “recycled, incinerated or landfilled safely”.  I don’t know of any plastics being “safe” to incinerate…would you hang out around burning plastic?  Let’s just pretend Dupont is a respectable company and move on.

Why is the marketing so lousy on the shipping envelope for Tyvek’s recyclability?  It’s unfortunate when a product claims it’s recyclable, but in reality it’s not publicized, marketed, or simple to become a participant.  In this case, it’s especially stressful since mail-in programs are great.  Look at printer cartridge return programs or companies like Terracycle, for example…effective pre-paid shipping on all kinds of stuff has been out there for years.  On the Dupont website, it turns out that you can pay to send in a mailer full of mailers for recycling, so I will do this from now on…but who should be picking up the shipping cost?

Why is Tyvek used for a shipping envelope?  Its resistance to water seems to be the main selling point…maybe it’s cheaper too.  Anyway, here’s the tiny blurb that I discovered on the package:

The Cradle to Cradle certification is a highly flawed and controversial “seal of approval” that the Tyvek USPS mailers were awarded.  On the C2C website, the description of the C2C Silver rating sounds good at face value…until you compare it to their Gold and Platinum levels.  One of the Gold requirements is “NO problematic chemicals”…so then how many are in the Silver certification?  Gold also mentions having a plan for product recovery…does Dupont have NO plan?  Yeah, it’s next to nothing, but it’s something…and I really hope they improve upon it.

To show us their bottomless compassion, the United States Postal Service has a C2C certification video featuring some soulless bureaucrats giving vague answers that a 5 year old wouldn’t believe.  Am I really this stupid?  Believe it or not, I don’t like to hate on stuff…but the efforts shown here seem really hollow, don’t you think?

Waste of the Week #4

Last night I was talking to a fine young lady and I caught myself saying “taking photos of waste receptacles is one of my favorite things to do”.  Wow, it really is.  And she didn’t run away, either.

Last time I was in Denver, I thought to myself “wow, they have really nice waste stations here.”  I had a surprisingly easy time taking photos of them, too…very laid back in comparison to Philly where I would have been perceived as a terrorist.  I want to make a book of photos of airport waste receptacles from around the world…well, I guess it has to happen now.

Anyway, Denver is clearly on top of their game.  Each container looks consistent while remaining different.  They’re labeled very clearly as to what they are and the shapes of the disposal holes are excellent.  The commingled one has not only a large hole on the  top (although not as big as the Trash hole), but also two on the sides that make you think of putting your drink in there.

[side note: a few months ago, I had a drink when I was going through the security checkpoint (yes, I know this is obviously a no-no) and they made me dispose of it there on the spot…no recycling to be found.  Better yet someone behind me complained there was nowhere to recycle it so I’m not alone on this complaint…I’m one of two people.]

Another key factor is that they’re all different heights, too… definitely an excellent design.  However, I’m surprised the Paper top isn’t blue instead of black like the Trash top.  I’m more of a fan of having the entire container be one color, and different from the others next to it…no more ugly swirly silvery things.  Now I’m just nitpicking so I will end it now.  Kudos, Denver Airport!

Next in the series will be one of my favorites in the ‘creative ways to dispose of your trash’ category…stay tuned!

Plastic Bag Tax, Please Come Sooner.

It takes a lot to get me pissed off, and this article disgusts me to no end: http://blog.heritage.org/2011/01/06/new-plastic-bag-tax-coming-to-a-store-near-you/#comment-264180

Plastic bag tax is long overdue. Bringing a bag or a backpack with you is not a struggle, and once you do it once or twice it becomes second nature.

Ireland still proves it right:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/sep/24/ireland-tax-plastic-bags

Paper: Recyclable, compostable, biodegradable.
Plastic: Clogs waterways, gets in our food, no recycling market, not compostable, not biodegradable.

American Chemistry Council and all plastics lobbyists: Get a life.

Toilet Troubles

One thing my parents would tell you about me when I was little, other than being a total obnoxious pain in the ass, is that I loved to critique public restrooms.  Little did I know I would still be way into this over two decades later.  Actually, I totally knew.  I’m not sure I knew I’d be writing about it, though.

You can really observe the character of an establishment based on its restrooms.  Easily one of the most depressing things in the world are Pennsylvania rest stops…peculiar, filthy, overpriced hellholes filled with disgusting food chains and souvenir shops selling the worst possible trinkets you can imagine.

During my holiday ride home from western Pennsylvania, I got my yearly reminder and luckily I remembered my camera.  Supposedly recycling exists at these facilities, although I’ve never seen any clues that the waste is separated whatsoever.  I got to watch someone service the containers this time, too… not convinced.

Anyway, the restroom was home to some odd features.  First off, the urinals were all the laser eye flush technology, which is increasingly more common nowadays.  Which do you think is more effective?  The laser eye flushing the urinal before you pee, and then again after you pee?  How about the old fashioned way which includes a handle to flush, that no one uses?  I rarely use it, but will always flush with my foot if I have to.  I’m sure most people do it that way, but if someone else is in the restroom, you might use your hand and then wash them vigorously, which you wouldn’t have done otherwise.  I saw a foot pedal flusher before, I thought that was by far the BEST way to handle the situation and should be the standard, plain and simple.

