Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with waste

What are the most efficient foods for the body to process?

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:04:31 -0800

What are the most efficient foods for the body to process? By efficient, I mean foods that, when eaten, produce the least waste.

Are these foods the same as the most nutritive foods?

Anonymous because this is essentially a question about excrement.

Are meat and leather production correlated?

dkg — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:29:02 -0800

What proportion of leather comes from animals whose other parts are ultimately consumed by humans for food? What proportion of leather-bearing food animals' skins are ultimately made into leather? How would i find out? I'd like to know how well-correlated meat and leather production are: are there leather-bearing animals whose bodies are discarded as scrap even though they could be eaten? or food-bearing animals whose skins are discarded as scrap even though they could be fashioned into clothing?

Do we (in the USA? in the world?) consume more animals for their meat or for their skins? If it's not evenly balanced, what happens to the unbalanced bits?

or am i wrong in assuming that all leather-bearing animals have flesh that could potentially be eaten for food? I'm fine with ignoring non-leather-bearing food animals for the purposes of this question.

How would i begin finding hard data on this? Comments and criticism to help me think about the question more clearly would be welcome too.

Can I recycle a broken hairdryer?

Kirn — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:43:13 -0800

I have a broken hair dryer. Can I recycle it? I live in Brighton, UK - I can't find anything on the local council website about recycling this type of item. Do I just bin it? Thanks!

Stop Burning Dinosaurs.

Jon-o — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:40:06 -0800

Waste Oil Diesel. Any satisfied users? I found a couple AskMe posts from '05 and '06 and I wanted some more current information.
I've been doing some research into running a diesel Benz on waste cooking oil and I was hoping to probe the hive mind in regards to a couple unresolved questions that I have. I'm trying to figure out if I need a special kit or not. All of the grease conversion kit websites say that a kit is critical. However, I've met people in the real-world who own and operate a number of waste oil diesels without a conversion kit (just an extra superfine filter) who claim to experience no ill-effects. Their cars start and run fine, despite the insistence by conversion kit retailers that the waste oil needs to be at least 160F to ensure correct viscosity. There are also some concerns about the waste oil causing corrosion and damage to the stock fuel system.
The science behind the kit is very convincing. However, pouring grease into a car, starting it, and seeing it run fine is pretty convincing, too.

So, do you run veggie oil in your diesel?
Did you buy a conversion kit?
Did you annihilate your car after running veg oil without a kit?
Have you had years of trouble free driving, just pouring veg oil in your tank?
Do you have an awesome recipe for SVO fuel that ensures stability and correct viscosity?

Thanks folks!

A Burning Question

greekphilosophy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:39:00 -0800

I need a good collection of readings identifying major issues associated with energy production using biomass. Topic: Biomass use in energy production.
Goal: The formulation of an official policy concerning biomass energy for an environmental group.

You're an environmentalist and you have strong feelings about biomass, you want us to read [fill in the blank]. You are a developer or a corn farmer or an urban planner, and you want us to read [fill in the blank]. You are an indigenous person, and if the military junta in charge of your country allowed you access to literacy education, you would want us to read [fill in the blank].

Introductory readings are not necessary - this is for a crowd that is highly educated in environmental issues and already understands the basics of biomass. What we need are readings representing a variety of stakeholder interests. All publications are fair game - blogs, podcasts, articles, books, chapters, trade journals, haiku, medieval manuscripts. Extra points for anything having to do with urban waste management.

Naming a new green technology

Black_Umbrella — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 11:22:56 -0800

What would you name a green project that saves electricity throughout a building? I need some help naming a green project that my team has in the works. Basically, it will be a programmable / automated system that will replace a buildings breaker box. Main functions:

1) Prevent power drainage from various outlets and appliances, I.e. game consoles wasting $1 billion a year when idling, etc.

2) Use off peak hours if possible. I.e. charge cell phone between 12-5 am.

It has a few other abilities but this should give you the idea. I have always loved the name "Kill A Watt" but that is taken.

Any ideas for a good catchy name?

Tax deductions for food donations?

greggish — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:34:07 -0800

Can grocery retailers claim a tax deduction for the market value of donated food, or just the cost of that food? I've been given both answers - but only one can be right, right? Here's the background question-prompting situation to this question: I'm trying to figure out the tax incentives for farms to donate their surplus goods to food-distributing charities. Apparently farms can write off the cost of producing the food that they donate, which essentially amounts to the labor, seed, and fertilizer. This doesn't add up to much, so with little tax incentive the farmers let a lot of surplus food go to waste. (If they could write off the market value of their food, however, many say they would be eager to donate the surplus.)

