The Fireless Locomotive

We have collection of recyclable materials every two weeks. We used to have blue dumpsters too, but the recycler found it was more efficient (== less truck and employee time) to pick up the materials curbside. I suspect some people used the blue dumpsters for garbage, too. Looking up and down our street, I'd say we have about 60-70% recycling at the moment: paper, boxboard, metals, and two kinds of plastic. The municipality pays for the recycle pickup to reduce landfill use.

We've just had the excitement of weekly bin collections going fortnightly, with recycling in between. Teams of council inspectors now go round photographing bin contents to check that the rules are not being broken, and any bins that are overfilled are unemptied, presumably for the bin fairy to empty over the following weeks.

The upshot is the we have three wheelie bins to contend with now, or rather we should but the council can't be bothered to deliver the brown garden refuse ones, and all the plastics etc are nicely sorted before going..... into the landfill, or shipped to India (I kid you not). Also, we very naughtily bring our plastic home from work to top up the recycling bin, since it's only half full. We are comitting a criminal offence doing that apprently. The reason? The council wasn't to charge businesses *even more* money for waste disposal - the recycling bit is far less important than raising what amount to taxes (we've aready paid for waste disposal through local taxes), hence the national cynisism about recycling - the UK government has turned it into a tax rasier. Millions of pounds have been, and still are being, expended on a pointless excersise - nobody wants most of the recycled stuff, but the government can claim success (as long as the eventual destination of the rubbish is not disclosed, particularly when its the local lay-bye)

Cheers Richard

That does sound interesting and does that grouping include the Maoris as well the list sounds like European classification's. Known some NZ'ers and it sounds like a fascinating country from then and people I know who have visited as well. So what are the differences the most obvious I can think of from this distance is the skiing on South Island with all those fabulous mountains.

Chris

The Southern Irish were allowed to leave the union in the 1920's and then had their own civil war.

Chris

Maori divide themselves/ourselves by tribal groupings which tend to be regional, plus they divide themselves into tribal vs Europeanised. (wrong term, but I know what I mean :-) That division would be somewhere between 20/80% and 50/50% depending on who is counting. Maori population density reduces expotentially from North to South. European settlement basically began at and expanded from deep water ports whereas Maori settlement expanded from advantageous geographical areas. For example our main cities are all built in areas where the Maori were more than happy for settlers to live: eg Auckland = 51 volcanoes, most of which have barely been active in the last fifty years (same description 1840 and 2008), Wellington; ancient huge volcanic cone and earthquake area, no reasonable access and nowhere to grow food. Christchurch; vast unhealthy swamp area. Dunedin; only the Scots could like it. The Maori tribes own most of the usable land (50%) while Europeans (people of European decent) own the valuable land (1%, see above description) and the other 49% (the bits too steep for sheep) is National park etc. (I made the percentages up but they are indicative) Nowadays there are ski fields almost everywhere from the centre of the North Island to the far south. The major geograhical factor is the two plates pushing together, sou-sou-west to nor-nor east, creating the Southern Alps in the South Island and southern North Island and then becomming volcanic through the centre of the north Island and out to the East. The oceans to the south and west drastically affect weather patterns, so every region in NZ is different to every other one. eg, the south-west gets around 500" of rain a year whereas Canterbury gets c24".

Hmmm, so basically you're agreeing with me!

You havent mentioned the countless extra jobs that have been created. Jobsworths galore.

cheers, Simon

I passed both english 'o' levels so suppose youre ahead of me there. However you dont say if it is irony or not.

Cheers, Simon

Dunedin; only the Scots could

But isnt that the type locality for Dunite ?

Cheers, Simon

A rock.

"Dun - Edin", the old name for Edinburgh. What's Dunite?

Ahh yes, they have that in Central Otago. I don't think there's any connection to the name "Dunedin".

Not as good as Cummingtonite.

I'm sure have asked this before, so where is mount Dun ?

Quick re-re-re... check of DH&Z, nope there never was a better one.

That's way inland and a little to the north of Dunedin, near Dunback, which probably does relate to Dunite.

Hi Wolf,

No, I haven't dropped it, I just missed it out to reduce the number of keystrokes. It strikes me that you've gathered a lot of information in your head, but haven't matched that input with an equivalent amount of knowledge. (as in 'US intelligence' rather than 'English (language) intelligence'

Regards, Greg.P.

Isn't dunite used to blow up outhouses in Oz?

I thought that process was called "cleaning out" or "unblocking" in Oz. Do please remember that asking me about Aussie practices would be like me asking you about Morrocan practices.

Greg.P.