# I pit recycling snobs **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 13, 2008, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010 "2008-12-13T13:55:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/41 "2008-12-14T00:23:51Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I wish I could find the story that Yahoo ran yesterday, with a picture of a guy standing in the middle of stacks and stacks of broken down cardboard boxes. He was turning away residents’ drop offs of recyclables, because he couldn’t find a buyer. That article said that the drop in the economy has made the price of recyclables fall so far that the guy in question was having to pay haulers to take his stuff away, instead of taking money for it. > . I can’t actually give you the prices from the recyclables brokerage standpoint, the info is proprietary, but I get updated on the pricing weekly … and the recycle value has seriously tanked. Badly enough that areas where we were able to get the recycle service paid for by the recycled cardboard we are now paying for the service … ---
**Author:** ![Lyanthya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lyanthya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyanthya)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/42 "2008-12-14T00:25:14Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Post less. Go fuck your sister. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/43 "2008-12-14T00:26:55Z")
> [@Lyanthya](#): > > Go fuck your sister. Do you have anything to contribute, or just one-line quips? Lurk more. ---
**Author:** ![Vox\_Imperatoris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/44 "2008-12-14T00:29:35Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > God, I wish all tests were this easy. This is why I love **Vinyl Turnip**. Valete, Vox Imperatoris ---
**Author:** ![Lyanthya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aca169/32.png) [@Lyanthya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyanthya)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/45 "2008-12-14T00:36:11Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Do you have anything to contribute, or just one-line quips? Lurk more. So far, you’ve told me “post less” and “lurk more”. And you accuse **me** of “one-line quips”. Every other post I’ve made has been relevant and sufficiently detailed. You just happened to piss me off with your self-righteous asshatted drivel. If you want to teach heathens the path of righteousness, join a seminary. Don’t preach about recycling. It’s pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/46 "2008-12-14T00:36:44Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > You are talking so out of your ass here it is ridiculous. > > What could you possibly know about my life, to pass judgement that I threw a bottle in the trash? Are you inferring from that, and from the distance I have to travel to recycle, that I never do it? How could you possibly know that when I do not recycle it is because I am lazy? How could you know the challenges I face every day? The things that get in my way and take priority over daily recycling? How the fuck could you know enough to make that judgement you pathetic twat? > > For some reason you feel the need to piss on someone and decided to take this opportunity to do it. Well YOU are the one looking like an ass. > > So move along. You will have to work your fuck-butter into a lather with someone else. You don’t have the information to make the assertions you are making, and I am not interested in sharing further with you. > > Dismissed. If you don’t want to risk people disagreeing with your holier than thou rant against holier than thou attitudes, don’t post them on a message board. We only know as much about your life as you have decided to tell us, and yeah, from what you’ve said, you sound lazy. Your friend sounds like an idiot too, so I can see why you guys hang out. ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/47 "2008-12-14T00:48:51Z")
**Newcrasher** , I know people who do this, and I sympathize. People like that tend to drag everyone around them into their weird one-upping game, unless someone’s willing to completely ignore them, make them look like jackasses publicly, or exclude them from gatherings. It’s annoying. “A respect thing.” What does that even mean? ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/48 "2008-12-14T01:14:16Z")
My wife and I used to have a friend like this too. She would constantly make friendly-sounding comments that were engineered to demonstrate how much better she was than everyone else. Ultimately, we just decided she isn’t worth it as a friend and quit hanging out with her. Good riddance. Life is better when, on the way home from a gathering of friends, you talk about how much you enjoyed it rather than recounting the various subtle insults you overheard/received. ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/49 "2008-12-14T01:40:15Z")
> [@5-HT](#): > > If you don’t want to risk people disagreeing with your holier than thou rant against holier than thou attitudes, don’t post them on a message board. We only know as much about your life as you have decided to tell us, and yeah, from what you’ve said, you sound lazy. Your friend sounds like an idiot too, so I can see why you guys hang out. Recycling being inconvenient in my town = I am lazy? Howso? Oh nevermind. C’mere you! {{{ **5-HT** }} \* …toussles \*\*5-HT’s \*_hair…_ ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/50 "2008-12-14T02:44:58Z")
Couple of points… We’re very lucky here - the garbage truck comes once/2weeks and the recycle truck comes at the same time. We just chuck glass, cans, bottles, paper, cardboard into a bin, and the recycle truck comes and takes it away. We essentially have 2 “garbages”. Oit city did the actual long-term costing of what it takes to maintain the landfill, and what if would cost to make a 2nd landfill when the first fills up. They found that it was cost effective to pick up material to be recycled, even if it did not sell for big bux. That’s one of the essential things - the ENTIRE cost of garbage, including disposal/environmental costs should be accounted for, and many times it is not. In general, people will not recycle if you don’t make it completely convenient. That’s life. I say we need to account for the actual costs of everything we do, including the costs to the environment (the “commons”) ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/51 "2008-12-14T03:43:15Z")
Oh for fuck’s sake. This is why I love and loathe the Pit at the same time…the OP could’ve been about a woman who came to the house who lit his kid’s hair on fire, and somebody would find a reason why it’s the OP’s fault. “Why did you leave the matches out? Didn’t you do a background check on her before you invited her over? How did you NOT know she has a penchant for lighting kids’ heads on fire?? What kind of PARENT are you?” It’s obvious from the OP that this woman has a need to make herself look better by making other people look worse; if it weren’t about the recycling, it would be about something else. (And the OP mentioned several other examples.) I have a co-worker like this, and she drives me insane. Unlike the OP, I can’t escape her by not inviting her over, because I have to see her all the time whether I like it or not. FTR I’d stop inviting this troll over, or at least give as good as you get. It’s obvious she isn’t bound by normal politeness, so why not join her? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/52 "2008-12-14T04:08:08Z")
