Kudos to Dirty Jobs’ host for (sort of) dissing something we sell
Don’t read this if you don’t want to think about what happens to dead animals.
I missed some good TV on Tuesday. No, not American Idol. I missed that on purpose.
I missed Mike Rowe grinding up cows on Dirty Jobs.
He worked in a rendering plant where dead animals and waste meat from farms, slaughterhouses, supermarkets and other sources is processed into fat and protein meal for use in various industries.
That’s recycling, people. A kind that many don’t want to think about. Dirty job? Yep.
There are many ways to come down on this subject. I’m neither applauding nor condemning rendering itself, I’m applauding Mike Rowe and the others involved in raising a topic worth thinking about. I agree with his comments on his blog:
These stories must be told. And the people who do the work need to be shown. Especially today, when people measure environmental stewardship by the presence of a green garbage container. Recycling – real recycling – is not about paper and plastic. It’s about flesh and bone, blood and guts, and long strands of newly reorganized DNA.
The green containers are where we come in. Actually, most of ours are blue.
Mike Rowe isn’t dismissing conventional recycling. He’s putting it in perspective. I know that from seeing the Dirty Jobs episode highlighting recycling that’s brown and not just green. Some types of recycling are less visible, less pretty, harder to do and harder to accept than what might first come to mind. It’s good to know that.
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January 30th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
It’s been quite interesting to watch what’s been happening in the meat and poultry industries over the past ten years. The EPA has really been putting some short leashes on these folks.
Where you used to be able to slaughter a pig (or cow, or chicken, or name your animal) and let the blood run everywhere – these activities are now regulated.
Where you used to be able to make a big ol’ pile of “leftovers” and burn or bury them, guess what – that’s regulated now, too.
What’s good about all of this is that it does mean cleaner water and air for everyone.
What’s bad about it is that now these industries need to create a plan to deal with these wastes – and that means added costs.
So, it is wonderful to hear a story like this. I think it’s great that someone has figured out a way to make these “wastes” useful. If this is a common practice in these industries, or becomes a more common practice, everyone can benefit.
The producer benefits because he doesn’t have to pay to get rid of the waste. The industries who use the fat and protein meal benefit because it’s a low cost feed option. The general public benefits because this waste isn’t filling up landfills or causing potential pollution problems.
This practice would be similar to “waste exchanges” that have gained a lot of popularity as landfills close, the cost of disposal rises, and people look for new ways to recycle.
For anyone unfamiliar with waste exchanges, essentially, a waste generator lists their waste; and if another company finds it useful, they can contact the generator to arrange to buy or obtain it from them. Sometimes, the waste generator will even pay to ship it to the company because it’s less expensive than disposal costs!
The EPA has a page dedicated to waste exhanges and lists state specific sites as well. http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/exchange.htm