Should we really be recycling plastic?

[OldWiseGuy]

If our plastics are just going to end up in the ocean shouldn't we just put them in the landfills?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

They 'should' be made bio-degradable (which was known a century ago or so) .
But the prince of the power of the air said no, we want to pollute the environment... and so it is.....

 

[OldWiseGuy]

They 'should' be made bio-degradable (which was known a century ago or so) .
But the prince of the power of the air said no, we want to pollute the environment... and so it is.....

That rascal!

 

[timewerx]

Recycling plants don't throw plastic into the oceans. Nor do landfills

Its people who does.

So think closer if recyling plastic or sending them straight to the landfills would reduce the problem of plastic getting into oceans.

And if we don't recycle plastic, would that diminish the production of plastic at all?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Recycling plants don't throw plastic into the oceans. Nor do landfills

Its people who does.

So think closer if recyling plastic or sending them straight to the landfills would reduce the problem of plastic getting into oceans.

And if we don't recycle plastic, would that diminish the production of plastic at all?

How could landfilled plastic in the Midwest wind up in the Pacific Ocean?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

evilution ?

 

[maintenance man]

Here's the answer...

 

[paul1149]

How could landfilled plastic in the Midwest wind up in the Pacific Ocean?

essentially, it doesn't. The overwhelming majority of the plastic debris in the oceans come from the rivers of Asia and then Africa.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

essentially, it doesn't. The overwhelming majority of the plastic debris in the oceans come from the rivers of Asia and then Africa.

Isn't a lot of it produced in America?

 

[Kate Barrington]

We definitely should recycle it and in the meantime look for new methods to reuse it or substitute it.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

We definitely should recycle it and in the meantime look for new methods to reuse it or substitute it.

It's recycling that's the problem.

We sell it bulk to far eastern countries.
The take what they can use.
Then toss the rest into the sea.

 

[durangodawood]

It recycling that's the problem.

We sell it bulk to far eastern countries.
The take what they can use.
Then toss the rest into the sea.

Source....?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Source....?

Ok, they allow it to be washed into the sea. In any case it starts out on land and winds up in the sea.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

We definitely should recycle it and in the meantime look for new methods to reuse it or substitute it.

We can start by using less of it.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Ok, they allow it to be washed into the sea. In any case it starts out on land and winds up in the sea.

Source?

 

[OldWiseGuy]

essentially, it doesn't. The overwhelming majority of the plastic debris in the oceans come from the rivers of Asia and then Africa.

However it does come from many countries.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I watched a PBS documentary on the problem this evening. Pretty frightening. I will be using much less plastic from now on.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Source?

Watch the PBS show mentioned above.

 

[timewerx]

It's recycling that's the problem.

We sell it bulk to far eastern countries.
The take what they can use.
Then toss the rest into the sea.

This is the source of the problem.

Don't sell it to 3rd world countries then. Develop new means to be able to recycle a greater % of plastics at a more cost effective means.

Non-recyclable plastics can be ground up (atomized) and used as fillers for many plastic resins for example.

It's probably cheaper to do that via poor 3rd world countries due to very cheap labor.

OR develop means to greatly reduce the cost of recycling through automation.

 

[paul1149]

Non-recyclable plastics can be ground up (atomized) and used as fillers for many plastic resins for example.

It's probably cheaper to do that via poor 3rd world countries due to very cheap labor.

OR develop means to greatly reduce the cost of recycling through automation.

This is probably the way forward. To broadly say recycling is the problem is to make a strict judgment call. Unless we're going to eliminate plastics, which doesn't seem feasible, recycling is going to be a major part of the solution.

If recycling unrecycleable plastics as fillers through mere grinding is feasible, and if it is cheaper, even with transportation, to do that in developing nations, then it follows that the current practice of dumping unwanted plastics in rivers is due to lack of thoughtful planning. The grinding can be done today.

One stickler is the collection and separation process. It costs a lot of money to collect and separate recycleable materials. To get around the separation problem is why the grinding idea is so attractive.