Tracking trash

[sylvur]

This is kinda cool! I hope they do more of it so they can find out which garbage companies dump the trash. Lakes? Oceans? Disposal facilities? Africa? Someday we'll find out!

[jrichardson6]

these videos are good but way too short....

[clanOT]

ever heard of gps?

[Saromatae]

In other news scientists have figured out a way to track trailer trash. You may wonder what happens to trailer trash after commenting on youtube. Scientists invented a tracking chip that attaches to trailer trash after having typed a comment on youtube. The chip works by sensing tube tops and spandex pants as well as tattoos of eagles and flags with god bless America written under them. Scientists are currently conferring with specialists Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the cable guy for improvements.

[narsingdih]

LMAO!!

[ROBwithaB]

These videos really need to go into a bit more detail.

eg. WHY would it be important to know where the trash ends up.

[WhrsTheMoneyLabowski]

ROB, you complain about lack on information but then go on to demonstrate you didn't even listen to what little they had said. Tracking trash and determining its final destination will allow the process to be made more efficient. It will also help determine if and how trash ends up in the oceans or other ecosystems where it should not be. Efficiency = $.

[ROBwithaB]

I understand the principle.

My concern is that, in general, these New Scientist videos are a little too short and as a result simply skim the surface of the issue.

If you read the comments, it becomes clear that they haven't really communicated the idea very effectively.

It would seem that this is a "teaser" channel, to drive sales of the magazine. But I think it is a short-sighted strategy. They are missing an opportunity to inform and educate people.

[Jaymusgrave]

Because its thought some is sent to China and India and buried without being recycled.

[ROBwithaB]

Exactly.

It is a very important project that should be receiving attention.

But they didn't really get the point across in this particular video, IMHO.

They didn't make it clear that there might be a number of parties involved in the handling of the garbage, including private contractors, recycling centers, local authorities, etc.

The financial incentive to take short cuts might be very strong.

The video was a bit too short to cover this.

So it might end up seeming like useless technology....

[Paulienator]

Towards the end of the video she says "to make the waste removal system more efficient".

[ROBwithaB]

I'm not criticising the technology, I'm suggesting that the way the information is presented in the video leads many people to conclude that it is useless technology.

If the videos were a bit longer, they would have a chance to explain the problem before proposing a solution.

It would be useful to understand why existing simple solutions (eg. barcoding or simply following the garbage truck) might not work.

[Feddex123]

you heard the smart sounding lady! To make it "more efficient" xD

[provoko]

This is so stupid. Just find out from the city where the trash is going...

[shim2dawg]

why don't they just ask the garbage truck drivers?

[kazimann]

What useless technology.

[Januacaeli]

It's good to track illegal garbage activity in specal way illegal toxic wastes.

[superdios]

oh yeah, i was wondering my whole life where my trash ended up... thnx for letting me no...

[superdios]

know*

[yoshco]

a 200$ tracker module on a 0.1$ cup.

[deadNIGHTCRAWLER]

ussualy i like or at least dont disslike these vid's, but seriously hows this gonna help? first off we are literally trowing away tax payers money for the purpose of finding out where it will end up. i can tell u that, it's gonna end up at the fucking local landfill. and two, i can think of way better things to do with these trackers, maby put them on collars, or vehicles, people, fucking anething else than on usless trash

[BroganTheLifecaster]

Or you could follow the trash guys to the dump.

[LinesAndSquiggles]

Can the tracking device be recycled as well?

[insanity54]

But you have to throw away that nice tracking device!

[Konve]

Couldn't they just ask the garbage men where they drive it? What a waste of time.

[DrakeMagnum]

clever use of technology

[shaolindreams]

make it small and implant it into humans... were doomed i tell ya!

[vitruvian8807]

Out of sight, out of mind. Why would I want to know where it ends up?

[trakkaton]

Well, they should know where the trash goes to, shouldn't they? It's like... SOMEBODY PLANS THE WHOLE THING!

Yeah, right, someone has the job to plan this. He has the complete information about it. You don't have to find it out in a superb complex way. Just ask him.

Sometimes I think people really are incredibly stupid.

[rodriguez1616]

haha agreed man! u just said what i was thinking.. this new scientists are so antisocial they just sit back on their chairs and invent new ways to not interact with people.. hahah!

[Iceman22742]

Hmm, lo jack for trash eh? I guess thats cool. But i would put one in my laptop just in case someone stole it. Then i could track the bastard down!

[TommieAitken]

Someone may wrap up your laptop with Aluminium foil to steal it.

I think Pizza delivery bag might be good.

Be careful! ;)

[BillyBobsEel]

is the a chance the tracking device could get destroyed? I'm assuming they're one use only, i don't think anyone would want to seach through a landfill site based on its rough coordinates.

[gotriceandshrimp]

I don't really care about the waste....but where do you get one of those tracking chips? >;3

If motion will activate it then waste is at the bottom of the list of priorities >;3

[Shaunt1]

Nice, I hope this helps improve the system.

[sOulrOckmelO]

wow..that was pretty pointless.

1)you make a tracking device

2)you throw it with your trash.

3)you now know where your trash is.

=_=

[janikarvonen]

Did you even listen to the end, reason to this?