This would seem like less-than-optimal tax policy, especially if in fact retailers do get to write off the market value of the food they donate. Although, if retailers only get to write off the price they paid to purchase the food they ultimately donated, then it seems like there's less of a complaint on the farmer's behalf here.

If anyone can provide clarity on the matters of both retailers *and* farms, well, that would be great.

Is penny-wise pound-foolish with replacement filters?

daisyace — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:15:58 -0800

With some products, the off-brand is as good as any other brand, sometimes even coming off the same production lines in the same factories. With other products, there is a quality difference between brands. How about for replacement HEPA filters for a Kenmore air cleaner? (And, as a bonus, should I believe the warning against washing and reusing the charcoal pre-filters?) My Kenmore air filter has charcoal prefilters to replace every three months, and a HEPA filter to replace yearly. The Kenmore replacement HEPA filter is $110, while this aftermarket one, for example, is $68 including shipping. Both claim to capture 99.97% of particles down to .3 microns. I picked my air filter carefully based on reading about tested differences in performance, so I don't want to cheap out now if there's a quality difference, but I don't want to pay extra if there's not.

For the bonus question, the charcoal pre-filters come with the warning, "DO NOT try to wash and reuse either the HEPA filter or the pre-filter," but when I take out the pre-filters, they sure look like a good hosing off and a thorough drying in the sun might make them perfectly serviceable again. Would performance be degraded?

What's the best P2P direct connect software for University networks?

ilumos — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 17:43:24 -0800

What's the best P2P direct connect software for University networks? Which is the best software (not necessarily the most widely used) software for running a darknet on my University's network?

DC++?
Alliance?
Waste?

I'm off to Uni in a week and would like to share some of my files with the rest of the uni network, as external P2P programs aren't allowed at all.

I'm aware that most people use DC++, but I cant say I like it, its a bit clunky.

I recently discovered Alliance which looks promising. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing?

Any tips at all on the subject would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking of setting up a hub, running my (thankfully silent) PC 24/7 and inviting people with calling cards slipped under doors, or something...

Cheers :)

The Microwave of Death !?!?

dancestoblue — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:04:03 -0800

Is cooking (or re-heating) my food with a microwave destroying the food, sucking out nutrients that would not be removed by heating on the stove top in a stainless pan? I've heard this here and there, dated an Earth Mother South Austin Woman who was/likely is certain that I may as well put nuclear waste products AND rat poison in my food, pretty much heard the same about twenty minutes ago from a woman working in the vitamin/supplements department at Whole Foods, yet another Austin Earth Mother type; just the fact that I said the word 'microwave' caused her to get a big frowny face, looked like she had gas or something. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I like to toss broccoli with just a shade of water into the microwave for a couple of minutes, or re-heat my rice and beans or soup or whatever. Related: Does cooking vegetables in a pressure cooker rob them of needed nutrients? I just Googled and found widely varying opinions, and all of them certain of their validity: Either "Microwaves Are Death !!!" (insert heavy, unhappy music here, music that starts on its own upon opening the page) or "Hey, what the heck, those folks are nuts; microwave cooking is the best thing since sliced bread."

So I'm coming here to get the bottom line.

If you are of the "Microwaves Are Death" community, do you now or have you ever owned Birkenstock sandals, or were you considering purchasing some this afternoon?

If you are of the "Microwaves Are Just Swell" camp, are you smoking a cigarette as you read this, and/or maybe sucking down a MacDonalds Quadruple Bacon Burger of Death supersized with fries and a diet coke?

All kidding aside, I trust this community. Give me the news, gang.

Thanx!

How do I dispose of LOTS of private documents?

PandemicSoul — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:43:19 -0800

Is there an easy way to get rid of hundreds of pages of private documents? I just moved into a smaller apartment than I had before, with a roommate. I'm quite a packrat, and had to get rid of a bunch of stuff, including literally hundreds of pages of files and private documents from apartments past (utility bills, vehicle statements, medical records/bills, etc.) that I don't need, but haven't ever known what to do with -- except for continue to schlep around with me. Well, I'm done with that!

I have a box that weighs, I think, around 50-60 pounds with paper. What do I do to get rid of it? I live in San Fernando Valley, if there's something local beyond general suggestions. The only possible solution I've come up with is allowing a co-worker to take the stuff home and burn at his house way outside of LA, but I'm not entirely comfortable with him having access to so much of my private information.

