FAIR WARNING: This is a total rant. Just me going off again on some silly little annoyance that just drives me nuts... Don't bother reading this if you're easily offended.
Oh sweet Mother of Jesus! How stupid can we people be? Like, recycling plastic??? Just how dumb is that? Let's see... What was the phrase??? REDUCE (#1 for those that weren't paying attention), REUSE (#2 for those that phased out), and FINALLY... Last in line... #3 for those that weren't counting... RECYCLE. Ummm... Doesn't that mean that there were 2 things ahead of recylce if recycle is #3? Oh! Yes! It does!
Here's yet another example of silliness with recycling:
WTF? $4 for a recycled protractor? While a (presumably) new plastic protractor is $0.68? The environmental and energy-savings costs must be $03.31 or more. The recycled one even uses less plastic. How does that make sense?
And then another...
Same deal. How the Hell does using recycled plastic justify a $3 increase in price? This just stinks of naive, self-righteous, do-gooder, PC nitwits spending an extra $3 to feel good about themselves while some greedy shyster businessmen rake in the cash and laugh about how they're gaming the system and preying on people's good nature!
And finally... The créme de la résistance!
Like WOW! Wooden rulers right there... Which truly, really are so much better for the environment than plastic... and at a fraction of the cost of recycled plastic. This one really is a no-brainer. If you actually, truly give a shit about the environment, and not just about making yourself feel good, then there's only one choice in that short list. (I'll skip the rant about retailers being total whores and not giving a shit about the environement despite their constant pleas to the contrary -- the above example should be proof enough. Like why would you carry products that are bad for the environment if you gave a shit? Hypocrites. Ok. I lied. I ranted there!)
So... By now I'm sure somebody is asking what's with the attitude and negativity. Well... I'm just really sick of having PC nonsense shoved down my throat in one sycophantic sermon after another. Especially the kind of nonsense that is simply just factually wrong. Like how the Hell does anyone get the idea that recycling plastic is a good idea? IT'S A HORRIBLE IDEA! The good idea is to stop using it (REDUCE) in the first place. Reusing plastic is doable in some situations, but not really all that good. You can't very well reuse plastic bottles as you simply end up with too many of them. And plastic is a horrible container for drinks -- glass is so much nicer. I use empty wine bottles as water bottles instead of plastic bottles because it's simply much nicer to drink or pour out of glass containers.
I just wonder... If the "save-the-environment" fanatics out there really thought about things, and really did their homework, and really put their money where their mouth is, would we all still be bombarded with the same religious sermons about "the planet" and all that?
I'll still keep on recycling plastic bottles, but I'm going to do it grudgingly, muttering curses under my breath the whole time and hoplessly wishing that manufacturers would go back to something a bit more sane... Kind of like we had about 30 years ago... Glass bottles that get REUSED and have a deposit attached to them. It still works for beer bottles, so why can't it work for milk, soda pop, and other drinks? It used to work for milk. It used to work for soda pop bottles. If it's going to cost an extra dime or two, I really don't care. It gets rid of the entire plastic recycling issue (for bottles) and gives us a nicer container at the same time. Sigh...
If you don't believe me about glass being nicer... Try this (you'll love doing it!!! I promise!!!): Pour yourself 3 beers in a plastic cup, a metal mug (or a can of beer), and a regular glass (or glass bottle of beer). Alternatively, get the same brand of beer in a plastic bottle, a glass bottle, and an aluminum can. Drink all three and figure out which tastes better. If you're skeptical, try the experiment again. Repeat it as much as necessary. You'll either agree with me or get absolutelly plastered out of your skull and totally beligerent. Well, you could still get plastered out of your skull and agree with me! 
If you still think I'm off my rocker, then please check out "Seven Misconceptions about Plastic and Plastic Recycling". Find out what some of the sane side of environmentalism says. You may be shocked.
Well, here's one final cynical last question...
If you're a money-grubbing scumbag that doesn't give a shit about the environment and only cares about lining your pockets at anyone's (and everyone's) expense, then doesn't it make much more sense to say "fuck reducing" and "fuck reusing" because they don't line your pockets as they don't encourage consumption and consumerism, and instead, encourage people to consume more and more and more and preach sermon after sermon about recycling, because that way people will focus more on propagating the disease than on contributing to a cure?
Cheers,
Ryan