Something about engines, horsepower, and emissions.

[grossaffe]

Now littering. Lets think about this, we have originations like Green Peace that will tell everyone that there is garbage in the ocean, but do nothing else. I'm all for helping to reduce and recycle but everyone needs to help. And also recycling is big money in Michigan, we have a $0.10 return on our bottles so they are not thrown away. We even have the blue bin curb side pick up now, so there is no reason to not recycle it's as easy as putting the stuff out like the garbage.

Yeah, people who live in Ohio, who live near the border come up here to scam the $.10 deposit. Reminds me of that seinfeld episode where they take Newman's mailtruck up to Michigan, full of cans.

that was a great episode.

[Kurt_]

You just just got curbside recycling pickup?

...

That kind of makes me die a little on the inside.

Do you guys have "Drive Clean"? It's a yearly test where they run emissions testing on your car to make sure it meets minimum standards. If it doesn't, it's not legal to drive. I can only image what else you're all missing if you only just got curbside recycling. That actually blows my mind.

[XPCportables]

So your telling me that your government can tell you that you can no longer drive your car if it falls out of emission standards. So everyone who's car doesn't meet that requirement are f***ed over by the government due to some bogus junk science?

Wow, that's some BIG government you got up there.

And you actually think that it's a good thing?

I bet you can't wait until they start telling you what places you can eat at, and what job you can work at. You my friend are a Class A sheep.

[RockNRoll!]

Exactly. Emissions standards are not only making cars much more expensive to make and with much more that go wrong with them but they're making us become much closer to socialism. Plus, even if emissions standards wasn't socialistic, it's still bogus because cars don't have much of an impact on the environment.

[Triton]

Do you guys have "Drive Clean"? It's a yearly test where they run emissions testing on your car to make sure it meets minimum standards. If it doesn't, it's not legal to drive. I can only image what else you're all missing if you only just got curbside recycling. That actually blows my mind.

some states have emissions testing, the idea is to have cars that meet the standards and dont pollute overly much but its a pretty stupid and broken system and some states (such as iowa thank god) dont have emissions tests at all. i keep my cars in as close to a proper tune as i can (my olds and volvo anyway) so it doesnt matter anyway

[Black Six]

Do you guys have "Drive Clean"? It's a yearly test where they run emissions testing on your car to make sure it meets minimum standards. If it doesn't, it's not legal to drive. I can only image what else you're all missing if you only just got curbside recycling. That actually blows my mind.

In New Jersey you have to get your car inspected every two years. Mainly they're just checking to make sure it's safe to drive (you have all your mirrors, it's running properly, not breaking any laws (tinted windows or stuff like that)), but they also do check your emissions. Of course, that only applies to passenger cars, and I think there are different standards or no real standards for trucks or commercial vehicles, although I'm not positive. I do know for a fact that diesel cars don't have to have the emissions tests done, as they're considered a 'zero-emissions-vehicle' for some reason.

So yes, there's a system, but it's far from perfect. Just putting that out there.

[SonyPortableizer]

You just just got curbside recycling pickup?

...

That kind of makes me die a little on the inside.

Do you guys have "Drive Clean"? It's a yearly test where they run emissions testing on your car to make sure it meets minimum standards. If it doesn't, it's not legal to drive. I can only image what else you're all missing if you only just got curbside recycling. That actually blows my mind.

Sweet here io America the Government cares about the people and will let them drive a car that gets 10mpg and weights 4.5 tons, cars before the Gas crisis, where its just the engine. But you can but new cars like that, but used is just dandy.
It makes you die inside, so because we can drive cars we properly own you die inside. Wow.

[Sparkfist]

You just just got curbside recycling pickup?

...

That kind of makes me die a little on the inside.

Do you guys have "Drive Clean"? It's a yearly test where they run emissions testing on your car to make sure it meets minimum standards. If it doesn't, it's not legal to drive. I can only image what else you're all missing if you only just got curbside recycling. That actually blows my mind.

Ok let me get this straight. It's bad that we only have curb side recycling, then you ask if we have government required emission tests on cars? First we had a recycling area, and that was nice and all but few people in our city used it. We have curbside and those dumpster like bins for our paper at schools and churches. Now that's a pretty good improvement over what we did have.

