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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/21/us-plastic-recycling-landfills
A Guardian investigation reveals that cities around the [US] are no longer recycling many types of plastic dropped into recycling bins. Instead, they are being landfilled, burned or stockpiled. From Los Angeles to Florida to the Arizona desert, officials say, vast quantities of plastic are now no better than garbage.
The "market conditions" on the sign [Pearl] Pai saw referred to the situation caused by China. Once the largest buyer of US plastic waste, the country shut its doors to all but highest-quality plastics in 2017. The move sent shockwaves through the American industry as recyclers scrambled, and often failed, to find new buyers. Now the turmoil besetting a global trade network, which is normally hidden from view, is hitting home.
"All these years I have been feeling like I'm doing something responsible," said Pai, clearly dumbstruck as she walked away with a full bag. "The truth hurts."
[...] [Cobe] Skye and [Habib] Kharrat emphasized that the situation was not unique to Los Angeles. "From what we're hearing from our colleagues, what's happening in Los Angeles county is representative of what is happening all over the US and all over the state as a result of these international policies," said Skye.
The China ban revealed an uncomfortable truth about plastic recycling, Skye said: much of this plastic was never possible to recycle at all.
"[China] would just pull out the items that were actually recyclable and burn or throw away the rest," he said. "China has subsidized the recycling industry for many years in a way that distorted our views."
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 27 2019, @12:11AM (13 children)
Citations of other countries recycling the stuff. The best use I know of for some of these plastics, is to incinerate them for power. Fact is, much of this stuff is a frivolous use of resources. It's possible to go to the store, scoop up three tomatoes from a bin, put them into a paper bag, pay for them, and take them home. No plastic necessary. For added feel-good, you can even use the same paper bag the next time you go buy some tomatoes!!
India bought up much of the world's waste plastic before China got into the market. Both countries have stopped buying the stuff, because it has no real value.
If you care to win world acclaim, maybe you can find some meaningful use for the stuff.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 3, Informative) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 27 2019, @12:55AM (6 children)
If you care to win world acclaim, maybe you can find some meaningful use for the stuff.
Well, at least somebody is trying [bpetfilament.com]
Livin' large on plastic [wikimedia.org]
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Thursday June 27 2019, @01:11AM (5 children)
PET drink bottles. especially clear, would likely be one of those high value plastics that don't get incinerated. The plastic pouch that once contained lunchmeat and is covered in salty liquid on one side and paint on the other? Not so much.
(Score: 3, Funny) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 27 2019, @03:22AM (4 children)
The plastic pouch that once contained lunchmeat and is covered in salty liquid on one side and paint on the other?
They can chop that up into nano-particles an just mix it into our Oatmeal and canned beans. Nobody will ever know.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2, Touché) by bob_super on Thursday June 27 2019, @08:11AM (1 child)
Trump failed at starting the Iran war, so we're dangerously low on some critical Soylent ingredients.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday June 27 2019, @07:06PM
Trump failed at starting the Iran war
Patience. The day is still young.
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 27 2019, @01:37PM
Great. You shit the nanoparticles out, flush them, and they go out into the Pacific, or the Gulf, or the Atlantic, or even the Great Lakes. We all realize that all of our cities use one of those bodies of water as a cesspool, don't we?
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday June 27 2019, @10:21PM
I foresee a new fast food chain starting up...
(Score: 4, Insightful) by RedIsNotGreen on Thursday June 27 2019, @01:43AM (3 children)
The paper bags are delivered to the store in plastic packets, wrapped into bigger groups of plastic packets. The tomatoes arrive in plastic-paper boxes wrapped in plastic with plastic stickers on them.
(Score: 4, Touché) by bobthecimmerian on Thursday June 27 2019, @02:28AM (1 child)
Right. To really make a difference you should use your reusable bag with a farmer's market or something like it, where most of the produce is shipped from a local farm to the store in reusable crates and disposable plastic isn't involved.
The problem is, megacorps inc. grocery stores are open 24/7 or something near and all of the places I can get local grown produce have restricted hours. If I could convince my employer and the school district to move their hours around I can work with that, but no luck so far.
(Score: 3, Informative) by isostatic on Sunday July 07 2019, @07:10PM
Our local farmstores do deliveries 7 days a week in slots from 6am to 9pm
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 27 2019, @01:40PM
Paper bags can be bundled with hemp strings, or baler twine, or even wire. No plastic needed. Those boxes? Reusable. It would be better to eliminate the plastic in the boxes, but still, reusable is reusable.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 0, Disagree) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 27 2019, @02:28AM (1 child)
That paper bag is probably most costly and destructive to the environment
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday June 27 2019, @01:41PM
Not if you mulch your paper bags when they can't be used again, and feed them to your vegetable garden. That way, you can eat your bags, indirectly!
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.