Two coasts: One very different world

The Empress Lilly

The Empress Lilly

Well-Known Member
WDW may try to keep a lid on it, but when Meg and I had a business lunch at Cosmic Ray's last week, we really did discuss our recycling sweatshops. What happens is that the trash from the restaurants gets collected seperately from the other trash. It is send via vacuum tubes along the utilidors to WDW's own waste disposal plant. Here, organic matter (food leftovers) is separated first. This is sold to central Florida pig farms. What they don't want, we grind up and sell as meatballs to the guests.
The plastic materials are next. These are separated into different kinds. Straws get picked out (by hand), as is cutlery. Damaged ones are repaired and send back.
The napkins are also picked out. These are washed and re-used. This is why Meg decided to do away with prints on them: Ops (that's 'operations', for you all people who don't work at WDW) had learned that printed napkins fade off when they are repeatedly washed, and Kevin Yee threatened to write a Decline by Degrees column about them.

I know it all sounds unbelievable, but there's Disney magic for ya. We can do it because our labor is so cheap. It's cheap because there are no trade unions allowed at WDW. (Walt wouldn't have it, after he had a run-in with the unions in 1941.)

Here is proof, a picture of the RCC (Restaurant Recycle Center, it's near the tree farm). Take that, all you so-called 'insiders':

nike-sweatshops-05.jpg
 
yeti

yeti

Well-Known Member
the.dreamfinder said:
Thank you for posting that enlightening bit about how the parks are really run. The insight is appreciated. Please tell me that meatball comment is a joke... (I would've put a emoticon here, but I couldn't find one that would accurately express my disgust/horror.)
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Umm...it might be in your best interest to read the last few pages of this thread. Or at the very least the URL of that photo. ;)
 
Clever Name

Clever Name

Well-Known Member
The Empress Lilly said:
I know it all sounds unbelievable, but there's Disney magic for ya.
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Sorting through garbage by hand is too expensive. The expense doesn’t come from the labor costs, but rather from the time it takes to manually pick through items. The new system uses water baths to segregate plastic products. Plastic repeals water while paper products absorb water. By immersing the refuse in water and then manipulating the slurry, the plastic can be quickly and easily separated from other refuse. They are also using a similar method to separate aluminum cans from general refuse. It’s based upon the old adage of oil and water don’t mix.
 
GenerationX

GenerationX

Well-Known Member
Clever Name said:
Sorting through garbage by hand is too expensive. The expense doesn’t come from the labor costs, but rather from the time it takes to manually pick through items. The new system uses water baths to segregate plastic products. Plastic repeals water while paper products absorb water. By immersing the refuse in water and then manipulating the slurry, the plastic can be quickly and easily separated from other refuse. They are also using a similar method to separate aluminum cans from general refuse. It’s based upon the old adage of oil and water don’t mix.
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The solid materials culled from the slurry were used to build CarsLand at DLR, while the liquid byproducts were pumped to the new Casey Jr. Splash and Soak Station at the MK.
 
Clever Name

Clever Name

Well-Known Member
Part of the challenge associated with plastic recycling is that there are so many different types of plastic. Someone earlier had mentioned straws and those are made out of polypropylene. The plastic forks, spoons, cups and plates are made out of polystyrene. These two types of plastic have to be recycled separately. Of course, it saves time, money and is environmentally better to reuse plastic products rather than going to the trouble to remanufacture plastic products. Since WDW is such a large user of these items it is easier for them to have an in house facility to sort plastic items that are suitable for reuse. On a smaller scale this type of facility would cost more than it would save.
 
bubbles1812

bubbles1812

Well-Known Member
Clever Name said:
Part of the challenge associated with plastic recycling is that there are so many different types of plastic. Someone earlier had mentioned straws and those are made out of polypropylene. The plastic forks, spoons, cups and plates are made out of polystyrene. These two types of plastic have to be recycled separately. Of course, it saves time, money and is environmentally better to reuse plastic products rather than going to the trouble to remanufacture plastic products. Since WDW is such a large user of these items it is easier for them to have an in house facility to sort plastic items that are suitable for reuse. On a smaller scale this type of facility would cost more than it would save.
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Yes. That is totally all true... And in other news, did I tell you all that I'm the real Princess Aurora? I came to this world via that fun Pixie Dust many people here seem so fond of. Peter Pan is a very good friend and he managed to get me some of the purest dust out there to make the crossover. But shh, don't tell on him, he stole from the fairies' personal stash. :D
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Tiggerrules said:
Nope, but for unique merchandise it used to be worth it. We spend very little on merchandise any more, 10 years ago that was one of the things we looked forward to, what was going to be new. Now I pretty much know what is going to be there every year.
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Yep. There was a time when I could spent thousands of merchandise when at WDW. Multiple times a year (yes, I destroyed the economy by putting absurd sums on my AmEx card regularly!) ... now, I buy almost nothing and what I do comes from Property Control or when my CM pals get their 50% off holiday discounts.

But I'll bet you that I'll be buying some stuff at DCA when I head out there ...
 
WDW1974

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
bubbles1812 said:
Yes. That is totally all true... And in other news, did I tell you all that I'm the real Princess Aurora? I came to this world via that fun Pixie Dust many people here seem so fond of. Peter Pan is a very good friend and he managed to get me some of the purest dust out there to make the crossover. But shh, don't tell on him, he stole from the fairies' personal stash. :D
Click to expand...

The Vista Way stash?:D:):cool:
 
F

fosse76

Well-Known Member
Clever Name said:
Part of the challenge associated with plastic recycling is that there are so many different types of plastic. Someone earlier had mentioned straws and those are made out of polypropylene. The plastic forks, spoons, cups and plates are made out of polystyrene. These two types of plastic have to be recycled separately. Of course, it saves time, money and is environmentally better to reuse plastic products rather than going to the trouble to remanufacture plastic products. Since WDW is such a large user of these items it is easier for them to have an in house facility to sort plastic items that are suitable for reuse. On a smaller scale this type of facility would cost more than it would save.
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Wrong. Plastic utensiles are not manufactured for re-use and easily deteriorate. I doubt the health department would allow ANY business to re-use plastic utensiles, and they most certainly wouldn't allow the re-use of straws...you get a new straw when you get a re-fill!
 
Clever Name

Clever Name

Well-Known Member
fosse76 said:
Wrong. Plastic utensiles are not manufactured for re-use and easily deteriorate. I doubt the health department would allow ANY business to re-use plastic utensiles, and they most certainly wouldn't allow the re-use of straws...you get a new straw when you get a re-fill!
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The “new” straw that you get may indeed be a reused straw. You’ve touched upon an important aspect of this problem. Plastic cutlery and straws do not readily deteriorate. Once thrown into a landfill, they may persist for millions of years. Both polypropylene and polystyrene are thermo-stable and non biodegradable.



As concerns the health department allowing any business to reuse plastic cutlery, Qantas Airways is known to have reused plastic cutlery for several years. A number of fast food companies reuse plastic utensils as well. Due to irrational and unfounded concern about this issue, most companies (including Disney) do not publicly acknowledge reuse of plastic items.



The same properties that make polypropylene and polystyrene so resistant to natural degradation also make them perfect candidates for reuse. They can tolerate high heat and be run through commercial autoclaves. I know some people that bend or break all plastic utensils after use to prevent reuse. You might consider this option.





 

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