I am not disagreeing with Green Policies or Health and Safety etc. because they are essential for our ultimate survival but just as an observation much of our work is getting tougher to accomplish.

Rattle can paints don’t seem to be as good as when they used ozone unfriendly propellants.
Lead-free solder often makes a poor job compared with the old 60/40.
Halon fire extinguishers are far better to use when electrical & mechanical equipment is involved.
The list could go on and on.

Now I am heavily into re-cycling (living close to a re-cycling centre) and everything I dispose of is appropriately binned for presumably the best disposal method by the authorities.
I had to chuckle when I enquired what happened to all the old TV, electrical and computer equipment – “it is carefully placed into freight containers and sent to India, where it is re-used” I was told.
That’s one way of solving the lead disposal issue.

Tweakie.

I agree Tweakie, seems now if you have or more often had something that worked well they would change it so that it would be more environmentally friendly and ruin the product in the process.  On the other hand we should defiantly do all we can to lessen our impact on the environment.  Lessen in my definition means to actually lessen, not just create the problem and potentially cause more by shipping it half way around the world just so it isn't "in our back ward".  It is crazy the way we live.  We work all the time so we can pay others to raise our kids, grow our food, do our hunting and fishing for us, etc.  How about embalming our dead?  Why do we still do that?  I maintain it is out of shear ignorance.  I'd rest a lot better if they just put me in the dirt.  Why not just have a picture of the deceased to pay your respects to?  Keep the fancy box as well.  I was born to be fertilizer one day and not a further burden on my surroundings.     I think I'm like a lot of others.  Aware that we do some really dumb things and willing to change but how do we go about doing this?  First thing that we can all do is eliminate excess.  I have been working diligently on this for a few years and all my life by many standards. 

Brett