Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

nationalgeographic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

281–290 of 291 posts

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#281

Post by madaxe_again »

Causality1 wrote: post #279
madaxe_again wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok. I guess if you’re all of the view this is wrong, would you mind if I came and dumped stuff in your city apartment? It looks like junk to me.

I don't know why you decided someone saying the US has plenty of junk land must be talking about your home. I was referring to dry salt flats, abandoned strip mines, and the like. The vast amounts of space under major cities would also make good landfill volume.

Because the entire idea that land can be junk leads to a rapid broadening of the definition of junk. Your NIMBY attitude of “out of sight, out of mind” is exactly how we ended up in this mess in the first place.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#282

Post by KETpXDDzR »

chaostheory wrote: post #148

Plastic is probably also the reason for our decline in birthrates. Before you say societal changes are responsible for it; we’ve accounted for it and even without those changes, we’d still have birthdate declines.

There's some research on low testosterone caused by plastic materials. I heard of doctors being able to detect plastic in a baby's blood stream.

I think the reason this is not as public as it should be, is that males are sensitive when it comes to the "mannliness hormone", Testosterone. Thus, there's probably a high number of unreported cases.

Some symptoms are lower sex drive and libido.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#283

Post by acjohnson55 »

goatlover wrote: post #223
acjohnson55 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the middle class and upward, it's not common, outside of folks who are particularly frugal. The post-WWII American culture is extremely consumerist / materialistic.

The 1920s one wasn't?

Sure, if you were a robber baron or aristocrat. But most people were too busy just trying to survive.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#284

Post by CheezeIt »

nikisweeting wrote: post #275
CheezeIt wrote: post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plastic bags don’t go in the recycling, they go in the trash bin.

It's not a matter of any one thing, the vast majority of "recycling" is trash to begin with, or ends as trash without being recycled.

That’s the goal. You want them to end up as trash. It’s not cost effective to recycle it, and if it were, that would lower costs and create more pollution.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#285

Post by kortilla »

trasz wrote: post #164
kortilla wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you hear of people getting covid if the government is suppressing it? They would have just heard of people getting the flu or having allergies.

But of course, a conspiracy theory involving hundreds of thousands doctors makes perfect sense, right? :-D

They don’t need to be involved. Just blocked from access to simple testing.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#286

Post by kortilla »

edoceo wrote: post #179
kortilla wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of Nevada is a lifeless desert. There is a reason it was chosen for nuclear bomb testing.

It's not lifeless. You can look it up but it's more fun to go out and see it for yourself. The desert out there is quite beautiful and there are loads of critters.

I lived there. There is very little life in the Nevada salt flats.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#287

Post by kortilla »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #183
kortilla wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's also completely existentially debasing to the people involved. Wow, the privilege wrapped up in that statement. Do you think it’s existentially fulfilling to clean public toilets? To drive a bus? To bottle alcohol?

The things you mentioned, clean toilets, bus rides, alcohol are actually things people want. Trying to push something that no one wants or needs is kind of debasing. I agree with OP that we seem to have created a consumer mentality, "shopping therapy", that is sad to be a part of — either as the consumer or the producer. Never mind what it does to the planet as well.

People do want cell phone cases. That’s why they sell. I want cell phone cases more often than I want gin.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#288

Post by kortilla »

im_down_w_otp wrote: post #248
kortilla wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's also completely existentially debasing to the people involved. Wow, the privilege wrapped up in that statement. Do you think it’s existentially fulfilling to clean public toilets? To drive a bus? To bottle alcohol?

I absolutely do not. But unlike driving a bus or cleaning a public toilet are at least socially useful, and those people should be cherished in society for the work they do and the service they provide. Being a "rep" for a pile of completely forgettable plastic pre-garbage is both debasing and utterly pointless.

So is selling alcohol.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#289

Post by kortilla »

nate_meurer wrote: post #155
kortilla wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's also completely existentially debasing to the people involved. Wow, the privilege wrapped up in that statement. Do you think it’s existentially fulfilling to clean public toilets? To drive a bus? To bottle alcohol?

What's wrong with driving a bus?

Nothing, but it’s not existentially fulfilling.

Re: U.S. generates more plastic trash than any other nation, report finds (2020)

#290

Post by llampx »

f1refly wrote: post #139
immortaljoe wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Totally agree, i moved from a developing country (India) to a developed country (Germany) and the amount of waste me and my partner generate in the latter is around 10x. In India, we would buy produce without any packaging, you would pay by weight. Whereas in Germany, fruits, vegetables and even fresh leaves come pre packed in plastic. I know Germany has better recycling but the amount of plastic is crazy. Quite the…

Except it doesnt? Neary all stores in the country (Edeka group + Aldi Nord and Süd) have the option to just grab fresh produce from some kind of box, weight it and pay for the specific amount at checkout. If you're only buying packaged stuff thats because you find it more convenient, not because unpackaged isnt availabe.

There are plenty of fresh produce items only available wrapped in plastic. Fresh herbs for example, and certain fruits, like berries etc. Either way, I'd say that more produce is sold packed in plastic than not, at least in my local stores.
Post reply on HN