Recycling is a scam anyway.
Recycling plastic is a total bust, industry critics say
New research reveals that only 5% of plastic used in the U.S. is recycled. "It does not work," one expert says bluntly.www.cbsnews.com
How should we do it then?That's because we're not doing it right.
How should we do it then?
Here in Southern California tons of the stuff which you separate believing it goes to a recycle plant just goes straight to the landfill. Reason is due to load contamination. When the recycle truck gets to the recycle center the entire load is emptied to the ground inside the center. Then a temperature and humidity probe is inserted into the pile, and if the load is too hot, or too damp, it is all scooped up and off to the landfill.Recycling is a scam anyway.
Recycling plastic is a total bust, industry critics say
New research reveals that only 5% of plastic used in the U.S. is recycled. "It does not work," one expert says bluntly.www.cbsnews.com
Translation: I am proud to be a part of the problem; not a part of the solution, and here are some "tips" I'll post publicly, so other irresponsible people who don't give a shit can be part of the problem too, if they so choose.Here in Southern California tons of the stuff which you separate believing it goes to a recycle plant just goes straight to the landfill. Reason is due to load contamination. When the recycle truck gets to the recycle center the entire load is emptied to the ground inside the center. Then a temperature and humidity probe is inserted into the pile, and if the load is too hot, or too damp, it is all scooped up and off to the landfill.
I stopped separating my garbage years ago, its just a game of "lets all feel good" about something, but really solve nothing. Trash, food, fluorescent bulbs, batteries, electronics, motor oil, pesticides-- I don't care ---all in one can--- all going to the landfill where it can be buried and "sleep soundly" contained in the ground. Because the other reason is all that electronic stuff and plastics that ended up shipped to Asia for "further recycling"---well, they would just take some of the stuff and dump the remainder itn oceans and rivers anyway, or BURN it. So, which is better under our ground, or in the Pacific ocean? Japan actually reycycls correctly. But hey, its Japan and the Japanese, a culture that actually works together for solutions.
Some people will bring up the fact that garbage trucks now have cameras and GPS and can log who throws away what? Yes, they have cameras, but mostly to prevent drivers from accepting cash payments from businesses charged higher fees than residential fees, so prevent that.
Here is a tip:
Anything you put inside a plastic bag inside your curbside trash container, they will NOT open to inspect at the recycle or other center because it isn't safe for workesr to do that. Could be needles in a bag, or something caustic, so they don't bother to look--that bag goes to the landfil. Got an old clock radio, put it in black plastic bag and put it in your regular trash. Got motor oil, same thing. Just don't put any old mail inside those bags, we all remember the Alice's Restaurant song, right? And if accused of putting anything illegal in the trash by the curb.... you don't know anything about it. It was on the street, could have been anyone.
I'm responsible, all of my waste ends up in the landfill. I'm not burning it or dumping it in the ocean.Translation: I am proud to be a part of the problem; not a part of the solution, and here are some "tips" I'll post publicly, so other irresponsible people who don't give a shit can be part of the problem too, if they so choose.
Cheap talk without any supporting links/evidence/verification/proof is "just a game."I'm responsible, all of my waste ends up in the landfill. I'm not burning it or dumping it in the ocean.
What I'm not interested in doing is playing some GAME with sorting stuff they aren't going to process anyway. It is just a game.
85% of our plastic waste in Calif ends up in landfills because China is no longer interested in buying it. The "game" is that those recycle trucks have to head to the landfills as we have no place to stockpile all the plastic.Cheap talk without any supporting links/evidence/verification/proof is "just a game."
Your logic is, apparently, "humans will probably be extinct eventually, so harming ourselves doesn't matter!" Ok buddy, you do you. Not all of us subscribe to nihilism.By all the science available, plastic eventually dissolves into something hardly detectable in the Earth after 800-1000 years. The planet is estimated to be 4.5 BILLION years old, and could last for billions more years until something larger happens for all we know.
800-1000 years is probably LONG after we all die off or kill ourselves, so what is the hysteria about?
The scientists analysed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors, all healthy adults and found plastic particles in 17. Half the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in drinks bottles, while a third contained polystyrene, used for packaging food and other products. A quarter of the blood samples contained polyethylene, from which plastic carrier bags are made.
Sometime in the future:
Saturn: "Hey Earth, whatever happened to those monkey like things you used to have that were so worried about that oil based resin stuff?
Earth: "I don't know, I have to think about that for a moment. Were they the ones with the long teeth and claws that disappeared after that meteor?
Saturn: "No, the ones after those!"
Earth: "I must be getting old, I have forgotten"
Mars: "Yeah, I had some of those too, and I got rid them after I decided to get rid of all my water--- solved both problems at once"
Venus: "Same here, but I just moved closer to the sun, and now I don't worry about any of anything coming back"
Pluto: "Why do I always feel left out of all of these conversations?"
I would tend to worry about the more immediate dangers of being harmed, and ignore all the hysteria about stuff which in a much larger scheme does not matter. That isn't nihilism, that is pragmatism.Your logic is, apparently, "humans will probably be extinct eventually, so harming ourselves doesn't matter!" Ok buddy, you do you. Not all of us subscribe to nihilism.
You are probably more likely to be killed by a 20 something female driver texting and driving than whatever amount of plastic is in the enviroment.There's some evidence that these "microplastics" are actually infiltrating the food chain and even the human bodies, and we don't know the kind of impact this has on our health.
Yep, and so did all those people in Pompei who are buried under 100 feet of ash.Some of us weirdly want our children and grandchildren to survive.
Microplastics degrading in 800 years doesn't mean they aren't harmful today, so your argument makes no sense.I would tend to worry about the more immediate dangers of being harmed, and ignore all the hysteria about stuff which in a much larger scheme does not matter. That isn't nihilism, that is pragmatism.
You were vastly more likely to be killed by covid but you didn't want to do squat about it.You are probably more likely to be killed by a 20 something female driver texting and driving than whatever amount of plastic is in the enviroment.
Volcanoes exist, so do not attempt to stop crime.Yep, and so did all those people in Pompei who are buried under 100 feet of ash.
You're now just back to the contradiction about immediate harm.Stop holding on so tightly. In less than 200 years all of us including our grandchildren will be dead anyway. Species on this planet come and then go.
From which countries?11 million metric tons is the answer. Only 9% of plastics get recycled. Some plastics can be recycled only once. It is a losing battle.
There may be a solution.11 million metric tons is the answer. Only 9% of plastics get recycled. Some plastics can be recycled only once. It is a losing battle.