taint.org: Justin Mason’s Weblog

Environment: The Irish Times reports:

The State is facing a waste crisis that is threatening to bury the country, according to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen. He said yesterday every person in this State was now producing 700 kg of household and commercial waste a year.

‘That is three times more than they do in the Netherlands. If this continues, the figure will rise to two tonnes per person by 2015,’ he said.

Landfills in six out of 10 regions in the country had less than three years capacity left, yet people were producing enough waste to cover every single town in Ireland. ‘We have to change. Doing nothing is not an option,’ Mr Cullen said.

Well, duh. So what have they done? They’ve setup a website, raceagainstwaste.com, with a page on recycling replete with techie details of how recycling works, then suggesting such gems as ‘if they do not already run one, suggest to your local authority that it considers starting a plastics recycling scheme.’

Brilliant. I’m sure they’ll listen. Nice delegation, Mr Cullen!

In the meantime, apparently 92.2% of the ‘waste stream’ is sent to landfills instead of recycling.

I’m not just knocking here — the amazing thing about recycling is that it’s been done right elsewhere. All this wheel-reinvention is totally superfluous. Here’s the details on Victoria, Australia’s kerbside recycling system; it’s pretty simple.

Each household gets 1 large basin-type plastic tray thing, in which you can put washed, unsealed, recyclable plastic containers. You tie up bundles of recyclable paper into another pile when you leave out the rubbish. And finally, you get a wheelie bin for the rest; stuff that really is rubbish. The bin guys then keep the 3 types of rubbish separate when they pick it up.

Yes, it takes a little bit of time to wash the plastic containers and tie up the paper into bundles. But nobody minds; they’re doing the right thing! It’s a hell of a lot better than chucking the lot into a single container and hoping that some expensive machine at the far end can sort it all out again.

It’s also better than the current Irish and US systems, where we’re expected to bring certain kinds of trash to a centralized drop-off point ourselves. First off, this is very impractical unless you’ve got a car to do it in — and sufficient motivation to do so; and secondly, the bulkiest rubbish — packaging, paper and plastic — is not included, just glass.

Tags: bin, country, environment, household, paper, person, plastic, recycling, state, thing, waste

Over the past few months, Dublin has seen increasing resistance to newly-introduced rubbish-removal charges, or as they’re being called, ‘the bin tax’.

The charges are:

• levied in addition to the ‘local services’ charges in income tax,
  • which already cover rubbish removal.
  • 80 Euro to 150 Euro per annum currently, with one government report suggesting that they could rise to 635 Euro per annum.
  • a flat fee per year, regardless of quantity — so there’s no incentive to recycle or compost your rubbish to bring that down.
  • not tied to any recycling initiative. The rubbish is still heading for a landfill, in most regions.
  • a flat fee for everyone, regardless of income. So the better-off pay exactly the same amount as a welfare recipient. (There is a waiver of 75 Euro for welfare recipients, but it’s discretionary and reportedly not always granted).

The last point is key — UK residents may be reminded of a similar flat-rate tax introduced by Thatcher in the 80’s… and we all know how that ended.

The result is that a large number, 75% of the population in the affected areas, have taken the course of non-payment of the charges.

There’s been lots of organised protest throughout Dublin, with constant picketing outside bin depots. Joe Higgins TD (a member of the Dail, the Irish parliament) and County Councillor Clare Daly have spent three weeks in jail so far, due to protesting on this issue.

Now, things are really starting to heat up — reportedly, the bin workers are starting to support the campaign, refusing to cross protest lines and refusing to drive lorries from depots if protesters are present. In some depots, they have even joined the picketers!

It’s not all good though — yesterday, national news shocking footage (SMIL) of a protester being dragged for several hundred feet by a speeding van.

This one’s getting interesting.

Tags: addition, annum, bin, euro, fee, income, protest, resistance, tax, welfare

MEMORANDUM

From: Bin Laden, Osama

Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:17 AM

To: Cavemates

Subject: The Cave

The CIA has just released this memo intercepted from Osama bin Laden:

MEMORANDUM From: Bin Laden, Osama
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2001 8:17 AM
To: Cavemates
Subject: The Cave

Hi guys. We’ve all been putting in long hours but we’ve really come together as a group and I love that. Big thanks to Omar for putting up the poster that says “There is no ‘I’ in team” as well as the one that says “Hang In There, Baby.” That cat is hilarious.

However, while we are fighting a jihad, we can’t forget to take care of the cave. And frankly I have a few concerns.

First of all, while it’s good to be concerned about cruise missiles, we should be even more concerned about the scorpions in our cave. Hey, you don’t want to be stung and neither do I, so we need to sweep the cave daily. I’ve posted a sign-up sheet near the main cave opening.

Second, it’s not often I make a video address but when I do, I’m trying to scare the most powerful country on earth, okay? That means that while we’re taping, please do not ride your razor scooter in the background. Just while we’re taping. Thanks.

Third point, and this is a touchy one. As you know, by edict, we’re not supposed to shave our beards. But I need everyone to just think hygiene, especially after mealtime. We’re all in this together.

Fourth: food. I bought a box of Cheez-Its recently, clearly wrote
“Osama” on the front, and put it on the top shelf. Today, my Cheez-Its were gone. Consideration. That’s all I’m saying.

Finally, we’ve heard that there may be American soldiers in disguise trying to infiltrate our ranks. I want to set up patrols to look for them. First patrol will be Omar, Muhammed, Abdul, Akbar, and Richard.

Love you lots. Osama

Tags: bin, cave, cavemates, laden, memorandum, monday, october, osama, sent, subject

I’ve been very quiet about the attack on the World Trade Center; this is not from any unwillingness to talk about it, it’s more because, for the last week, I’ve been doing virtually nothing else, in a range of forums, particularly on Crackmice and the TBTF Irregulars list. What can I say — I guess I’m just not a committed blogger ;)

Anyway, I’ve been forwarding on lots of details on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda organisation, which generally makes it look like the US and its allies will have their work cut out for them. Here’s a good one from The Guardian (UK):

Communications are vital. Messages are sent by word of mouth to Pakistan, and from there they are emailed. Bin Laden, testimony has shown, had no contact with any of the east African bombers except for al’Owhali, whom he met, once, 18 months before the attack. Instead the men were selected, briefed and supervised by senior aides, some from organisations affiliated with but discrete from bin Laden’s. And this is the key: al-Qaeda does not act as a commander, it acts as a facilitator, a coordinator, putting together disparate elements - some in Afghanistan, some in the target country, some in other locations entirely - who together can pull off an operation.

It’s going to be messy. And as a much-forwarded piece by Tamim Ansary points out,

We come now to the question of bombing Afghanistan back to the Stone Age. Trouble is, that’s been done. The Soviets took care of it already. Make the Afghans suffer? They’re already suffering. Level their houses? Done. Turn their schools into piles of rubble? Done. Eradicate their hospitals? Done. Destroy their infrastructure? Cut them off from medicine and health care? Too late. Someone already did all that.

There’s lots more good, insightful journalism in the Guardian’s special report on Afghanistan and special report on the WTC attacks. Recommended reading.

Tags: attack, bin, care, center, done, guardian, laden, report, trade, world