Good morning Mastodon!
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Good morning Mastodon! Remember when you were in primary school and went on school trips to places teachers though were important or free, and retained nothing from them except for who was sick on whom on the way there? Now you're older and nerdier did you ever think "Actually it might be really interesting to visit a major piece of civic infrastructure and learn how it works?" Just me? Well I was in luck today because the University sustainability team has organised a tour of #Exeter Energy Recovery Facility in #MarshBarton, where all our non-recyclable rubbish ends up.
https://www.viridor.co.uk/energy/energy-recovery-facilities/exeter-erf/
@afewbugs Waste management, water, electricity, central heating; all really super sexy infrastructure. Semi-invisible most of the time, because we're so good at it it mostly just works. Which is incredible.
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@afewbugs Waste management, water, electricity, central heating; all really super sexy infrastructure. Semi-invisible most of the time, because we're so good at it it mostly just works. Which is incredible.
@liebach "works so well most people don't even notice it" is absolute top tier technology isn't it
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@afewbugs Waste management, water, electricity, central heating; all really super sexy infrastructure. Semi-invisible most of the time, because we're so good at it it mostly just works. Which is incredible.
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Also as a little postscript, in a facility where 95% of the staff I saw were male presenting I was impressed by the fact that there were free menstrual products in the toilets
@afewbugs This was a fascinating read. Thank you for sharing!
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@liebach "works so well most people don't even notice it" is absolute top tier technology isn't it
@afewbugs Exactly.
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@treehugger @afewbugs The Manchester* museum of technology, when last I was there, had an entire gallery recreated as a sewer. I think it closed down during the Covid period.
*UK for anyone who thinks New Hampshire.@TerryBTwo
I recall something like that in Montreal.
@afewbugs -
@alicemcalicepants
With the sound of a train running on unwelded rails straight after!
@afewbugs -
Good morning Mastodon! Remember when you were in primary school and went on school trips to places teachers though were important or free, and retained nothing from them except for who was sick on whom on the way there? Now you're older and nerdier did you ever think "Actually it might be really interesting to visit a major piece of civic infrastructure and learn how it works?" Just me? Well I was in luck today because the University sustainability team has organised a tour of #Exeter Energy Recovery Facility in #MarshBarton, where all our non-recyclable rubbish ends up.
https://www.viridor.co.uk/energy/energy-recovery-facilities/exeter-erf/
@afewbugs That reminds me of this classic.
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@afewbugs That reminds me of this classic.
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Also as a little postscript, in a facility where 95% of the staff I saw were male presenting I was impressed by the fact that there were free menstrual products in the toilets
@afewbugs excellent thread, thank you!
In particular thanks for explicit instructions on what to do with sealed-in batteries and camping gas cans. These kinds of thing frequently say how they *can't* (or shouldn't) be disposed of, but not how they can and should! I'm pretty sure lack of knowledge is one reason they end up in the general waste. -
@afewbugs excellent thread, thank you!
In particular thanks for explicit instructions on what to do with sealed-in batteries and camping gas cans. These kinds of thing frequently say how they *can't* (or shouldn't) be disposed of, but not how they can and should! I'm pretty sure lack of knowledge is one reason they end up in the general waste.@jetlagjen Thank you! A few people popped up to say this is UK specific and may be different in other countries, so disclaimer for that
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@jetlagjen Thank you! A few people popped up to say this is UK specific and may be different in other countries, so disclaimer for that
@afewbugs yes, of course. But as I'm in the UK I still appreciate UK info
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@cat it is isn't it? That's why I jumped on this tour when the message went round, if you have the opportunity handed to you to learn something completely new why wouldn't you take it?
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@afewbugs yes, of course. But as I'm in the UK I still appreciate UK info
@jetlagjen sorry, I'm never sure where anyone's based on here
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But the worst one is batteries. Most people now (hopefully!) know you shouldn't put batteries in your domestic waste, but only recognise batteries as the little AA cylinders rather than recognising batteries as being in little household things like toothbrushes, hearing aids, ear pods or vibrators where they're sealed in and invisible. Vapes are a huge one, and although single use vapes have been banned vapes with a recharge port at a similar price point are still being treated as single use disposable items. These cause a lot of fires in waste collection lorries when they're compacted, but also fires at waste management plants which want the fire in one place only, the kiln. So remove batteries from small electronic devices for disposal if you can, and if you can't dispose of the whole device in the battery recycling bin that every shop selling batteries should by law have available.
So basically stick your broken sex toys in the clear plastic battery bin in Sainsburys
@afewbugs Just recently, someone mentioned in here in passing that there is no concept of domestic battery disposal in Florida. That you just chuck batteries in the usual bin. I was both amazed and not amazed to learn that 'don't put batteries in domestic waste' is not common knowledge or practice everywhere.
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Good morning Mastodon! Remember when you were in primary school and went on school trips to places teachers though were important or free, and retained nothing from them except for who was sick on whom on the way there? Now you're older and nerdier did you ever think "Actually it might be really interesting to visit a major piece of civic infrastructure and learn how it works?" Just me? Well I was in luck today because the University sustainability team has organised a tour of #Exeter Energy Recovery Facility in #MarshBarton, where all our non-recyclable rubbish ends up.
https://www.viridor.co.uk/energy/energy-recovery-facilities/exeter-erf/
@afewbugs Wonderful thread. Thanks for sharing the trip.
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When we visited the world's biggest claw machine was operated by an extremely tolerant bloke called Ashley, who very good naturedly answered all our questions while trying to get on with his job. A couple of people told him he had the coolest job in the world, to which he replied that it had been for the first six hours or so but after that it got a bit boring.
@afewbugs That chair is worthy of Star Trek. Sounds like a really interesting tour!
My A-level physics class (which included Kirsty MacColl) were given a guided tour of Dungeness B power station back in the late 70s. The only thing I remember clearly from the tour was them showing us the reactor floor with the comment "The BBC have just filmed something called #Blakes7 here."
They were so excited.
"It's going to be bigger than Star Wars," they said.
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@afewbugs The US still makes battery recycling a pain. Recycling bins are not in very many shops, most cities have no curbside pickup of them - you'd have to drive them to the recycling or hazmat center which is usually only one or two per city and only open certain hours.
@JessTheUnstill@infosec.exchange @afewbugs@social.coop in Taiwan I could go to any convenience stores and they’d have a battery wastebin (aka I could throw it away at literally every other block) but now that I moved to Spain I just don’t really know how to throw away stuff like that because… guess what, the internet is really horrible at being helpful resources with this stuff in English & my friends fail to explain it at all because they either don’t understand it themselves or they don’t ever think about it enough to explain it
(context: I’m Taiwanese and I grew up in Taiwan, I only speak English because of being terminally online)
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@afewbugs Just recently, someone mentioned in here in passing that there is no concept of domestic battery disposal in Florida. That you just chuck batteries in the usual bin. I was both amazed and not amazed to learn that 'don't put batteries in domestic waste' is not common knowledge or practice everywhere.
@CiaraNi yes someone else replied to the thread to say they don't have battery recycling in the USA, which just seems wild to me