As for the emissions thing. Yeah that's mostly state controlled. Here in Michigan, we have enough problems with the roads and the general state of the economy to care about charging people for driving a car that doesn't meet the state mandated emission standard. And so you know I drive a '94 Crown Victoria, which may only get 20 MPG city and about 23 highway, it's pretty good for a V-8. And no I really don't need a V-8 engine in the car, I don't need a car that big at all, it's what I got and I'm using it until I have the money to by something better.

Now how about this rather then complain to us about how the world isn't embracing the needed changes to save the world, cause I don't think you'll change many minds here, try other avenues. Start a local group that will clean trash up off the highways/streets, help at a shelter or local charity. Do something then just talking on a message board where really we don't agree with you on the situation.

I will say this, yes the planet is being damaged, yes humans are to blame. No, changing people's lives, raising taxes, Carbon Credits, and a lot of the other stuff is not going to save the planet. You want change you want something better you get people moving. Telling people their bad and then taking money out of their wallets (something the governement already does) is not going to fix the problem. Turn people to want to do better.

-Sparkfist

[Kurt_]

Y'all misread what I wrote. (And some of you are just flaming without even knowing what you're talking about).

1) I was just asking if you just got curbside recycling. I wasn't attacking anyone. It's just, here in Canada, I can't remember a time where we DIDN'T have curbside recycling. We now even have a program where we put all our biodegradable waste for the man to turn into fertilizer or soil or something.

2) As far as E-testing goes. If you don't know what it is past the name, shut up. Most cars pass. The major polluters (not just judged by poor mileage) are taken off the road. This is not a bad thing. If a hummer can pass, I'm sure any car with 10 mpg could pass as well. They also check for things that shouldn't normally be coming out the back end. Things that normal cars' catalytic converters and junk normally get rid of. To be honest, e-testing has done little as far as pollution in Ontario goes, but it's good to know it's a step in the right direction.

[grossaffe]

don't know about him, but I've always had curb-side recycling. fortunately, though, it is run by a private organization rather than an inefficient government program.

[nevermind1534]

don't know about him, but I've always had curb-side recycling. fortunately, though, it is run by a private organization rather than an inefficient government program.

Same with me. And now, they pick up pretty much everything. But sometimes the guys are lazy and only take what's in the bin.

[bicostp]

Massachusetts makes you have an emissions test every 2 years, or every other safety inspection. But, to cut costs, cars made before 1996 that are not equipped with OBD II aren't tested anymore. (Apparently the dynamometer/tailpipe test equipment costs too much to operate. The new test just plugs into the diagnostic port and checks the logs.) It just makes sure certain pollutants be under a set parts per million limit. If your car passes the safety test (working seatbelts, lights, and horn) but not emissions, you get a reject sticker and orders to fix the issue. You have something like a month to get the problem fixed and the car re-tested, and if it still fails it's off the road. This doesn't seem to happen too often.

I think the most common problem is the catalytic converter gets used up.

We have curbside recycling now, but it's contracted through Waste Management so we follow their rules. Basically they gave us one of those big rolling bins (you know, the '2 body max capacity' size), and everything from glass to cardboard goes in there. That way, it's just one guy driving around in that truck with the hydraulic arm on it taking the recycling, instead of having a driver and a collector, like on the trash truck. (We'd have a huge trash bin as well if it weren't for our town's dollar-a-bag 'pay as you throw' program. 1 trash bag every 2 weeks isn't too much output.)

blah blah blah the man blah blah blah

Hippie.

[vskid]

At least in Utah, emissions testing isn't a set number that all cars must conform to. Every car model has its own limits for emissions. And if a car was made before a certain year (late 1960's, I think), it doesn't have to be tested. It mainly just forces people to keep their cars somewhat maintained. It also limits the performance mods people can do to their cars, to a certain extent (you can just de-tune it every year when you have to get it tested). Unfortunately, you have to do safety and emissions every year. I can't imagine how crappy our air would be if we didn't do it though, in some parts of Utah you can almost swim through the air during the winter. Its usually fine in the summer.

No curbside recycling in my city, but I think they're considering it. We'd do it if we had it, but without curbside its too much of a hassle.

[eurddrue]

blah blah blah the man blah blah blah

Hippie.

I lol'd so hard after I read this!

Montana could care less about emmissions.

[Triton]

It also limits the performance mods people can do to their cars, to a certain extent (you can just de-tune it every year when you have to get it tested).

if you suck at tuning maybe. i know volvo people who have literally doubled their horsepower over stock and can still pass emissions