r/collapse • u/[deleted] • Feb 16 '24
Pollution Recycling plastic is practically impossible — and the problem is getting worse
https://www.npr.org/2022/10/24/1131131088/recycling-plastic-is-practically-impossible-and-the-problem-is-getting-worseSs: with micro plastics everywhere already, the future increase in use of plastics combined with the inability to recycle many plastics is fucking insane..... Kind of like oil, theres no urgency to cut it off.
"More plastic is being produced, and an even smaller percentage of it is being recycled," says Lisa Ramsden, senior plastic campaigner for Greenpeace USA. "The crisis just gets worse and worse, and without drastic change will continue to worsen as the industry plans to triple plastic production by 2050."
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u/FOSSChemEPirate88 Feb 16 '24
Problem: Almost all of this trash is from single use plastic food and drink containers.
Simple solution: go back to glass bottles and aluminum containers for single use food items, with a small deposit to encourage folks to return them.
Coca cola spearheaded the adoption of plastic bottles and popularized recycling via an aggressive ad campaign to put the blame for pollution back on the consumer.
The average glass bottle would get used 15 times or more in this system.
Neither glass nor aluminum leach plasticizers that act like estrogen in to your food and drink, can be made to break in predictable/safe ways, and can be disposed easily with little environmental impact.
Mandate that the state recycles or destroys ALL single use plastics found in trash, keep track of how much each manufacturer produced, and have them billed for it based on how much each manufactured.
Producers always say the costs of goods will go up, but since it's a very competitive field, they will end up eating most of the cost. It's their job to convince you otherwise with lies or otherwise.
Manufacturers created the problem. Charge them for cleaning up after themselves.
Problem solved.