regarding: Disney to Begin Renting 'Self-Destructing' DVDs

[UALOneKPlus]

Thanks to Ian for pointing this out:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtm ... ID=2760176

I think it's sad that Disney offers throw away discs. Our environment is going to get a lot more trash, since we havde disaposable cutting boards, mops, tons of wipes (automotive, baby, kitchen, bathroom, etc...)...

laziness should not be an excuse to create additional garbage...

[cfitz]

You said it, UALOneKPlus. I was thinking the exact same thing.

cfitz

[CDRecorder]

That's true. I hadn't thought of it that way before, UALOneKPlus and Cfitz.

On the other hand, we won't ever have to worry about scratched and dirty rental discs if this catches on. The last time I watched a rental DVD, I had to clean off the disc, which was extremely scratched and dirty, before the DVD player would play the movie.

Edit: Again, I guess it does come down to laziness, though. If people would take care of the discs and return them at the proper time, we wouldn't have to worry about any of this.

[BuddhaTB]

I think Disney should recycle these unreadable disc and use them to make other plastic products or additional DVD's with them.

[CDRecorder]

That's a good idea, BuddhaTB!

[cfitz]

But they've already indicated that the point of disposable discs is to be able to "rent" them from outlets that have no facilities for returning the discs. If they are never returned, they can't be recycled, although I suppose Disney could provide mailers to return the discs to a central facility for recycling. But even if they do provide such a facility, how many people will bother using it? In addition, laminated composite products like DVD's are typically difficult to recycle because the materials can't be easily separated. And even if they can be recycled, the recycling takes energy and likely creates its own harmful byproducts. It is better to reuse. Remember the three R's (in order of more to less environmentally friendly): reduce, reuse, recycle.

cfitz

[tazdevl]

FYI they can be recycled

Quoted Directly from Flexplay's FAQs.

Can Flexplay DVDs be recycled?
A Flexplay DVD can be recycled. Expired discs can be mailed to a central recycling center. As distribution increases, local programs will be developed.

How can consumers recycle their Flexplay enabled EZ-Ds?
Consumers can send their expired discs to GreenDisk, an independent recycling agency that has set up a recycling center.

GreenDisk
2200 Burlington
Columbia, MO 65202

The key issue is that Disney or whoever is distrubuting or producing the disc should provide the means to facilitate recycling. The onus should not be on us to pay and end up making them look good.

[cfitz]

To recycle there you have to pay them $0.10 a pound, $5 minimum:

http://www.greendisk.com/sp1_1.html

How many people would bother? I wonder if Disney will pre-pay so that people can send the disc for recycling for free? I also wonder what would happen if you just sent them the discs without paying anything? If the process is economically viable, they surely wouldn't dump them just to spite you, would they?

The fact that they are charging leads to a little suspicion on my part that the process of recycling the discs is not economically viable in its own right, which then leaves open the possibility of fraud. Mind you, I am not accusing them of operating fraudulently. As far as I know they are a perfectly legitimate company. But unfortunately there have been instances of "recyclers" who charged for their services and then just dumped the materials they collected without doing any recycling at all.

Anyway, my comment about the desirability of reusing with respect to recycling still holds. And my comment about the likelihood of people bothering to recycle also still holds, perhaps even more so since not only is there not an economic incentive for the end user to recycle, there is actually an economic disincentive for the end user to recycle.

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

since not only is there not an economic incentive for the end user to recycle, there is actually an economic disincentive for the end user to recycle.

mmm...is the opposite of 'incentive' - 'disincentive'? shouldn't it be 'discentive' ???

sorry cfitz.
i agree with your opinions about recycling etc.
too bad there isn't much of it being done here where i live.

i guess the US is the #1 where it comes to recycling...or maybe Western Europe ?
mmm....well it should be the US, as the US is #1 in polluting! (too bad...)

[vbl117]

since not only is there not an economic incentive for the end user to recycle, there is actually an economic disincentive for the end user to recycle.

mmm...is the opposite of 'incentive' - 'disincentive'? shouldn't it be 'discentive' ???

sorry cfitz.
i agree with your opinions about recycling etc.
too bad there isn't much of it being done here where i live.

i guess the US is the #1 where it comes to recycling...or maybe Western Europe ?
mmm....well it should be the US, as the US is #1 in polluting! (too bad...)

I would rather bet that western europe is NO 1 for recycling ( not for waste because taxes on natural ressources/manufactured products are much higher in Europe ) . European Citizens and governments are obviously much more worried about environmental problems than US government and citizens ( but some citizens think in an other way , i understand some U.S citizens are really worried ) .
The fact is that in Europe governments/local authorities used to create plants to recycle some products ( otherwise private interest would not create them because it is not economically viable most of the time , though some recycling plants are created by private interests mainly to recycle their packages and products ) .

German citizens and government are worried a a lot about environment and recycling .

Also remember some european countries have not a lot of natural ressources . It depends on countries but no european countries has proportionnaly as many natural ressources as U.S , so when you are used to think that you have to deal with a limited amount of natural ressources and buy the extra natural ressources needed in a foreign money ( dollar ) you think and act in a different way .

Of course some countries are bigger problems than recycling problems when they are at war with another country/people or have to deal with civil war or terrorism or ... ( choose what you think is Israel case Dodecahedron ) .

Sorry to be off topic .

[cfitz]

mmm...is the opposite of 'incentive' - 'disincentive'? shouldn't it be 'discentive' ???

I'll let Merriam and Webster speak on my behalf:

discentive: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?b ... discentive

disincentive: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?b ... sincentive



cfitz

[dodecahedron]

LOL...i was just pullin' you leg..should've known better

[cfitz]

Here are some figures on comparative recycling rates:



(from http://www.nolanitu.com.au/__data/page/10/Recycling_Comparison_Report.pdf)



(from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/europe/1849302.stm)

cfitz

[dodecahedron]

i'm VERY surprised to see Israel on that scale at all

[ChrisX]

I've read this yesterday and ain't impressed with Walt Disney. What a waste and what's the point of having it? What if someone didn't have the time to view it?

Walt Disney is polluting the planet, more waste, more contamination.

We have enough junk mail in the post, enough junk e-mail messages, enough commercials on TV and radio. We also have enough of rubbish as it is to the tip.

No more trash on Earth and the Disney Co should be ashamed of themselves of rubbishing this planet. They should be prosecuted!!!

[CDRecorder]

I've read this yesterday and ain't impressed with Walt Disney. What a waste and what's the point of having it? What if someone didn't have the time to view it?

As I understood it, the 48-hour period begins when the package is opened. So, everything is fine as long as the package isn't opened until the user is ready to view it.

[jase]

What a pathetic result on the part of the UK. Our government has tried to encourage recycling, but the dirty pigs in this country would rather pay less taxes and live in a swamp than do anything about it if it involves getting off their fat overfed arses and doing anything about it. Disgraceful.

They called us the dirty old man of Europe in the 70s, and it seems nowt has changed