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.
If we can, we should, but you probably want to consider most plastic wrappers as temporally displaced fossil fuel that will be burned for heat in a specialized kiln. The logo that designates plastic types should be changed to match local conditions, from the three circling arrows to a flame—with the same numbers. I believe that using those logos requires a license, but I doubt that it pays for the recycling of most of it. Most of it isn’t recycled anyway. You definitely want garbage collection and processing to be paid for by companies printing that logo. We definitely should include the cost of extracting and storing or processing carbon in there, too.<p>That might convince people to use paper bags or only certain types of plastic.
Is there no value in merely separating and gathering this material, even if it's all dumped in a "plastics only" landfill, as opposed to one containing other types of trash?<p>Isn't keeping different types of waste sorted inherently useful in other ways?
I could read this report, or I could go and look at the EPA's original document on recycling that they're keying off of.<p><a href="https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/2018_tables_and_figures.pdf" rel="nofollow">https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-11/documents/20...</a><p>I could phrase this as "never above 9.0%" or I could look at pg 6, Table 2. Materials Recycled and see:<p><pre><code> 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2005 2010 2015 2017 2018
Plastics Neg. Neg. 0.3% 2.2% 5.8% 6.1% 8.0% 9.0% 8.5% 8.5%
</code></pre>
That's not a bad trend. In fact, here's the standard business Excel fit chart that says in 2050 I expect that recycling will have reached 22%.<p>Simple Excel fit of dots: <a href="https://i.imgur.com/4txVyqr.png" rel="nofollow">https://i.imgur.com/4txVyqr.png</a><p>If this was a business speak chart about market dominance, business folks would be happy. It's mostly second order upward. Little bit of a slowdown in the last 2 years, yet 0 to 9% of the market.
Candybars<p>Im old enough to remember foil and paper wrappers. Im old enough to remember wax paper.<p>It all comes in plastic now.<p>Get a bag and put every piece of plastic for your week in it. Bottles, wrappers... bring it all home. The ammount of it is obscene.
Plastic is always at the center of these hot discussions, however, is there any reliable and practical replacement to it? Any new material that’s safe -glass is not even safe apparently with microplastics (1) and to the environment (2)-,cheap, and durable enough -forget about paper-based like straws?<p>(1) <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29803096/" rel="nofollow">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29803096/</a><p>(2) <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230427-glass-or-plastic-which-is-better-for-the-environment" rel="nofollow">https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230427-glass-or-plastic...</a>
If it's thrown in a landfill then that defaults into letting it decompose in some unknown way for thousands of years. If it's stored and we find a way to break down or reuse plastic, it's still around.<p>We do need to cut down on everything "disposable" though. The planet cycles are circles not lines, there is no "away", what you mistreat will come back to hurt you later, line cannot go up forever, <i>no infinite growth on a finite planet</i>. These are lessons the smartest guys in the room refuse to learn because their ego has convinced them that human ingenuity is superior to every single problem that human ingenuity causes.
The title is about recycling but the article is about the need to cut plastic production.<p>The bogeymen are "plastic production" and "companies." No names. No substantive changes suggested.<p>Toothless virtue signaling.
thinking about how this works, it just astounds me how clever and creative it is from the industry standpoint. capture a word, then redefine it to conform to an existing effort.<p>Modern recycling transfers plastic waste away from capitalisms best consumers (the west) and burdens it upon its least visible (the third world.) Its like a black hole for all the immediate problems of the indelible hell you've created. in electronics recycling has an added bonus for elites as it generates scavenging jobs for children and adults alike, further cementing their class status through subsistence poverty.<p>the cult of recycling will continue just as long it continues to ensure plastic detritus doesnt impinge upon elites, and this is evidenced by things like plastic bag bans which exist predominantly in affluent western cities. Once no one wanted to "recycle" the bags anymore, (or consumers couldnt be counted on to behave properly and accept "recycling") the bags were just banned or taxed.<p>perhaps the most damning impact to recycling in the 21st century has been Chinas realization that it is a garbage shipping scheme and promptly banning waste import from the west. That certainly sent "recyclers" scrambling for a new "partner" for a time.<p>the only way to stop "recycling" is to do something akin to that which Germany does: emburden the capitalist with their waste and allow shoppers to return the various detritus directly to them. we do this to a limited extent in the USA, forcing electronics stores and auto repair shops to accept waste oils, batteries, and electronics, but it pales in contrast to what some european countries force their profiteers to acquiesce.
Related, lots of discussion last week:<p><i>Plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals</i><p><a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39387387">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39387387</a>
I would like to see other incentives on the other end.<p>Make consumer packaging rely less on plastics.<p>Put some effort into Material design.<p>We do have an island of plastic larger than France floating in the Pacific ocean.
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.
I call it bullshit. PET used in plastic bottles can easily be depolymerized or even used as fuel. I live in a poor ex-USSR republic, and plastic recycling is a popular business; it were a scam no one would do that, as government neither mandate nor sponsor recycling.
I dread what other obsessive compulsive framework will replace it once it's gone to keep the consumer self inquisition busy. I vote for it staying.. The horror you know..
It's a favourite German pastime to drive to the Wertstoffhof (recycling centre) in your car to drop off the collected plastic for recycling. Now there are some bins where people can put some specific plastics like yoghurt cups (mostly cleaned by people, probably with a lot of hot water). Some are plastic foils with aluminium, styrofoam but most of it goes into the "mixed plastic" bins. There's all kind of stuff in it, some of it dirty. Who in their right mind would think that any of this mixed plastic stuff could be recycled?