People call me and say, I have another truckload (or more) for you, can you pick it up today? Three thrift stores, a local Catholic school, the local County Government, and smaller loads from individuals call every time the local paper mentions that I repair and recycle donated computers to give to other disabled Veterans. I only have about 2000 square feet of storage, and I'm almost out of space. (again)
30*40 = 1200 SF Four bay garage
18*28 = 504 SF Storage building / machine shop
12*12 = 144 SF Outbuilding #1
12*12 = 144 SF Outbuilding #2
----------------------------------------------- 1992 SF Total
Then there is the work area of another 1000 SF. I need more room! :(
Yes, I've read what your service to my country consisted of. Run your DD214 up your ass, there's more than a few of us who actually served and don't need a f***in' .sig file to wave around like a steenkin' CrackerJack prize.
I also note that you've been drummed out of every usenet ng you post to... coincidence? I don't think so binky. A google search on your dumb ass is quite revealing.
All true, but not my point. The way that ROHS regs are written, the most economical solution is currently destruction. The stuff is being reclaimed by removing the hazardous material and then everything is ground up and processed further. If a business doesn't use the most economical means for a task it's generally not in business much longer. That's not greed, it's survival. Survival is a much more powerful motivator.
Landfilling has been the norm for a long time. Recent regs are the result of some science, and some not so common sense. Manufacturers comply, but right now the industry is in transition. They are responsible for pre-regulation material, and the responsibility for both pre and post reg is so onerous that the only thing they can do is pull it back and dispose of
And the definition of hazardous is fluid over time. There is a move in Europe to ban the use of gold because it uses hazardous material and lots of energy to produce it. Hexavalent chromium is regulated in most jurisdictions, but some are discussing an outright chrome ban. Manufacturers today need to plan for a completely unknown future, for which regulators will hold them responsible regardless of the best practice at the time of manufacture.
Without question, dumping costs need to be raised to represent the real cost of disposal. That's more powerful, incentive. Even more importantly it lets market forces work. Technology changes rapidly, regulations change at a glacial pace and a rarely rescinded even when the need to change is glaring.
Again the definition of proper is time varying. My beef is making the manufacturer have to guess at the future rules.
Well yes, to stay in business in a competitive marketplace.
While you are clearly willing to assign negative motivations to most actions, the fact is that most of us in the manufacturers want to be able to drink the water and breath the air. The problem is the unintended consequences of draconian and inflexible regulations.
Today's TV's are substantially less reliable than those of two years ago due to the loss of lead in solder. There will be far more of these landfilled over the same period today as would have been 5 years ago. The advent of HD and new display technologies is will likely cause the old sets to be retired for want of features (particularly if the feds stick to their cut over dates for digital modes.) And the new ones will only last a few years. Add to this increase rate and landfilling and the move to import businesses dominating home entertainment with a half-life of a year, there's going to be a sharp increase in landfilled electronics or expensive (to consumers) recycling programs that few anticipate.
Yup, we who build the stuff have a magic way to avoid the effects and completely lack the foresight to see the problems or their significance.
Look, the basic problem is associating the real costs with any action. Right now that isn't happening, in either direction. That's the area that needs real work in the regulations. If that happens the market will find an optimum and pretty rapidly. It'll also level the playing field and reduce the value of being a fly by night operator.
Let me guess. 66fourdoor AKA trippintooeighttrack, AKA Charlie Nudeo the Ebay spammer and scammer. Also you're pissed because I bounced another of your whinny e-mails without downloading it this morning.
As far as a "Google Search", I'm man enough to use my real name, and I have only used one ID since I got back on line. The rest of your lies are obvious to anyone who wants to bother to check them out, including the obvious forgeries where someone changed my sig file and posted messages to slur my name. That coward was posting through an anonymous remailer, but I was canceling the messages as fast as he was posting them. I then cleaned out a few that made it to Google Groups archive, other than those that were replies to the fake message.
So far this week I have picked up 12 working UPS (10 APC, one Belkin, and another I didn't log in), seven video monitors, eight hard drives, three all in one printer scanner copiers, a computer, 30 keyboards, dozens of power cords, some networking equipment, and about 100 assorted cards for computers, all from one place. I have to go back tomorrow morning to pick up six more working monitors.