Air conditioning the outdoors?

bystander — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:09:58 -0800

Are gas station forecourts really air conditioned in some places in the USA? I have heard environmentalists use as an example of profligate waste the idea that some US gas station have the area out front where the pumps are air conditioned. Effectively cooling the outdoors.
Is this true? Anyone got a photo/link/citation?

Help me have a well-managed pantry.

Flunkie — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:59:34 -0800

Help me have a well-managed pantry. Not a well-stocked pantry. A well-managed pantry. Stocking is not a problem for me: I need something, I buy it. I've got all sorts of crap stocked in my fridge and on my shelves.

But "stocking" leaves a lot to be desired. The biggest fundamental problem is that I have no clue (well, not enough of a clue) about things like how long stuff keeps good, or how to help keep stuff longer. I also don't have enough of a clue on planning how much to buy so that I'd be reasonably sure that little or none of it would go to waste, but that problem would be significantly helped by solving the first problem.

So I buy something, and use part of it, and stick the rest in the fridge (or a cabinet). Should I wrap this particular thing in saran wrap? Cover it with wax paper? Stick it in Tupperware? Leave it open to the air? I dunno. Does the crisper drawer actually do anything special? The dairy shelf? Meat bin? I have no idea. How long does it keep after I open it? Beats me. How long would it keep if I didn't open it? I only know if it happens to have an expiration date. How long would it keep if I froze it? Is it even something that's good to freeze in the first place? No idea. And so forth. (To be clear, these are not really my question - I'm just giving some background in leadup.)

So say I need some foodstuff, let's call it "blerk". I use a little blerk in what I'm making. I stick the rest in the fridge (or cabinet).

Maybe I'll use some more blerk the next day, or within a few days or a week or so if it's something that will obviously last for a long time. But I soon get suspicious of it. So I throw out a lot of blerk.

And a lot of everything else.

For obviously longer-lived things, it's even worse: I buy in bulk, since it will last for quite some time, but I lose track of when it was bought, and when it was opened, and even if I knew those things I still wouldn't really know what they meant with respect to whether it's still good or not.

I have read various things about pantries, but they all seem to be just big stocking lists, "here's stuff to make sure you have", for people who must cook a lot more than me. If I stocked based on the lists I've seen, I'm certain that I'd waste even more food than I currently do.

And of course some of these stocking lists do have information about how long certain items keep, but it's always in an offhand kind of way about some specific item, whereas I'd be better served by an exhaustive reference.

I really, really want to stop this, and get more organized about it. I'm theoretically concerned about the financial aspect of this wastefulness, but I am much more concerned with the fact that I feel very guilty about wasting food in the first place (I'm actually guiltily embarrassed by posting this question). Plus, this issue also is a mental block for me with respect to cooking more, because I know if I buy something to cook something with it, a lot of it will go to waste. So I order out a lot more often than I would really like to.

So, my question is, are there any books or websites or anything that would help with this? Any programs to keep track of this stuff? Anything to help with the fundamental problems of "how long does that keep" and "how do I keep it appropriately", but also with the related problem of "how can I plan to use what I buy"?

I have the kind of personality where if I had a clear, detailed, and broad-scoped reference of such information, I would actually be happy about making and using spreadsheets of when stuff was bought, opened, due to expire, and so forth.

Thanks in advance.

Environmentally friendly end to tree trimmings

b33j — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 04:15:01 -0800

Is there some easy, cheap and useful way to deal with twiggy tree branch trimmings at home? I’m not allowed to set fire to them and transport is an issue. They won’t fit in our compost bins or the municipal waste bins. The last lot I used for mulching but grass (paspalum - not lawn) grew up between the gaps in the branches, so not really successful, even though it was a very large pile. We tried a friend's large shredder once, and it couldn't deal with the volume.

Script needed to diff and then play sound when refresh reveals tickets are on sale.

|n$eCur3 — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:07:38 -0800

W.A.S.T.E. of a question, but I need a script that will perform a diff and play an alert sound when a reload reveals that the HTML page has changed relative to the previous reload. I have firefox set to refresh a page every 30 seconds, but I'd rather not stay up all night waiting for the page to change.

So, is there any kind of script that someone would like to write for me, or one that is preexisting that will play an alert sound once it detects any change in the page?

Bonus points if it works for multiple tabs.

Thanks!

How to lower the environmental impact of the work place?

