Plastic Paradise

[vibratoking]

Interesting documentary on Netflix. Ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

EVERY single piece of plastic that has ever been created since the 19th century is still SOMEWHERE on our planet. So if it never goes away, where does it go?

[David Root]

Much of it is in old landfill, these days a good portion is recycled.

But the great Pacific Garbage Patch is probably still growing.

[jelle]

A family member of mine works for this organization, pretty cool: http://www.theoceancleanup.com/

[vibratoking]

... these days a good portion is recycled.

That's what I thought, but I guess it depends on how you define a good portion. Most Americans don't recycle at all. The US used to ship it's recyclable plastic to China, but they stopped taking most of it. Now we are trying to foist it on India.

Recycle plants in the US are nearly non-existent.

[Leo_Gnardo]

... these days a good portion is recycled.

That's what I thought, but I guess it depends on how you define a good portion. Most Americans don't recycle at all. The US used to ship it's recyclable plastic to China, but they stopped taking most of it. Now we are trying to foist it on India.

Recycle plants in the US are nearly non-existent.

Try Africa. West coast tropics. Not just plastic, lots of techno-waste goes there too. Helluva toxic mess, sick & injured kids, nightmare scene trying to extract gold from edge connectors & other $$ metals besides.

There is a bit of biz I'm guessing is USA based, making plastic "lumber", park seat slats, etc. out of poly bottles & such. Meanwhile we import tankers full of super-refined "white" oil - actually clear - to make all those nice clear containers we use once then toss out. Hey, Frappucino anybody?

Up until about 2 years ago ALL waste in this county went into the incinerator, although residents were long ago required to separate waste into metal, glass, plastic, paper. It ALL went into the furnace, from used napkins to bowling balls. One of my customers worked there, he has no reason to fib about what he saw and what he was required to do to collect a paycheck.

India does a fair amount of trade scrapping ships. That's another nightmare scene.

[RWood]

My brother has a house in the middle of what used to be a landfill 50 years ago. It was a horrible ravine in '62 but now is one of the best neighborhoods in town. I hope the plastic it's built on don't break down soon.

[Scumback Speakers]

PP was a real eye opener of a show for me with regard to disposed plastic waste.

Sickening...especially what it does to wildlife.

[Bob S]

Interesting stuff. I work in the plastic packaging industry.
A sister company of ours (Clean Tech) does recycling. They have had expotential growth over the last few years. Even so, here in the US we recycle much less than Europe. Something's got to change.
We ourselves have set goals regarding the percentage of recycled raw material in our packaging. By far the main problem we have is the amount of recycled material available. And we own a huge recycling business!

[cbass]

Our town has a great recycling program you trow your stuff in th bins they come pock it up once a week . I'd say one In ten people do it .

[Scumback Speakers]

Our town has a great recycling program you trow your stuff in th bins they come pock it up once a week . I'd say one In ten people do it .

They must have gotten more hardcore down here in LA. If you screw up and put regular (black can) trash in the recyclable (blue can) trash, they won't take it. They must have a camera to check each one cuz I saw the neighbor's cans get rejected. Later they told me they were contacted by the trash company after it happened a few times.

So here...probably 9 out of 10 (or more) do it.

[cbass]

I wish they'd do that here. I can't believe the amount of trash people generate . I can go a month before I fill up my trash can . my neighbors set out two huge sacks every week .
I guess I do generate quite a few beer cans but those get recycled

[matt h]

(deleted)

[vibratoking]

I too am sickened by the plastic mess we have created. I have been trying to avoid plastic ever since. It's impossible, but I am much better that I was. We need a paradigm shift. The impact on wildlife is disgusting. It amazes me how badly wildlife are marginalized. This is one effed up planet and we did it.

[stretch2011]

I'm a plastic engineer. With that I know the ups and downs. Who ever had the dumba$$ idea to put plastic in landfills was just that a dumba$$. The fact is plastic in the ground will be there for a hundred years or more. It barely decays in the ground, BUT THE SUN it decays almost all. The exceptions are those plastics infused with uv protective material. So 3 options occur. Let the plastic bake in the sun. Recycle the plastic to make new products (thermoplastics recycle thermoset a don't). The third option is interest and requires the most work. Gather plastics, preferably seperete them but not completely nesessary, put them into a refractory type oven, melt them down till you break the carbon chains and get a burnable gas I.e hydrogen, carbon monoxide. The non desirable things that were put Into the plastic for their properties can be refracted out and potentially reused.

Now this is where it's interesting, plastics should be seperete do out because melting PVC and acetyl causes a cloud of chlorine gas. That's why plastics should be sepereted.

Now I know none of these things are easier than throwing plastic in a landfill but if you are going to put forth the effort to bitch *excuse my french* put forth the effort to help fix the problem.

[vibratoking]

IMO, the only true solution is to quit making it. The problem with photodegradation is that is just makes smaller pieces as far as I understand. Smaller is not necessarily any better for the environment or wildlife. Just watch an albatross feed it's chick by regurgitating plastic chunks into it. One time is all it takes. It is disgusting.