21–30 of 46 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Don't use plastic containers at all.
Do you avoid all plastics in your life?
Lots of people eschew plastic containers in favor of metal or glass for a variety of reasons, including recyclability and reuse.
The article says plastics are washed repeatedly, so I'm trying to figure out if putting dirty plastic in the bin is acceptable or not. My city's recycling instructions say to wash plastics before putting them in the bin, and if I can't adequately clean something I've been more inclined to put it in the garbage instead. What's the right answer?
It also says: > “Unfortunately the bags themselves can’t be recycled—they are too dirty, so they will end up in a landfill.” This holds true for all plastic items that haven’t been cleaned properly—hence, the leaflets calling for us to “rinse our recyclables.” The cleaner a plastic bottle is, the more likely it will be marked for reincarnation as something new. That bit happens before the washing, so I think the advi…
I think at some time in the future they should also be excavated and reprocessed, because plastic is a petroleum product and the natural sources are known to be very finite. There is plenty of plastic in landfills that we just don't know how to effectively reprocess, or we would. That's also why I think the biodegradable stuff is not a good idea in the long term; sure it "disappears back into the environment", but overall a lot more energy needs to be spent in producing it --- really, extracting it from the environment --- than just reusing or recycling plastic that has already been extracted and gone through most of the production stages.
anyone have any early objections i could work on developing responses to?
i'm fanning an interest in getting involved in moving legislature making plastic bottling illegal anyone have any early objections i could work on developing responses to?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you avoid all plastics in your life?
GP didn't suggest avoiding all plastics. Using plastic bottles for consumables is different than buying a plastic stepstool is different than having plastic components in some of your devices. Lots of people eschew plastic containers in favor of metal or glass for a variety of reasons, including recyclability and reuse.
The cycle of modern consumerism and corporations is disgusting. I laugh to myself when I think North America looks down on third world countries. In many cases, it's the exact opposite. I'm a spoke in the wheel like most, however this article makes me want to change. Recycling isn't the answer, it's part of the problem. We're all wearing, eating from and washing in, plastic. Plastic or PET comes from crude oil . No h…
So you're saying that plastic/PET comes from crude oil, therefore it's bad for your health? flawless logic.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It also says: > “Unfortunately the bags themselves can’t be recycled—they are too dirty, so they will end up in a landfill.” This holds true for all plastic items that haven’t been cleaned properly—hence, the leaflets calling for us to “rinse our recyclables.” The cleaner a plastic bottle is, the more likely it will be marked for reincarnation as something new. That bit happens before the washing, so I think the advi…
Unfortunately the bags themselves can’t be recycled—they are too dirty, so they will end up in a landfill I think at some time in the future they should also be excavated and reprocessed, because plastic is a petroleum product and the natural sources are known to be very finite. There is plenty of plastic in landfills that we just don't know how to effectively reprocess, or we would. That's also why I think the biode…
The resources used for plastic are so vastly plentiful that considering them unlimited is a good approximation -- they may get more expensive but the market will sort that out. A lot of smart, well-meaning people get derailed by belief in imminent scarcity - and waste their time that could be spent on real opportunities.
* only a couple of percent of petroleum and natural gas production is used for plastics http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=34&t=6
* crude oil reserves (a very conservative measure) are immense and growing - http://www.opec.org/library/Annual%20Statistical%20Bulletin/...
* natural gas reserves (a very conservative measure) are immense and growing - http://www.opec.org/library/Annual%20Statistical%20Bulletin/...
* consumption is growing globally (production is outpacing the growth - hence the crash in crude prices), and in the US (the larges consumer) it's actually fallen over the last 10 years http://www.indexmundi.com/energy.aspx?country=us
in a couple of centuries, maybe, we will have some difficulty meeting the petroleum needs for petrochemicals - but only if we keep using the crude and natural gas for vehicle fuel, heating, and electricity (currently 95% goes to these). Since we are already on the cusp of using renewables (and could switch to nuclear if we needed) for most of these while we are swimming in cheap oil - you should not worry about the future of plastics. So, don't waste your time opposing biodegradables from a 'finite resources' perspective - instead consider air pollution and greenhouse gasses on their own merits.
The article says plastics are washed repeatedly, so I'm trying to figure out if putting dirty plastic in the bin is acceptable or not. My city's recycling instructions say to wash plastics before putting them in the bin, and if I can't adequately clean something I've been more inclined to put it in the garbage instead. What's the right answer?
It also says: > “Unfortunately the bags themselves can’t be recycled—they are too dirty, so they will end up in a landfill.” This holds true for all plastic items that haven’t been cleaned properly—hence, the leaflets calling for us to “rinse our recyclables.” The cleaner a plastic bottle is, the more likely it will be marked for reincarnation as something new. That bit happens before the washing, so I think the advi…
But anyway consumer-level recycling is a farce to make consumers feel less bad about and discarding plastic. It doesn't actually help anything.
i'm fanning an interest in getting involved in moving legislature making plastic bottling illegal anyone have any early objections i could work on developing responses to?
On a legislative level, I feel it is a mistake to always use the limitation of action as an agent for change. Any time there is a problem, people demand a law be made, and Law makers make some action punishable or unavailable. In some cases, this makes sense (drinking and driving), at least initially. But on balance, drinking and driving opens up so many areas for innovation and profit when you factor in self driving vehicles and on demand car services. The problem is going to be how long it will take to alter the Open Container laws. It is hard to undo legislation in my country (USA). I wish people would think to create motivators for desired behavior instead of consequences for undesired behavior.