infinitemellon
New member
With all the buzz about going green... was wondering what's everyone's take on recycling strings? After all these strings are basically steel and nickel which could be separated rather easily
Recycling strings
- Thread starter infinitemellon
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mockingbird
New member
I'm guilty of throwing my used strings along with my household garbage. Please do let me know if this is wrong or in any way harmful to the enviroment.
EugeneSmasher
New member
Aren't they sorted out after garbage is collected anyway? It's a law in Singapore that only authorized garbage disposal companies can collect our garbage and dispose of it. But good point. Will dump my old strings into recycle bins next time. 
Ps. There will always be people who don't care about the environment. Just hope and pray that someday they'll care..
Ps. There will always be people who don't care about the environment. Just hope and pray that someday they'll care..
Aren't they sorted out after garbage is collected anyway? It's a law in Singapore that only authorized garbage disposal companies can collect our garbage and dispose of it. But good point. Will dump my old strings into recycle bins next time.
Ps. There will always be people who don't care about the environment. Just hope and pray that someday they'll care..
if this planet wants to have any hope of solving our global problems like widespread starvation and global warming etc...
it must be ruled by one supreme leader! then that single government can immediately take decisive and firm action
wow the thought of it makes me smile uncontrollably.
EugeneSmasher
New member
Haha.. One supreme leader running the whole planet.. That's a very scary thought. If that happens, say bye-bye to freedom of diversity..
EugeneSmasher
New member
If they are recycled, they could be melted down and used for something else. Old guitar strings serve no other purpose if you ask me. Why not melt them down and put them to good use?
distortedbassist
New member
lol i didnt know that throwing my used strings together with my household trash is wrong ?
My uncle told me to keep my used strings in a box and save'em for years . Then sell to karung guni . He is being sarcastic obviously . lol
My uncle told me to keep my used strings in a box and save'em for years . Then sell to karung guni . He is being sarcastic obviously . lol
EugeneSmasher
New member
It's not wrong. It's just that they don't get recycled.. They get melted down and disposed, instead of melted and re-used. I wanted to do that with my old wine bottles but I haven't seen any garang guni men around my area.
EugeneSmasher
New member
Zenzo: Same sentiments here.. There used to be one near my block too, but I don't know where it's gone now.
Glentiaw: Hmmm can't think of any. I think only way is to melt them down and use them for something else. Pity they're very hard to shape otherwise we could use them like regular wire for sculptures, gardening, etc.
Glentiaw: Hmmm can't think of any. I think only way is to melt them down and use them for something else. Pity they're very hard to shape otherwise we could use them like regular wire for sculptures, gardening, etc.
infinitemellon
New member
Well how harmful I am not sure but these things will end up in your incinerator and God knows what happens when they got incinerated at such high temperature; especially with all the solvents and stuff we use and the chemicals they use to treat the strings when manufacturing the strings. All these stuff will somehow make their way into landfills in form of ashes and finally find it's way into the sea. Yes landfills are not 100% leak proof. There are bound to be holes somewhere. It goes into fishes and finally get back to us. Unless we are 100% sure there are no harmful chemicals in our strings we shouldn't just dump it.
Garbage companies do not sort out your trash unless you throw them into designated recycling bins. Maybe give them to some innovative designers who can make better use of old rusty strings than just dump them into the bin. For me I will probably try to cook my bass strings or something. Reuse it as much as possible before I recycle it. It cheaper this way too I think.
pinkbox
New member
dude, don't open a can of worms.
look, the amount of waste given out in a day by one household is what? one garbage bag maybe. what about in one week, one month, one year? additionally, multiply that to the amount of households in singapore (alone). and tadah! you can pretty much make a freaking island with all that garbage.
and at the rate we're all going at, scientists estimate that many metals we use for day to day things will exhausted in about 50 years.
guitar strings, or not. we consume, hence there is wastage. and wastage goes somewhere! would it really kill you to put it that "ever-so-demanding" LITTLE TINY effort to give a damn to do something about it?! Geez, it just makes so much more sense if we bring functionality to that wastage rather than letting it pile up into a bigger problem.
anyways, you can do many other things than just recycling the strings through recycling receptacles. here are just some ideas:
- if you know someone who does wirework sculptures or artwork that needs metallic wires, it would definitely be useful to them.
- i had a bracelet that once broke, so i uncoiled the guitar strings to bead up my broken bracelet. its pretty cool looking honestly. i guess it could apply to necklaces or other jewelry thats hold up by wire.
- www.secondstringsproject.org (Its a project which sends used strings to musicians in South America or people who don't have the privilege or means to access strings)
- if you have kids with a mobil making project. the wire could come in handy
- if you do pottery, its a good clay cutter
its wire! you'd probably find some good use to it if you think hard enough. you could even use it as some fancy schmecy cheese cutter, whatever you like. just don't waste the waste when it can be useful.
(sigh of frustration)
neonzap
New member
CHEESE CUTTER!!! OMG!!! I ONLY THROW STRINGS AWAY WHEN IT RUSTS!!! Now i realise how much damage a string can cause... I'll start collecting old strings and then throw them to recycling bins then... =) As a guitarist, we should learn to be responsible for the damage causes by our guitar strings!
Mobius
New member
learn from John Mayer's crew
http://www.johnmayer.com/blog/team/200812
http://www.johnmayer.com/blog/team/200812
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