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Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

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Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#91

Post by moltar »

idbehold wrote: post #8

Perhaps we should start doing something like what Taiwan did with their trash: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/ > The trucks only accept trash bags officially sanctioned by the government of Taiwan which come in a distinctive blue color, complete with an official seal. The bags range in price and size, from 3 liters to 120 liters. The most popular bag is 25 liters (similar to a tiny bathroom…

If anyone is interested in seeing these crazy garbage trucks, I have a video. You can hear them coming from far away.

https://youtu.be/BtpWn6PuDX0

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#92

Post by ryandrake »

wlesieutre wrote: post #61
pwenzel wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In Minneapolis, greasy pizza boxes specifically go in organics recycling (aka "municipal compost"). Chicken bones and dairy products too - It's amazing what you can put in there. http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/solid-waste/organics/index.h...

Huh, everywhere I've lived has specifically excluded pizza boxes. I just checked our website again, and the flyer I remember seeing is gone, replaced with one that says pizza boxes are recyclable now. "No food residue. No liner." Accompanied by a picture of a clearly never used pizza box. So now I'm not sure. Is oil soaked into it OK as long as you scrape every last bit of solid food out of it? Do you need no food re…

This is another problem: what goes in what bin is different in every city. I still don’t know if cardboard goes in trash, recycling or organically in my new city. Standardize the rules.

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#96

Post by mikec3010 »

jschwartzi wrote: post #59
gascan wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some recyclables are really valuable (metal, quality cardboard), but others that we really want to recycle aren't particularly (plastics, glass). Also, morons throw shocking amounts of obvious trash into the recycling stream, which is a huge pain for recyclers, and thus can significantly devalue what should otherwise be a profitable stream of recycling.

What's obvious trash? I look at the labeling on recycling and compost cans in my area and I honestly have no clue what I can recycle and what I can't. My choices are to throw away potential recyclables or recycle trash. People aren't morons, you've just built a bad system. And to clarify, I'm talking about recycling bins in fast food restaurants and grocery store delis. I've got a pile of used paper and plastic that…

I don't see how recycling paper products helps anything. Paper = carbon. There is too much carbon in the atmosphere now. Throwing paper away sequesters it from release into the atmosphere and drives up demand for timber - a renewable resource, which removes carbon from the atmosphere.

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#97

Post by matthewmacleod »

mikec3010 wrote: post #83
jdavis703 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say yes it is a good use of our time. I really want ours to be the generation that stops punting problems out to the next generation. I'd be happy if my friend's children don't need to grow up worrying about how to deal with oceans filled with plastics, global warming induced fire storms and flooded coastal cities.

Putting a coke bottle in a recycling vs trash can does nothing to reduce its probability of ending up in the ocean. But doubling the number of trucks picking up waste at my house does double the CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.

Trucks in my local area of London pickup both mixed recycleables and landfill waste in a single visit - waste is separated into two bins, and the truck has two separate receptacles for waste. No extra ongoing emissions, streams are kept separate, and the household overhead of sorting is negligible.

There is an entirely separate, less frequent service that collects organic waste, so there’s probably some overhead there.

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#98

Post by SapporoChris »

mikec3010 wrote: post #74
idbehold wrote: post #8

Perhaps we should start doing something like what Taiwan did with their trash: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/ > The trucks only accept trash bags officially sanctioned by the government of Taiwan which come in a distinctive blue color, complete with an official seal. The bags range in price and size, from 3 liters to 120 liters. The most popular bag is 25 liters (similar to a tiny bathroom…

Now you doubled CO2 emissions of your fleet and incentivize people to litter or dump in public trash cans. A better solution would be human or robotic waste sorting at the dump, or clean incineration.

I have to counter regarding incentives with my own annecdote. I was buying a lot of sparkling water and got tired of collecting and recycling the empties. I bought a popular carbonating unit.

I suspect culture will have a huge impact on how well the solution works.

I would love robotic waste sorting, I hope someone is working on that!

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#99

Post by jcoffland »

It's incredible that corporations are allowed to pump out massive quantities of single use plastic and then we blame the consumer for not recycling it. The idea that the solution is to change the habits of billions of people rather than enforce some rules on a few thousand companies is just crazy.

Re: Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

#100

Post by Reason077 »

idbehold wrote: post #8

Perhaps we should start doing something like what Taiwan did with their trash: https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/separation-anxiety/ > The trucks only accept trash bags officially sanctioned by the government of Taiwan which come in a distinctive blue color, complete with an official seal. The bags range in price and size, from 3 liters to 120 liters. The most popular bag is 25 liters (similar to a tiny bathroom…

This model of only accepting trash in official bags, or requiring a pre-paid sticker/tag for each bin/bag collected is quite common around the world. Certainly not unique to Taiwan.
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