Consumerism, the environment and the economy

kabayiri

mbga9pgf wrote: »

Anyone see that show the other day revealing how much of our "recycled" goods actually get recycled? Absolutely shocking. Post Credit Crunch, wholesale commodity prices fell through the floor, killing the market in recyclables. Its all being stacked in third world countries as we chat!

The one example of recycling I saw on telly, which was truly impressive, was an aluminium can recycling centre in Warrington.

State of the art facility, profitable, and quite efficient in a recycling sense.

On the recycling front, PLEASE lets try and campaign for a small number of standard power adaptors. I'm fed up of the variety of chargers we seem to accumulate. The last I checked most phones run off the same type of voltage and current

mbga9pgf

Pride and prejudice should be the christmas prison play (in my little world). Everyone to take part, to show them why they are absolute scum and teach them some manners.

kabayiri

Afriend wrote: »

Speaking of Dyson has anyone tried their airblade hand dryer? It doesn't seem to get my hands dry. Maybe I'm doing it wrong...

Tut!

That's not the key feature, now is it?

The important thing....is it adorned in some lurid yellow and purple/grey livery? Does it look like it fell off part of the spaceship in Aliens?
:rolleyes:

lostinrates

Afriend wrote: »

On the vaccum front I have a Henry (for dirty DIY jobs) and a Miele (for general cleaning). I'm impressed with both. I had a Dyson in the past, it broke after a few years, and I wasn't particularly fond of it.

Speaking of Dyson has anyone tried their airblade hand dryer? It doesn't seem to get my hands dry. Maybe I'm doing it wrong...

We have miele and had a henry: I agree with you: both are good, and I love the miele: with animals a good vacuum is vital, and the mile, and the after service is excellent. I do think dysons look funky, and in a way really long for one, but everything I've heard (and I admit I've tried friends' dysons) makes me think we will stick with miele if we need to replace.


The airblade does work though, I think quite well....are you pulling your hands through too quickly? I think they say five seconds, I count to seven....and it works..:o (IS it eco friendly though?...)

choille

Yes Lostinrates - the re-cycling centres are popping up. Our nearest one is about 70 miles away, but they don't sell stuff, just different skips for different things. I don't know what they do with the stuff.
A lot of people seem to get rid of things that are still working; deem their fridge, cooker - whatever to be unfashionable & get a new one.
Aluminium is profitable, albeit filthy to recycle, very little else is cost effective.
The only thing I seem to chuck out is plastic - no re-cycling for that here. I do try & not get overly packaged items, but plastic is everywhere.
My first Dyson lasted 12 years. My new one isn't as good, hose just split. It seems top heavy & I pull it over when using the 'wand' - not that I use it much being in a caravan that has mainly hard surface flooring - so I'll be writing to them about that.
People do regard shopping as a leisure activity these days & buy far more than they ever did. I think that a lot of stuff is far too cheap & encourages disposability. If manufacturers were made resposible for taking back their products when they'd come to the end of their life, then things may change, but they'd just shove them somewhere cheap - China possssibly & get them to deal with the toxic disposal of them - probably.

lostinrates

Afriend wrote: »

I leave my hands in there for about 15 seconds without joy. maybe I'm met to rub them together(?), I don't as it's a small gap, I have largish hands and I don't want to touch the sides.

I think Dyson airblades are meant to be efficient, I prefer the conventional ones that warm my hands (maybe that's me getting old).

No, no, you draw your hands through, not leave them in!

I wouldn't want to touch the sides either, and mine are little!


Choille, I think all of the tips in our local area (we are on the boundary of counties) are recycling centres now. I've certainly been to one about 1 ish miles away that is....and had nicer furniture than ours!

pipkin71

mbga9pgf wrote: »

Any one get REALLY annoyed about how mobile phones are now throwaway 1 year designs? I buy second hand and use them till they break. Usually 3 years later. I never spend more than 30 quid on mine and am on an o2 sim only business contract, paying a monthly rate 1/3 of an iphone contract!

Absolute lunacy imho.

Hmm, I change my mobile on each new contract, [no charge]. DDs are on 12 month contracts, and also get new phones as part of the phone company's retain deal [again, no charge].

The old phones are then sold on, so someone else benefits.

Before my current phone [LG touchscreen type], I had a motorola razr, which I have to say was my favourite, and I have kept that one, alongside the one I have, but on a PAYG instead.

I think, if the older phones were just binned, it would be a waste, but if they are passed on to those who perhaps don't want to buy new, then I don't personally see the issue, as they aren't being discarded to landfill.

pipkin71

Patrick20 wrote: »

mbga9pgfC, while i agree with most of what you say about looking after your technology, it still doesn't change the fact that new technology is built with breaking in the design. I have studied product design and obsolesence is a factor that is considered. Sometimes no matter how well you take care of an item it will break sooner or later.

I bought DDs a portable DVD player each, and took out the 3 year protection plan from Argos.

Interestingly, both DVD players, bought the same day, stopped working on the same day. No idea why. One we couldn't turn on, the second stopped during a film.

As I had the insurance, Argos replaced them, but I have since thought that items are designed to break after a certain amount of time.

mbga9pgf

But you pay for the phone as part of the contract cost. You can pick up excellent business packages off o2 and Orange for under 20 quid per month, sim only, with unlimited mins to other same network users, 300 anytime any network minutes, free data roaming, unlimited texts and 10 free UK landlines (current deal I am on).

kabayiri

Well, I've just finished stripping down the power supply and jack connector on DH's laptop. It's not that old and worth repairing.

I'm expecting a Xmas card, by way of thanks, from a bunch of polar bears in due course.