Over the last month or so, I have picked up a couple pickup truck loads of bed rails to use for shelving and carts. I have enough springs for four or five trampolines, and picked up over 100 pounds of old hardware. All you have to do is spread the word. It will not only be offered, but some people will even drop things off for you. I have to cut up all the bed rails and fire up the torch to make more shelves for the garage. I have a lead on a couple pallets of rejected 3/4" plywood to cut up for shelves and to repair a couple damaged workbenches, and a pallet of reject 2"*4"*8' lumber. This is from a local mill that makes plywood and plywood beams.
I want to build a single 40' bench across the back of the garage so that i don't have to set up or tear down anything to do different jobs.
I am designing a computer controlled coil winding machine to make replacement Oscillator, RF, and IF coils for old tube radios. Each part will be stored as a profile by part number, and the machine will hold about 20 different rolls of magnet wire. It can also be used as a wire measuring machine to re-spool partial reels of wire for inventory, or when someone drops a reel and breaks it. At least one large electrical contractor is interested in renting it for his end of year physical inventory. Meanwhile, I am looking for more of the early Akro-Mills 50 drawer parts cabinets to sort small parts and hardware. I have over 20 already full, and its a real blessing to just pull out a drawer and get what you need.
On 31 Jul 2006 07:51:05 -0700, "Too_Many_Tools" put finger to keyboard and composed:
The Australian Greens propose to legalise untested, recreational, mind altering *drugs*, and I don't just mean dope. OTOH, they are completely against GM *food*. Logic? I don't think so.
What I would like the greenies to do is to lobby for mandatory paperless service manuals for all consumer goods to be made freely available via the Internet. That would keep a lot of otherwise repairable appliances out of the "recycle" bin.
I would also mandate that all spare parts and consumables be priced to reflect the cost of the appliance. For example, I don't want to have to dump a $100 DVD player because a laser assembly costs $200, even if it were available. Nor should I be forced to purchase a new mobile phone because of the cost of a replacement battery, nor do I want to trash a $100 printer because a pair of cartridges costs $120.
AFAIK, current Australian legislation requires that manufacturers provide spare parts for a reasonable period (7 years?), but this is often circumvented by ridiculous pricing practices.
Maybe the Greenies should divert their attention from plastic bags, which are actually useful, and focus instead on the electronic goods that find their way prematurely into the landfill.
Another positive move would be to remove government imposts on replacement parts and repair charges.
Instead, the only proposal the Australian Greens have floated in recent times is a suite of 30 additional taxes which would make disposal more expensive to the consumer. Rather than making it more painful to throw things away, the Greens should be thinking about how to make it easier to hang on to what we have.
The Australian Greens propose to legalise untested, recreational, mind
Rubbish. Read the actual policy statement rather than the tabloid crayon interpretation. BTW - agree - the spare situation for elctronics gear is hopeless, if it aint a simple 20min fix with standard componets, forget it - the $200 laser block for the $50 DVD player is all too common - and this is after spending HOURS trying to track down said part - and BTW - it will take 6 months to get here...
3.20 the controlled availability of cannabis at appropriate venues =================================================================
3.25 investigations of options for the regulated supply of social drugs such as ecstasy in controlled environments, where information will be available about health and other effects of drug use. ====================================================================
3.19 the decriminalisation and regulation of cannabis cultivation and possession for personal use, while monitoring its effects on the health of young people. ====================================================================
As you can see, the Greens are quite happy to make mind altering drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis readily available, and study their effects later, but they come down hard against GM food because, in their opinion, its effects have not been sufficiently researched.
BTW, I consider myself a pragmatic conservationist, ie one that can see a balance between technology and nature. In contrast, the Australian Greens are just a gaggle of bigoted, self indulgent, flat earthers. They are interested in political gain for its own sake rather than any genuine ideal. To this end they are prepared to solicit the votes of drug lusers and other electoral dross.
I rarely bother working on any CD or DVD player that is exhibiting skipping problems. I recently wasted several hours trying to salvage a bad CD pickup for a friend. A new assembly would have cost in excess of AU$100. I'm left to wonder, who actually buys these laser blocks? Why would any specialist spare parts business bother stocking stuff they couldn't possibly sell? AFAICS, a $100 laser assembly for a 10 year old player will spend the rest of its life on the shelf, and eventually find its way, unused, into landfill.
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