InstantSanitizer — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 18:00:49 -0800

Strategies for greening the work place? At very short notice I have been put in charge of a pilot study that will be implemented at my office (within a gov agency). I'd appreciate information on/ links to measures, large and small, that can be taken to make an office, within an existing older building, more environmentally friendly. TIA

old toys & industrial waste

xz — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:46:21 -0800

yesterday, my neighbor was talking about that stuff we had as kids that was basically a little tube of awful smelling plastic gunk and a small straw. you put a glob of plastic on the straw and blew weird, oily bubbles. anyone remember what that crap was called? what was it?

Paper waste?

princeofpersiaxz — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:51:16 -0800

Don't publishers waste a significant amount of money and paper by including blank pages at the begining and end of their books? I have seen as much as six blank pages included at the begining and end of books. Now if the book becomes a hot seller and sells let's say 500,000 copies, that's 2 million blank white pages if it has as little as four blank pages. Don't publishers keep this in mind? Or is the cost of paper insignificant? The environmental factor should be considered as well as the monetary one of "wasting" so much paper.

Looking for resources regarding sustainability.

valentinepig — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 10:36:16 -0800

Zero waste is the topic. Turned up zero hits in my AskMeFi search. What I am in need of is a web 2.1 muti-media blast to present to an audience of more than 2,000.

Our company is looking at sustainability as a major topic for the coming year. The first quarter is my chance to blow them away with resources to dazzle, amuse and convert folks to the idea of zero-waste. Or a Newtonian type of approach to zero waste.

Please do your darndest to help me find the latest, the greatest, most bulletproof and the mostest superlativest resources available that are not of a particular political persuasion and have a serious, reasonable and verifiable economic benefit slant (consumer or corporate), in addition to any tree-hugging feel good appeal.

1,000 Useless Mugs - Let's Keep them out of the Landfill

nomad73 — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:57:23 -0800

The org I work for has 1000 coffee mugs we can't use. What can we do with them to keep them out of a landfill? We're working with a company to do coffee mugs with our logo and a cartoon on them. Before we approved a proof, they jumped the gun and produced a 1,000 of them and sent them to us. The boss doesn't want them, and the company has taken full responsibility for the error so we're not being charged for them. I want to make use of the mugs and not just throw them away BUT we can't just start giving them out to people because they have a design that the boss doesn't want seen widely. So, what can I do with them other than throwing them away? What's a green, yet politically appropriate (within the confines of my org/boss) thing to do? The boss is not particularly environmentally aware and he doesn't have to know about it. It's better if he doesn't know, but I also don't want to take any chances (like giving them to the homeless and then months later him seeing a homeless person using it to ask for spare change [ok a ridiculous example, but you get the idea]).

So, hive mind - any ideas? Thank you in advance.

Do Not Mail List

destro — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:05:03 -0800

How do I stop paper junk mail? Is there an equivalent of the government Do Not Call List for regular mail?

Paint Rollers and the environment: Wash or waste?

ssmith — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:11:49 -0800

My wife has come to the conclusion that it's more environmentally friendly to use a paint roller once (and then let it dry out and throw it away) as opposed to wasting upteen gallons of water cleaning all the paint out in order to reuse the roller. This seems crazy and a waste of money to me. What say you AskMetafilterians?

What sort of garden shredder should we get?

handee — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 02:06:28 -0800

We've got a garden. We don't have a car. Soon, the garden is going to change and produce a lot of waste vegetation (that hedge has to go, etc. etc.). So I'm looking at purchasing a garden shredder, and I realise I know nothing about this sort of thing. Is a petrol powered shredder that much better than a good electric one? Is there anything else I should know about these machines? There are a few electric ones on Amazon with really good reviews (Bosch, in particular), but the petrol powered ones have fewer reviews and really cost a lot more. The garden is large - about 45mx10m - but it's not massive.

Grindage

chuckdarwin — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 13:00:24 -0800

The local council is urging residents who live in a flat to get a food waste disposer (garbage disposal). Are these units an environmentally sound alternative to composting? In the US, I was used to having an "Insinkerator" and I miss it. But, isn't it bad for the sewage treatment plants? Should I be trying to convince my neighbours to share a composting bin with me [I have no garden at all, or else I would've already started composting]?

Tell me to turn my sink off

ztdavis — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:59:12 -0800

What's so bad about wasting water? Hopefully I don't sound too randomly ignorant.

If you aren't paying your water bill, and assuming you don't care about pissing off your landlord, what are the environmental consequences (or otherwise) of wasting water when doing dishes or taking an extra long shower?

Conventional wisdom of course argues against wasting water, but I've been curious lately as to definite reasons why.