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New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

academictimes.com

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Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#191

Post by shawnz »

mqrs wrote: post #168
DenisM wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The countries which are the most preoccupied with recycling plastics, such as the US, are also the least likely to throw they trash into the ocean. Plastic bags do no harm buried in the landfill, and we’re not running out of land.

Are we really supposed to be thinking of all currently available land as being flexibly provisioned for landfills.

Why not? You can still live on top of a landfill. Is it better that we live on top of some ecologically inactive rocks instead?

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#192

Post by oblio »

shawnz wrote: post #190
jounker wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see plastic bags on the beach. I walk along the creeks nearby, and I see plastic bags and plastic garbage. I go for a hike in the sierras, and I find plastic garbage. I bike along the roads in town, and I see plastic bags in the gutter. I look down the incline beside the road and there are plastic bags in the trees. Is the USA as bad as Morocco? No. Is plastic waste a problem? Yes.

Littering/dumping is a much different issue than disposing of your waste through the wrong channel. The problem you are describing isn't because people use the garbage instead of the recycling.

If we only had paper bags and such, littering wouldn't be a problem. Single use plastics of any kind need to be banned universally. Pseudo multiple use plastic such as bags needs to be taxed like alcohol and tobacco, through the roof, until alternatives become economically viable.

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#193

Post by [deleted] »

TedShiller wrote: post #184
ArkanExplorer wrote: post #7

Plastic recycling seems heavily motivated by emotion and virtue signaling. In reality, only about 5% of our crude oil use goes towards plastic. If we rolled out EVs, and then just burned all the plastic trash (using waste-to-energy plants), we would still be far ahead. The biggest challenges with plastics are hormone disruption, and microplastics (particularly in the 3rd world without sufficient landfill or W2E infra…

Have you seen what lithium mining does to the earth? If you haven’t, I suggest you check it out. EV cars are not the answer.

[deleted]

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#194

Post by dmos62 »

johnisgood wrote: post #162
profvyas wrote: post #66

The real problem with plastics is that they are really cheap.

What do you propose, how should it be resolved? What would your proposal's potential consequences be (both cons and pros)?

I guess the suggestion you're trying to tease out is that disposable plastics are prohibitively taxed and people adjust to living with reusable containers. Cons: people have to adjust and the plastic lobby might suffer.

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#195

Post by pozazumi »

ArkanExplorer wrote: post #7

Plastic recycling seems heavily motivated by emotion and virtue signaling. In reality, only about 5% of our crude oil use goes towards plastic. If we rolled out EVs, and then just burned all the plastic trash (using waste-to-energy plants), we would still be far ahead. The biggest challenges with plastics are hormone disruption, and microplastics (particularly in the 3rd world without sufficient landfill or W2E infra…

Would this be a better use of plastics?

https://www.ecowatch.com/plastic-bricks-in-kenya-2650645441....

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#196

Post by tuwtuwtuwtuw »

oblio wrote: post #192
shawnz wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Littering/dumping is a much different issue than disposing of your waste through the wrong channel. The problem you are describing isn't because people use the garbage instead of the recycling.

If we only had paper bags and such, littering wouldn't be a problem. Single use plastics of any kind need to be banned universally. Pseudo multiple use plastic such as bags needs to be taxed like alcohol and tobacco, through the roof, until alternatives become economically viable.

How much does a plastic bag cost where you are? Here in Sweden there's a tax on it and a single bag can cost 7 SEK (USD 0.85).

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#198

Post by globular-toast »

rmason wrote: post #71
ArkanExplorer wrote: post #7

Plastic recycling seems heavily motivated by emotion and virtue signaling. In reality, only about 5% of our crude oil use goes towards plastic. If we rolled out EVs, and then just burned all the plastic trash (using waste-to-energy plants), we would still be far ahead. The biggest challenges with plastics are hormone disruption, and microplastics (particularly in the 3rd world without sufficient landfill or W2E infra…

I remember a time when everything was paper bags. Groceries and retailers went with plastic because it was cheaper. But with plastic there was a hidden cost. Now we're told we must pay a premium for recyclable plastic. Personally I'd rather pay a premium for paper because it's made from a renewable resource. Plus paper will decompose within two months in nature. The only drawback I can find is that paper bags take mo…

Single use bags are always stupid. You can get bags or boxes that can be used hundreds of times before they need to be replaced.

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#199

Post by samcheng »

ars wrote: post #170
ehnto wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presumably you hope the US has a long and prosperous future beyond our generation, so it's a problem that will need to be solved at some point. The US consumes 70 million plastic water bottles a day, just disposable water bottles. Consider all other plastic waste, and consider that just because there is uninhabited land doesn't mean you can economically put rubbish in it. I must admit I am surprised that anyone needs…

There is enough landfill space effectively forever. It's really not a problem. > What makes you question the need for recycling? The environment makes me question it. Everything I've seen shows recycling anything except metal is bad for the environment. We only do it because it makes people "feel good". The right thing to do with: Metal: recycle it Glass: bury it Paper: bury it Plastic: burn it Everything else: bury…

If you look at the free market for recyclable materials, you will find that clean paper and especially clean cardboard are valuable feedstocks for paper/board processing, and should definitely be recycled.

Re: New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency

#200

Post by oblio »

tuwtuwtuwtuw wrote: post #196
oblio wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we only had paper bags and such, littering wouldn't be a problem. Single use plastics of any kind need to be banned universally. Pseudo multiple use plastic such as bags needs to be taxed like alcohol and tobacco, through the roof, until alternatives become economically viable.

How much does a plastic bag cost where you are? Here in Sweden there's a tax on it and a single bag can cost 7 SEK (USD 0.85).

It's still too low.

A plastic bag can be quite sturdy, it can be transparent so you can easily see what's inside, it's light, it folds well, is resistant to humidity, etc.

If you'd give a plastic bag to someone from the 18th century they'd cherish it.

We need to make it so the average person actually cares about buying a bag.

Something like €2 with a return value of €1. Or anything that makes you treat it like you'd treat, say, a good tennis ball. You wouldn't just throw those away willy-nilly.

And we need to ban the low grade ones completely.

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