What to do....
- Thread starter Nickie
- Start date
Good point. There is a lot of stuff floating around already for sure.
I doubt that the quantity of strings and fishingline you burn in the wood stove is all that high, but the polymers in the smoke would certainly coat your stove's chimney pipe and if enough buildup occurs it can become a fire hazard. Kind of like creosote buildup in your fireplace chimney. Really hard to get rid of the buildup too.
The other aspect of this is the choking and entanglement hazards to animals in the waste dumps. So, I suppose we should cut our strings into 6" lengths when we throw them out?
I know I do that with plastic six-pack soda can holders. I cut the rings so that an animal can't get their heads stuck in one.
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I doubt that the quantity of strings and fishingline you burn in the wood stove is all that high, but the polymers in the smoke would certainly coat your stove's chimney pipe and if enough buildup occurs it can become a fire hazard. Kind of like creosote buildup in your fireplace chimney. Really hard to get rid of the buildup too.
The other aspect of this is the choking and entanglement hazards to animals in the waste dumps. So, I suppose we should cut our strings into 6" lengths when we throw them out?
I know I do that with plastic six-pack soda can holders. I cut the rings so that an animal can't get their heads stuck in one.
Yeah, burning a small amount in a stove or fireplace is unlikely to have a large impact globally, but could have pretty bad outcomes very locally (fire, toxic fumes, etc.)
When I do throw strings away, I do cut them into short lengths for the very reason of animal entanglements. It only takes a brief moment, and helps me to feel (at least slightly) better.
Now that I know that D'Addario will take all manner of strings, I plan to now take them to my local music store which has a collection bin from D'Addario for used strings. (It helps that my "local" music store just happens to be Elderly Instruments...)
Brad Bordessa
Well-known member
Heard of plastic bottle bricks/Ecobricks? https://www.ecobricks.org/how/
It's not a solution for civilization's overuse of plastic, but from a simply practical household standpoint it's a great idea. Even if you don't make the effort to get the bricks to people who might build with them, if you have to pay to dispose of your trash by volume, it's a big money saver. It's pretty amazing how much soft plastic (bags, wrappers, straws) you can squeeze in a bottle if you work at it.
If we've got to consume plastic (strings are a tough one to avoid), we might as well make the waste take up as little space as possible. It avoids the entanglement problem as well.
It's not a solution for civilization's overuse of plastic, but from a simply practical household standpoint it's a great idea. Even if you don't make the effort to get the bricks to people who might build with them, if you have to pay to dispose of your trash by volume, it's a big money saver. It's pretty amazing how much soft plastic (bags, wrappers, straws) you can squeeze in a bottle if you work at it.
If we've got to consume plastic (strings are a tough one to avoid), we might as well make the waste take up as little space as possible. It avoids the entanglement problem as well.
BBQUKER
Well-known member
I replied earlier about taking strings to fishing tackle stores that recycle fishing line. Today stopped at the local Walmart and noticed they accepted plastic bags. I asked the store manager if fishing line (i.e. ukulele strings) would be accepted. He said "Why not". Just put them into a plastic grocery bag and deposit. The plastic bags are melted down and made in to new (old) plastic stuff.