Minor rant. I got new tires last year. Today i went to get my oil changed and while I was there I asked for my tires to be rotated. They found a puncture of a nail or something right on the edge so the patch would need to be on the side wall which no one does. The only place around that sold used tires doesn’t do that anymore. If i wanted to get it fixed it was going to cost me $200 to replace the tire. I did not drive in any crazy places, just got unlucky enough that my personal 2 ton death machine found this tiny little piece of metal that I wouldn’t have even had a chance to see and avoid, and got it stuck in a place that’s apparently unfixable.
On top of all the ways car culture has destroyed our landscapes and controls our cities, the car is designed in such a way to be the biggest financial burden possible. What other thing do we have where you can use it as intended, but there’s a decent chance for the equivalent of a splinter to make your hand stop working?!
Plumbing.
My general contractor buddy once explained to me the state of plumbing: “We used to make plumbing with lead and cast iron pipes, but that old tech would only last 50 to 100 years before it needed major maintenance. Then we modernized with copper pipes, which gave us about 20 years of working life. We really stepped into the modern age with PVC pipes, which generally give us a solid eight years of working life.”
That said, I redid my house and sailboat with PEX, and it’s been solid AF. And anything that can survive being on a blue water sailboat is probably going to last a century in a house.
I mean, getting rid of lead in plumbing is generally a good idea.
If you get rid of the lead, it’s just “ing”
I’ll admit that PVC-tubing-ing doesn’t have the same ring to it, yet cars and coaches aren’t horse-drawn anymore.
I’m struggling to think of an equivalent situation
A tree root grows into your pipes, nothing you could’ve done to avoid it but now you have to pay to redo all the pipes in your house.
Try peeling a bunch of potatoes, without the water running. Then try to put all the skins down the disposal at once. If you’re lucky, you’ll only clog the disposal side.
I have NEVER understood why the fuck Americans put all their garbage down the drain…
Because we have modern municipal water treatment plants that turn waste into biogas and fertilizer. But even in areas that don’t, it’s convenient and prevents stinky kitchen trash. Most people in the US don’t have access to composting services and don’t do home gardening, so don’t need compost themselves.
If it makes you feel any better, as an American the first thing I did when I bought my house was to rip out the garbage disposal and install a normal drain instead.
If you’re on city water that “waste” gets turned into fertilizer and it’s just composting without extra work. There is little reason to remove a disposal. Such a strange thing to remove.
It’s a hole with grinding teeth that could destroy something accidentally dropped down there and rubber flaps that trap gunk. It’s dangerous and gross and I didn’t want to deal with it.
It actually uses a shredder ring and impellers. Not saying your reasoning is wrong, just that the parts are a little different than a lot of people think. It’s not like a blender or paper shredder. When it’s off, there’s not really any danger reaching into it. You should unplug it still if you are going to do that.
I know, DOZENS EVERY YEAR GET KNICKS ON THEIR HANDS!
Look I know this data doesn’t exist, but I’d be happy to bet more people dies from heatstroke and heart attacks from spreading compost then are seriously injured.
If you don’t want to, don’t use it. Just don’t act all shocked and smug when someone else enjoys the convenience.
Because it’s composting without extra steps.
That does not feel equivalent to me