Plastic experts say recycling is a scam. Should we even do it anymore?

Post by epistasis » Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 4:44 PM UTC

mouse_ wrote: post #4

Recycling is an industry psyop to convince the public that plastic can be consumed ethically and sustainably. Unless we ban disposable plastics altogether, the problem will only get worse. Plastic has only been around for 100 years; imagine just how bad things will be in 500.

Post by epistasis » Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 4:46 PM UTC

MPSimmons wrote: post #18

travisgriggs wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's mind boggling to ponder a world without any plastic products though, isn't it? I work in ag irrigation, and the degree to which plastic has taken over irrigation implements in the last 20+ years is mind boggling. I sometimes wonder what it would mean for our company and industry in general if plastic suddenly became toxic.

If plastic becomes toxic, it won't _become toxic_, it will become recognized as toxic, which would mean that it's toxic right now, and while that's true for some plastics, it doesn't seem to be true for the majority of food-safe plastics in use. I think it's more likely that there's some kind of subtle effect from the introduction of microplastics into the ecosystem that we haven't identified yet, but as of right now…

Post by __MatrixMan__ » Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 4:47 PM UTC

Ma8ee wrote: post #22

dmoy wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or aluminum recycling, crazy efficient compared to making new aluminum.

Or glass, or paper, and almost all types of metal.

Post by mouse_ » Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 4:48 PM UTC

epistasis wrote: post #21

mouse_ wrote: post #4

Recycling is an industry psyop to convince the public that plastic can be consumed ethically and sustainably. Unless we ban disposable plastics altogether, the problem will only get worse. Plastic has only been around for 100 years; imagine just how bad things will be in 500.

When we have built entire civilizations that require orders of magnitude more burning of gasoline to get through a day, plastics are the least of our worries, IMHO. If my fellow Americans were forced to lift and pour the 20 gallons of gasoline when they refill their tanks, they might start to realize the true source of the vast majority of their environmental damage. (And as far as waste, tire microplastics are a far…

Post by Ma8ee » Sat, Feb 24, 2024, 4:48 PM UTC

declan_roberts wrote: post #24

bryanlarsen wrote: post #8

One of the big problems with plastic recycling is that people read "plastic recycling is a scam" but internalize "recycling is a scam". Some types of recycling are massively successful and efficient, like the recycling of vehicle lead acid batteries or post industrial steel recycling.

You don’t need to put metals in the recycling (at least not ferrous ones) because they pick those out of the trash anyway. They just charge you extra to feel good about it.