[snager80]

i KNOW where my area's waste ends up. some mornings, you can smell it, linguring in the air. the mountain of trash can not only be SMELT from miles away (something like rotting, poorly cook cheeseburgers or rotting flesh) but SEEN from miles around. it's not a heap, not a hill. it's a MOUNTAIN. it would take a fair day's hike trying to get from one side to the other.

[insanity54]

Your area should invest in an incinerator :P

[snager80]

no WAY! then we'd be smoked out all the time. i've BEEN places where they burn their trash.. why did i get a thumbs down?

oh, that's right. because i HATE youtube.

[neogam209]

Odor pollution can be a problem with old-style incinerators, but odors and dust are extremely well controlled in newer incineration plants. They receive and store the waste in an enclosed area with a negative pressure with the airflow being routed through the boiler which prevents unpleasant odors from escaping into the atmosphere

[place910]

would be useful for tracking items in the mail

[Lueserz]

why not just ask where they are going?

[CalvinDWalker]

Because people can lie, if it's going to save them money by not changing waste efficiency.

These devices don't lie, or are incredibly hard to prove that they're faulty.

[RogAgainst]

a lot of the "waste management industry" have been shady in answering questions about where they deposit trash. i personally contacted them after hearing that our seattle recycling was being shipped overseas. i got the run around for 4 months. it looks as if other people were concerned enough to do something about it as well after more word spread around the city.

[Craznn]

If i wanted to track trash, then i'd put a barcode on your mother. lol j/k j/k.

[holsson85]

This could be used to track wildlife too! See how animals migrate and such.

[gaaratoast]

There are already things for that.

[rocpoals]

I can't believe I wasted time to watch this

[WillP999]

Why the fuck would you put this on your trash and not your home electronics?

[namesRhard1]

So government authorities can make sure it's not being illegally dumped in some canyon and properly disposed of.

[WillP999]

But yet it is left to the person doing the throwing away to attach?

People illegally dumping just wouldn't stick it to the trash, or remove it before they dumped it.

[BASSLINESSSS]

What a waste of money

[eSilva90]

Not a waste if its making things more efficient.

[videochick770]

sounds better as an antitheft device for personal electronics.

[ahmadclk]

yea i was thinking the same thing. I mean why the hell would u waste it on trash when you can use it for more valuable things.

[RareAirSupply]

i guess this could be used to make sure valeable trash such as shreded documents gets terminated... althought generally it can help improve the routes that trashmen are takeing...

[Deathnotez123]

Um really.... Really? how much did this shit cost lol?

IT GOES TO THE FUCKIN DUMP!

[NoxNoctisUmbra]

LOLZ

[neogam209]

in my city everything goes to the incinerator

but shh its a big secret

XD

[CactosS]

i dont see the point is obios where the tras go

[awesomeSimon]

Great for murderers.

[rootscientist]

Don't they realize that trash gets smashed and broken up to bits? Those sim chips will never make it..

[raquelle08]

wow kinda weird but a good idea

[mickderkskouta]

weird.. you would say somebody there has the control over all this and knows exacly were all the trash of his district is going to.. oh well

[macks3123]

It's a Brave New World

[Klodvig105]

Seems like a good way to make the waste management more efficient to me, gives real-time data, accurately and directly. And I guess the transmitters are salvageable too.

[senoctar]

a dump truck is not a blue wale, just follow the damn thing

[ben7amin]

instead of tracking trash you could track a person dumasses

[MagikGimp]

We saw that this recyclable container actually unfortunately ended up in the waste electronics pile because there was a f**king radio transmitter inside it.

[MagikGimp]

But seriously, can't they just ask someone?

[guyontheend]

hope it's waterproof and crush proof

[kazimann]

It ends up in a dump.

Talk about a useless invention.

[Wipeoout]

You shouldn't trash talk this trash tracking video!

[bmw123321]

kill the voice

[red33m23]

the woman that is narrating in this video is also narrating in the ECPE exam of Michigan!

I took the listening exam by hearing this voice...I am glad to have passed it.

[pubtor]

nice

[Athaeus]

Ok, we get it everyone - the technology used isn't ground-breaking. In fact, using cutting-edge technology to track trash wouldn't be that financially sound.

But the way this is used can help us manage our ever-growing piles of waste.

[snsryovrlod]

so, make more trash to track trash?

[Calza]

biggest waste of money

[Aletheophile]

why not just type "waste management" into google?

[farhmoha]

This is probably better for tracking someone, you know leaving that McDonalds bag in someone's car, kinda like have the spider tracer from the Fox Kids Spiderman.

[DamienZshadow]

Holy crap I was thinking the same thing!!

[farhmoha]

lol

[Paxmax]

oohkey..

[themightychickens]

So this is just a motion activated GPS...

[Aaberg123]

Not really. It works like cell-phone triangulation.

[teemuruskeepaa]

Espionage agencies had a smaller version decades ago

[DamienZshadow]

Cellphone towers? lol

[SEANGRAYONCEAGAIN]

blahh

[TheDivineCellphone]

dont Blaah so much...

its very nice to know what happens to trash...

just think of all the ressources wasted into trash !