> [@Audrey\_Levins](#): > > Oh for fuck’s sake. > > This is why I love and loathe the Pit at the same time…the OP could’ve been about a woman who came to the house who lit his kid’s hair on fire, and somebody would find a reason why it’s the OP’s fault. There’s a reason for that. If the incident was truly not the OP’s fault and nothing could be done about it, and it’s personal and tragic like the example you gave, it’s not Pit-worthy. It goes in MPSIMS and people can commiserate with the OP there. In a true Pit thread, people have different opinions and take different perspectives to help the OP think differently about their problem to help them either solve it or think of it in a different way or take their side and rail about it together because something similar happened to them. All too often here, there are people who think that there’s only one way to look at a situation. To the OP, I was hoping this was about recycling since my city recycles for me so I can be a recycling snob without even trying. Since it’s about an obnoxious friend, maybe you can find a way to recycle her. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/53 "2008-12-14T04:43:33Z")
> [@Shayna](#): > > You’re already better than her, just for knowing how to use ‘myriad’ correctly in a sentence. Go You! 😃 Sorry, but you’re wrong. [Myriad](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/myriad) (read the “usage” note) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/54 "2008-12-14T04:47:28Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > Since it’s about an obnoxious friend, maybe you can find a way to recycle her. Soylent Green is people! ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/55 "2008-12-14T07:00:38Z")
Jesus, you people are going to hate me- I don’t go out of my way recycle as a general rule because it’s Tree Hugging Lefty Bullshit fore the most part, IMHO. My response to people who take that “Oh, you don’t recycle?” tone with me is “No, I don’t. Nor do a billion Chinese or a billion Indians. Nothing you or I can do will make a meaningful, practical difference to the matter.” Before you all get the torches and pitchforks, I will say that if there’s a recycle bin available I’ll use it; but I’m not sorting through my household rubbish to decide what’s recyclable and what isn’t. If I have a heap of empty bottles, they can go into the recycle bin. If I have one or two, and they’re at the bottom of the rubbish bag with the rest of the kitchen or household waste, they’re going in the normal bin. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/56 "2008-12-14T08:23:21Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Jesus, you people are going to hate me- I don’t go out of my way recycle as a general rule because it’s Tree Hugging Lefty Bullshit fore the most part, IMHO. > > My response to people who take that “Oh, you don’t recycle?” tone with me is “No, I don’t. Nor do a billion Chinese or a billion Indians. Nothing you or I can do will make a meaningful, practical difference to the matter.” > > Before you all get the torches and pitchforks, I will say that if there’s a recycle bin available I’ll use it; but I’m not sorting through my household rubbish to decide what’s recyclable and what isn’t. If I have a heap of empty bottles, they can go into the recycle bin. If I have one or two, and they’re at the bottom of the rubbish bag with the rest of the kitchen or household waste, they’re going in the normal bin. The problem with that line of reasoning is that, should everyone figure “yeah, no way I’m gonna make a difference by my lonesome”, no one ever will. Useless acts may lead to useful ones, or rather inspire them. In your example, the billion Indians and Chinese may very well figure “well, we could do something, but it’s useless as long as those billion Americans keep polluting like that anyway”. My opposition to the tree-hugging lefty bullshit is more pragmatic : if mankind cannot control its own numbers or its impact on the environment, fuck mankind. Don’t stand in the way of entropy & evolution, dude :p. On a more serious note, it’s really that, as **WhyNot** said, the Ecological Gesture has become a kind of weird kooky religion - sort your garbage, and you’re absolved of your ecological sins, thus may drive the 100 meters to the supermarket with a lighter heart. Recycle your coke cans, and it’s A-OK to produce 50 pounds of garbage per week, most of it non bio-degradable plastic wrappings. And so on and so forth. Hypocritical, mostly useless, yet highly bigot-enabling. What’s not to love ? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/57 "2008-12-14T08:54:49Z")
Whether recycling makes sense from a monetary point of view or not is not the point. That is the wrong point of view. The purpose of recycling is not to save money but to save landfill space. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/58 "2008-12-14T10:10:36Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > Whether recycling makes sense from a monetary point of view or not is not the point. That is the wrong point of view. The purpose of recycling is not to save money but to save landfill space. Australia is a huge, empty country. The one thing we aren’t short on is space. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/59 "2008-12-14T12:18:51Z")
Every time she drops a turd, count to three out loud. More seriously, nutcker said it best " . . . quit hanging out with her." ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010/60 "2008-12-14T12:41:35Z")
> [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](#): > > In a true Pit thread, people have different opinions and take different perspectives to help the OP think differently about their problem to help them either solve it or think of it in a different way or take their side and rail about it together because something similar happened to them. All too often here, there are people who think that there’s only one way to look at a situation. I’m not sure, given the examples in the OP, that there’s a “different perspective” to have on the woman featured in the OP. The recycling question may be a hot-button issue, but the fact remains that you do not behave that way as a guest in someone else’s home. If the woman were a close and real friend she would broach her various “issues” in private and specificially, as a concerned friend, vs. making these “random” public remarks that are frankly insulting and rude to her host(s). If you subtract “recycling” from the OP, and substitute “driving SUV’s” or “eating meat” or “voting Democrat/Republican” or any other political issue, the woman is still coming off like a rude bitch. You don’t go into someone else’s home and make snide rude remarks about their lifestyle, whether you “approve” of it or not. If you have a serious problem, perhaps you shouldn’t show up. If you show up anyway, keep your mouth shut. You’re a guest. Perhaps I’m crazy. That’s just what my mother taught me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-recycling-snobs/477010.md?page=4)