02-20-2011, 04:14 PM
Aloha,
Ahh, the great plastic bag debate... :-)
1) plastic bags do not *re*-cycle. They only *down*-cycle. That is, new plastic bags cannot be made from used plastic bags. Some kinds of lower-grade-plastic items can be made. Those will be landfill, or ocean pollution, sooner or later. This is true for most common "throw-away" plastics including water bottles, food/takeout containers, etc.. They only *down*-cycle to a dead end of just plain rubbish.
2) a lot of plastic "recyclable" rubbish - bags, bottles and other flimsy/filmy stuff definitely included - are shipped to third-world countries for "processing" - which mostly means that poorly paid people in inadequate facilities and without adequate protective gear sort through enormous piles of them. And, a significant amount is simply landfilled and/or dumped in the ocean in those other countries, which have far less regulation than we do.
3) There are a few types of plastics that can truly re-cycle. Some I've heard of include institutional carpet tiles and carpets, and some clothing fabrics, mostly from efforts of a few cutting-edge businesses (a few are Interface - carpet; Patagonia - clothing). These are the exception, far from the rule of down-cycling/landfilling/dumping (see below). So far these are more expensive products on average - pollution is still cheaper than true recycling in our bass-ackwards economy.
4) Making plastics from "waste" products of fossil fuel refining/production might be a reasonable thing to do - depending on what is being made and what its *overall* consequences are. Making rubbish from "waste" petroleum products is still making rubbish.
There is a simple principle for materials called "highest use" that ought to be applied more. Use materials for the "highest" (most durable, most beneficial, etc.) uses. Throwaway plastic bags, bottles and other containers would be about the lowest possible use for petroleum plastics, even from "waste" petroleum products. Highest uses would be the most durable, stable, re-usable products possible - stuff that will serve for years or decades instead of thirty minutes (or less) from store to rubbish bin or roadside.
Likewise for other materials - aluminum pop cans are lowest use for aluminum; durable lightweight tools, parts of durable goods/machinery, etc. that can last decades or generations are highest use.
I'm not advocating paper instead, just to be clear. "Paper or plastic" is a lose-lose question.
cheers,
John S.
Ahh, the great plastic bag debate... :-)
1) plastic bags do not *re*-cycle. They only *down*-cycle. That is, new plastic bags cannot be made from used plastic bags. Some kinds of lower-grade-plastic items can be made. Those will be landfill, or ocean pollution, sooner or later. This is true for most common "throw-away" plastics including water bottles, food/takeout containers, etc.. They only *down*-cycle to a dead end of just plain rubbish.
2) a lot of plastic "recyclable" rubbish - bags, bottles and other flimsy/filmy stuff definitely included - are shipped to third-world countries for "processing" - which mostly means that poorly paid people in inadequate facilities and without adequate protective gear sort through enormous piles of them. And, a significant amount is simply landfilled and/or dumped in the ocean in those other countries, which have far less regulation than we do.
3) There are a few types of plastics that can truly re-cycle. Some I've heard of include institutional carpet tiles and carpets, and some clothing fabrics, mostly from efforts of a few cutting-edge businesses (a few are Interface - carpet; Patagonia - clothing). These are the exception, far from the rule of down-cycling/landfilling/dumping (see below). So far these are more expensive products on average - pollution is still cheaper than true recycling in our bass-ackwards economy.
4) Making plastics from "waste" products of fossil fuel refining/production might be a reasonable thing to do - depending on what is being made and what its *overall* consequences are. Making rubbish from "waste" petroleum products is still making rubbish.
There is a simple principle for materials called "highest use" that ought to be applied more. Use materials for the "highest" (most durable, most beneficial, etc.) uses. Throwaway plastic bags, bottles and other containers would be about the lowest possible use for petroleum plastics, even from "waste" petroleum products. Highest uses would be the most durable, stable, re-usable products possible - stuff that will serve for years or decades instead of thirty minutes (or less) from store to rubbish bin or roadside.
Likewise for other materials - aluminum pop cans are lowest use for aluminum; durable lightweight tools, parts of durable goods/machinery, etc. that can last decades or generations are highest use.
I'm not advocating paper instead, just to be clear. "Paper or plastic" is a lose-lose question.
cheers,
John S.