The highlight of the bathroom was definitely this:


A CENTRALIZED ass gasket dispenser!  Are you serious?  I’ve never seen this before, ever.  They’re normally found in every stall, but not in good old PA rest stops.  I actually find this to be pretty great, but who’s going to think to get their ass gasket before going into a stall?  It’s always hard balancing all the strips of toilet paper on the seat, so I do find ass gaskets to be pretty cool.  I remember one of my teachers in school claimed his brother invented them.  Nice claim to fame, economics teacher.  Your brother’s so-called invention is cooler than your whole life of teaching supply and demand curves.

The other total bummer of this restroom was definitely this:


Automated paper towel dispensers…man, I don’t like these.  Not only does it give you enough paper for your extended family, but if you hold your hand underneath it for a second too long, it doubles the amount it gives you.  Similar dilemma to the automated flushers… some people don’t like touching the paper towel dispenser handles.  I think those people need to pony up and do it… let’s save some paper and batteries.  This is a good segue into the debate against air dryers… they use plenty of energy and they harbor all kinds of disgusting bacteria around the edge of the blower, which are then blasted all over your hands…great.

Why do bathrooms have to suck so much?  I think it’s time to add bathroom reviews to the page as a regular feature, too… off to go check out a composting toilet.

Waste of the Week #3

I’d say this can is among the most confusing I’ve ever seen…I’m not sure if it’s me overthinking it in combination with being nerdy, or if it really does suck that bad.  I’m biased…whenever I see a stone waste receptacle, I instantly cringe.  Is it really necessary?  Especially this one, which appears to be PAINTED stone.  It looks like it used to be gray stone, and then they rattle canned it green to hint that you might be able to recycle stuff here.  I’ll give it the benefit and move on.

So what happened here?  These cans were all over the place… were they originally trash receptacles, and then a crafty welder came along and made tiny recycling amendments for all of them?  Glass and Cans only?  No plastics accepted, although you have a commingled program?  All right.  Why does it say Trash on the underside?  Mixed messages equal crappy compliance and dwindling confidence.

Is this design meant to only hold 5 glass containers or cans?  That’s about all the top can hold.  There’s actually a hinge in the bottom of that thing, and its purpose eludes me.

I’m complaining so much about this that I don’t want to read my writing anymore.  I’m going to try full throttle optimism here: Maybe the can was originally for general waste, then modified for full-on recycling at a time when the city could not accept all the basics.  Maybe all their waste goes to a Material Recovery Facility, therefore triumphing over mixed messages.

Let’s hope this is the case…and if so, make it known.  Scrap all the tops for metal, make little signs on all of your city receptacles that say “This material is sent to a Materials Recovery Facility for Optimal Waste Segregation and Recycling.”

Headache.  Bedtime.  Happy holidays.

Waste of the Week #2

Hi.  It’s time for another installment of Waste of the Week.  This one, like the first edition, is also from San Francisco.  So how do I feel about it?  It’s a tough call… I love the effort here, but there’s some simple improvements that can be made.  Actually, now that I think about it, this setup is pretty darn nice for those on the cheap.  Businesses take note.

Pros:

1) Cans are all different colors.  Different colors = less thinking = good.

2) Basic descriptions of each clearly posted…and with manners!

3) They’re composting.  Always good.

Cons:

1) Black bags.

Well, this one is more of a con for waste nerds and trash pickers…black bags aren’t easy to see into, and waste haulers aren’t going to know what’s in them either.  Bottom line, it leaves room for negative thoughts about the end result of the contents (actually, it makes me think of black garbage bags being used to throw away millions of tons of yard waste into landfills each year, which then gives me a serious headache).

2) No lids!

I need the two circular cutouts side-by-side on the blue one (commingled) for sure.  As for the black and green cans… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a special lid for compost cans of this size/model (aka the “slim jim”).  A compost lid should be a funky star-shaped cutout (that’s what you are when you compost), or maybe a simple oval would make more sense.  Anything to keep it from being an open void while remaining distinctive from the other two is fine by me.

3) It’s situated next to a bench.

HA!  Personally I don’t care about this at all, but there was actually an old lady complaining to another old lady that she didn’t want to sit on the bench because the “smelly rubbish bins” were right there…seriously.  This isn’t the first time I’ve witnessed this, either.  On top of that, I think she was imagining the smell because all three cans were empty, which was a bummer because I was really curious if customers were using this setup properly.

Yeah, I like this setup.  Pretty nice.  I would be totally happy if most businesses took this on.

The next Waste of the Week installment is going to be the lamest waste receptacle I can find… oh, the suspense!

Righteous Rain Barrels!

For the last few months while out foraging for whatever, in the back of my mind I was looking for a nice big barrel for rain collection.  The only ones I ever seem to discover are always caked in kitchen grease or sludge, neither of which is fun/easy to clean.  If I were to find a nice barrel, then I’d have to get borrowing some pretty decent equipment in order to outfit it with proper parts.  Rain barrels seem pretty simple, yet they require some time and thought to design them right.

Then I discovered Travis Skidmore, who builds sweet rain barrels here in Philadelphia for nearly half the cost of what you’d see in a store, and with much better parts.  I was so excited to get this and I spend a lot of time staring at it.  Check it out:


Brass spigot, brass overflow valve, a food-grade #2 HDPE barrel, and a 2-part screen to filter out all the crap that my rooftop drain doesn’t.  It also helps to divert the water away from the foundation and into the street, which alleviates the pressure on my hardly intact 110 year old drain pipes.

So, if you’re looking for a rain barrel in the near future, which you darn well should be, Travis is THE dude for it.  He can build custom barrels with ease and delivery is available.  It’s always nice to find another solid person in the city doing good stuff.

For more information, check out http://www.tradertravis.biz.