“Never” is never the best choice of word to use… It may just mean that many are doing it incorrectly, or in name only.
Germany, for example, seems to be taking it more seriously - see https://youtu.be/I_fUpP-hq3A
Germany burns a lot of their plastic.
Germany burns a lot of their plastic
“Burns” meaning present tense? They were shipping a lot of their plastic waste to Asia. Most countries are guilty of burning waste, but more to the point, is what current initiatives are being put into practice by countries. Which countries are making the real effort - clearly we see from that video that Germany is putting that effort in. Yes, certainly it is not across the whole country, but instead of dwelling on the negative, it is about celebrating the positive change that is being initiated.
No matter what the change, it takes from months to years to happen. The point is if the change has started to show, we should be celebrating that, and encouraging others (and within that same country) to do the same.
‘Burns’ as in present tense, since energy production from waste incineration counts as recycling in Germany.
how much of their recycling actually utilizes this burning? in terms of mass of plastic
This article says the recycling quota is 70% but only 16% go to the production of new products, the rest is being exported or burned. The study they linked says that for plastics 54% are converted into energy, which is basically the same statement phrased a bit differently.
What nonsense, it depends on the plastic used, many of the products of plastics are perfectly recyclable, also with less energy than glass. Both can be melted to manufacture new products, but glass needs temperatures above 1500º while for plastics 200º -250º is enough. There are many companies that recycle plastics to convert them into the most diverse products, from clothes and various fabrics, tools and housings, to filaments for 3D printers. Current plastic bags are manufactured with a base of plant remains Bio degradable), taking advantage of starch, and decompose in nature in a few weeks in their natural components.
It is advisable to first find out about the plastic classes that exist, very different from each other and very different properties, such as completely different materials.
As any product that is thrown into nature can cause problems, as is logical, glass bottles can even cause fires. But the problem does not lie in the material, but in the pigs that throw it anywhere, instead of picking it up after a visit to the forest or the beach, where the tides take this waste to the sea, throwing them into a container to avoid that the tides take this waste to the sea. I live on the coast and see how people sometimes leave the beach in the afternoon.
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Are there any bacteria that break down and consume plastics? A few years ago I met someone who was studying biodegradable plastics for their masters, and when I asked if it’s possible he basically said “No, biodegradable plastics do not exist, but I’m studying it anyway”
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Amazing article, thank you.
It’s recycling day for my apartment here in Korea - And we have to separate our plastics, much like the article describes, so they can actually be recycled. It’s cumbersome and easy to make mistakes though, so I’m not an advocate for this either.
The switch from paper bags to plastic, to even thicker plastic “reusable” bags was so stupid. Same goes with switching from plastic bottles to glass. Had more to do with the almighty dollar than anything else.
Edit: I mixed up the order, I meant to say switching from glass bottles to plastic bottles. @OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml @krolden@lemmy.ml
Glass bottles are recyclable, whereas the recyclability of plastic bottles is so bad it’s disingenuous to say they’re recyclable
