jowey

This morning I did my errands as usual, dump, groceries and post office. The Prince William County Landfill in Virginia opens at 6am. Because of the weekend and early hours I usually have my errands done by 8am - Grocery stores, Home Depot and Land fill all open early. There is no traffic, gasoline is saved, the service providers are not stressed out dealing with jerks like me .... goals can be achieved, missions accomplished.

So today I had a computer monitor that is dead, I went to the landfill (selling the thing for parts is not cost effective and I would have to pay more to turn it in at some store).

When the landfill opened I pulled in and asked where do I drop off this "monitor" and how much. The lady informed me that it was hazardous material, I said yeah like the oil and radiator fluids that are in that shed over there, so where do I drop this off and how much. The lady then informed me that I could not drop it off till 10am, I asked why, she said because it is hazardous waste. Again I said, yeah just like your chemical, aluminum, plastic, kitchen appliances, tire and other drop off points - so where is your drop off point for computer monitors and how much ? I was also informed that I could not just throw it away in the household trash either bins - okay.

As a result I am now driving around with a computer monitor in the back of my truck. They have some idiot <me> driving around with a "hazardous waste" problem, rather than having this being collected and contained. I almost took it to a store dumpster and threw it away - that would be free disposal, minimal inconvenience and would avoid the Saturday dump lines and associated waits. The risk would be minimal, I know where the dumpsters are.

I have known businesses to "dump" their old office equipment to avoid disposal costs - helped one do it in fact. This ruined my day as I will probably go back at 10am and dance their little dance, today I feel toady. But it does highlight a "policy" that is questionable.

Recycling is interesting, I pay taxes for disposal, yet they expect me to provide a service for free. I used to sell aluminum cans but that was not cost effective and inconvenient, trying to catch the truck was a pain. A years worth of cans yielded $20. I keep being told why services cannot be provided for free, yet I am also told that I am supposed to provide a service for free

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jowey

Made the trip, spent a half hour in line at the dump, had to fill out a form that said I was a resident, name address, phone number, what was thrown. Surrounded by workers watching me and my monitor go into the truck, okay, that was strange. Everyone now knows that I had a computer monitor and threw it away, they also have my address.

Kind of interesting, understand that this area does not want to become a toxic dump for everyone else. In order to even enter the dump at 6am when they open they check the decal to make sure that one is a county resident.

The goal though is to contain the hazardous material, today it was my monitor so that it will not escape. The inclination would be to just dump it somewhere and go on.

Eh, shit happens

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gorillamom

Now that Bill Gates has retired maybe he will think about how he can help clean up the toxic wastes from a business he started. Paul Allen too. Not like they don't have the money. People actually tear computers apart just to get the gold used in them. We send a lot of our computer waste to China. It is there where they are recklessly ripping apart and leaving the waste, all for gold. Earth's "Blood Gold".

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The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

jowey

What I found interesting was the run around over this monitor, I can accept the checking of the decals or license to ensure that people from another county are not using our land fill.

In the past I collected electronics, was going to build a wave tunnel, tesla coil and my Van Degraff generator. Those plans were kinda hijacked, what if I actually did accomplish something. Sell the idea to the Bush Nazi's, think I will stick with programming.

I think the idea is that the Chinese will pollute themselves. Wonder how much gold there is in these things.

We are too much of a consumer culture. The commodities being made today are great when they work. The current business strategy is to force the consumer to either buy a new commodity or parts hard for the average Jowey to remain current on. This creates a disposable consumer dynamic and maintains market. So the average Jowey keeps buying the same product over and over again.

In the early 1900's there was a tractor called the Gravely my father had one. It was a pain to get started but once started it would run and run and run. The walk behind would pull a cart full of rocks and mow a field at the same time. The machine was easy to maintain also, some are still running. At one time I was considering getting another one or a walk behind that could do the same thing. This tractor had only 7hp yet could do all that work, I do not think that I ever bogged it down. To this day they do not have a machine that could do the work of that tractor. The closest was the BCS, guess I am wrong now they have a cart / sulky. When I was looking they did not, said its transmission would not be able to haul stuff....

Businesses used to have a "quality product" and "service" business ethic, the idea was to provide the best product and the business would grow based upon reputation. This is not as profitable as a disposable product that has to be replaced every few years.

The monitor had served, I had purchased it in 1995. But consider a machine from the 30's that is still functioning.

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gorillamom

I know what you mean. This country seems to be a catch 22 no matter what it is you're going, where you're going, and the laws are insane.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

jowey

It is almost as if we need a system reset here, a social reset. Call it a reevaluation process, bring in all our government assets and consider what this society is to evolve into.

• Fascist state or a functional social democracy.
• Reinforce the oversight processes - imagine if the Judicial branch had done their job with this Iraq action. Shown the world that Americans do not tolerate despots.

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gorillamom

I totally agree. I have been trying to get medical help for years. So I finally gontacted my State Representative. I need in home care. Help really more than care. I have a lot of pain. But because my disease is rare there are no diagnostic codes for it in the State Services so I have to take it to my State Legislature!

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

jowey

Hope things go well with your State Representative. State Services are not what they are cracked up to be are they. State Services were the ones that messed up my girlfriends prescription that resulted in the incident in 2005 at the CVS pharmacy.

Hopefully with the government one is only dealing with their incompetence, not the profiteering of some company whose goal is profit not service.

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Dianekkdi

I found a computer and technology recycling site:

Computer Recycling & Reuse » Earth 911

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Reinvestigate 9/11
Impeach......Prosecute......Imprison

"...The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed...."
--Thomas Jefferson

jowey

Thanks for the link the results from our area say "Commercial Drop-Off" do not know if they will accept individual drop off or require a purchase.....

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