September 05, 2005
The Secret Life of Sinks
I was driving down Manchester tonight, and passed a salvage yard (Bill-Jac?) and saw a mound of stainless-steel sinks that could be seen over the top of the fence. A mountain of ripped-out sinks, higher than my house. Where do all these sinks come from? I thought the point of a stainless steel sink was that it was stainless -- and therefore aesthetically pleasing for years after its initial installation!
Ah, but fashions change; this year (I'm sad to report I actually know this) the big trend is the "waterfall sink," which sports a giant, flat, amoeba-shaped basin that, um, waterfalls the H2O when it comes out of the tap. (Sound of me scratching my head). So the plain old two-bowl sinks of yore go to the scrap heap, even though they've always been great for washing dishes or small dogs.
I suppose a mound of sinks would be more depressing if it were casting a shadow over my yard from the back alley, because they'd be headed for the landfill. But where will Bill-Jac take his mountain of sinks?
If anyone can answer this question for geeks like me, it's the intrepid Jean Ponzi, host of Earthworms on KDHX and organizer of the Earthways Home Energy & Recycling Festival, which takes place on September 17 and 18. I plan on being there, if only to overcome my fear of vermiculture bins (I caused the premature death of many, many ants when I accidentally knocked my ant farm off a dresser in 6th grade. I have been reticent about overseeing colonies of creatures since then).
According to the website, there will be plenty of fun widgety stuff on hand (low-watt lightbulbs, hydrogen power demos, kids zipping around in solar cars) but the focus this year is geared towards the humble task of recycling. Recommended reading to inspire you before you go to this event: "Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash," by Elizabeth Royte. That's strong medicine, though, so the weak of stomach might want to opt for Eliot's The Waste Land instead.
I just had to look into e-waste and recycling for an article at work. Consider these facts from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
•Half of all Americans own a personal computer.
•The average lifespan of a PC is just two years.
•500 million PCs will become obsolete between 1997 and 2007.
•This year alone, 63.3 million PCs will become obsolete.
•For every nine PCs made this year, only one will be recycled.
•75 percent of obsolete computers are sitting in storage.
•A computer monitor contains an average of four pounds of lead.
•E-Waste is responsible for 70 percent of all heavy metals found in U.S. landfills.
•More than half of computer waste collected is exported to countries such as China where workers often are exposed to toxins and where waste is mishandled.
Discarded electronics ("e-waste") is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the industrialized world. Electronic equipment is also one of the largest know sources of heavy metals, like lead and mercury, and toxic pollutants in the waste stream. Without effective phase-outs of hazardous chemicals and the development of an equitable and effective collection and recycling system, our public health is threatened. Currently, the expense of collecting and managing discarded electronics is largely paid for by taxpayers.
If you don’t recycle at one of the places listed on the MDNR website, consider donating your computer to a local school, church or other non-profit organization.
http://www.dnr.state.mo.us/alpd/swmp/rrr/computerlist.htm
I must take this opportunity to suggest a visit to www.thislife.org and a listen to Episode 249, "Garbage," via free online streaming through RealAudio (one can also subscribe to the show via www.audible.com).
I burned a CD of this episode for a recent drive to Chicago and it was wonderful. The story of young love atop a Mexican garbage heap brought tears to my eyes, it was so heartwarming.
Vive la trash,
Margie
Posted by Margie on Fri., Sep 16, 2005 at 9:51 AM