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So, what happens to the byproducts of oil and gas refining if they are not used for making plastic? Are they just going to be dumped in a river somewhere? And is that more or less dangerous than plastic micro-particles?
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Interesting question. I do know that expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is made from residual acids from the refining process. It was invented by the Germans in WWII. As a waste material source there is a choice between EPS and huge lakes of toxic acids.
Obviously there is a need to reduce petroleum use in concert with the production of plastics.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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The solution is really quite simple. Stop using plastic for packaging. its only the last 40 years that plastic has been used in such great quantity. We banned plastic bags. Ban plastic packaging. The manufactures will figure out they can go back to more sane and biodegradable options.
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I remember turning in glass coke bottles with grandma back in the day. We could go back to glass for a lot of stuff, and seems like it should be infinitely recycleable.
Might need to eliminate oil/gas altogether to truly stop the pollution. That means we need to make batteries more affordable, and consider newer safer nuclear power, hopefully one day fusion.
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Back east you could still get milk, and soda in reusable quart glass bottles that you bought back to the store. But it’s to expensive to ship so the protest everything people would have to let someone open a bottling plant
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the protest everything people would have to let someone open a bottling plant
To bottle what? NIMBYs have already shut down the dairy and a bottling plant.
Kona Brewing doesn't bottle on-island because it costs too much to import the empty bottles.
Cleaning the empties would require County water and enough electricity/propane to heat the water. Big solar collectors might work, but any suitable west-side location will be on sacred land near someone's house, far away from County water.
The simplest solution is to stop subsidizing industry. Our entire "cheap gas" economy is based on unrecaptured externalities. Example: plastic bottle manufacturing gets to pollute "for free", both when they are made and later when they are disposed of.
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In California we have a few dairies that still use the glass bottles and take them back and reuse them. One of the last dairies to do so. We need to go back old school, paper bags, cardboard egg cartons and glass. At least I can burn the paper and cardboard in my imu.
Stacey
Living the life in Cali and Hawai‘i
Stacey
Living the life in Cali and Hawai‘i
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According to Hawaii Tracker, Puna Precious Plastics will be accepting plastics #1,2,4&5 at Shipman Park in Keaau on Sat. from 2-4pm. Yay!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=...4972359384&set=gm.1380390225460125&type=3&theater&ifg=1
Certainty will be the death of us.
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I snip newspaper into quarters and eighths and use as toilet paper. I don't think it end up damage the septic tank but I burn it afterwards it on my charcoal grill to boil water every day. Also you can use it as Kleenex and it doesn't turn into a limp mess like Kleenex.
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Wow Tada! You are living like it's 1899!