But there is no recycling pick up at my apartment. If I lived in a house around the corner there would be curbside pickup. But I don't. So my options are:
1) Walk 7 miles round trip to drop off cans at the recycling center, or
2) Drive 7 miles round trip to drop off cans at the recycling center, or
3) Throw them out
Walking in 90+ degree heat is unattractive. And it seems stupid to throw out aluminum, which has ~90% energy savings on recycling. But driving makes me wonder about net environmental impact. Does the environmental benefit of reusing a bag full of aluminum cans outweigh the impact of an otherwise unneeded (it's not on the way to anywhere) 7 mile city car journey?
Oh and one unrelated thing.
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3 comments:
When I was in Auburn, I drove my cans to the recycle center. I would guess it was 10 miles (maybe 8) round trip. So, I gathered about 2 garbage bags full before I went. This, of course, requires space to save cans.
Now, I don't know if this is true, but I was told once (by a hippie, earth-lovin' girl)that you save the equivalent of 1/3 of a can of gasoline for each can you recyle. That seems to me to make it worth the drive.
Well I found some links that back up your hippie friend ;-)
http://sustainability.unc.edu/Documents/CampusEcology.doc
http://www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat/briggsstratton.cfm
http://www.co.anoka.mn.us/v2_dept/iwm/show-item-info.aspx?id=32
Upshot? Recycling 16 cans saves the energy of a gallon of gas. For us non-hybrid drivers, 25mpg in a city is probably average, so you get about a mile and a half per can. 7 miles means I need to recycle at least 5 cans to make it worthwhile. I'm not sure if this takes into account the emissions, etc, but I think it is safe to say it's worth the drive.
Thanks for the heads up.
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