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About Scott Smyers
19 Articles
I was born in Pittsburgh, PA, grew up in Boxborough and graduated from AB in 1989. After living in other parts of MA and two years in Louisiana, I settled in Acton with my family in 2002. I work as a wildlife biologist and am dedicated to promoting conservation and appreciating biodiversity. I'm also passionate about community issues and individual rights.
Hi Scott,
You seem to like investigative journalism projects. I have one for you – the recycling industry, particularly plastics. I have tried for more than a year to get some simple answers to simple questions (below) and met with a stone wall. Mass, Town of Acton, EL Harvey, QUANGOs. Goose egg. I think this is referred to as “greenwashing.”
1) How much (% by weight) of the plastic that is put into residential (and commercial) recycling bins ends up in landfill anyway? This doubles the carbon footprint of that plastic waste, having to app’x double the distance it travels in a truck – home to MRF, then MRF to LF, instead of direct home to LF if it was just put in the trash bin.
2) Why does the state of MA prepare a single “what to recycle” guide when every MRF is different? If one MRF has WTE (Waste to Energy) and one does not, that means they should accept very different types of plastic waste, for instance.
3) Only triangle 1 and 2, and sometimes 5, are salable on the market. Others are useless unless WTE at MRF. Why are we not instructed to sort? I don’t buy the argument that if people are asked to sort by number they will be frustrated and not recycle at all. BS. Lots of env conscious out there.
Hi Guido,
I have looked into this topic in the past and concluded recycling is at a minimum not efficient and at worst, a total scam. BUT this does not mean I promote pollution. It is sad that those in charge of recycling in MA are getting rich while deceiving the public to waste their time and energy while pursuing an artificial noble cause.
I encourage you to look into this further, try to connect it to the policies at the Acton Transfer station, and submit your draft to Acton Forum!