"There's an obvious solution to the plastic problem...recycle more plastic."
No. The obvious solution is to use less plastic. There is low hanging fruit such as single-use items that can be made from other materials. Most plastics aren't recyclable.
No. The obvious solution is to use less plastic. There is low hanging fruit such as single-use items that can be made from other materials. Most plastics aren't recyclable.
Here in Germany we start seeing containers for e.g. yoghurt, margarine, ... that are made out of thin, un-colored plastic and then reinforced by a paper wrap with the print for the product info and design. This paper wrap is only glued on at a few points. It also has a perforated section and a label saying to please pull there to separate paper from plastic. You can then proceed to put paper and plastic into different recycling bins (waste separation is very widespread here. You're basically being a dick if you don't do it).
Here is a picture: https://www.online-lebensmittel-lieferservice.de/wp-content/...
A yogurt container will have a typical 15 to 30 days shelf life, this is not a good use of plastic, it also interacts with an acidic medium (Which absolutely breaks down a fraction of the plastic structure). It really should always be made of glass, the only reason it isn't so is purely cost driven.
Coca-Cola, Nestle, Pepsico, Procter&Gamble, Danone, Mars have all pretty much externalized the huge environmental cost of plastic and reduced their operational costs at ours and our environments expense.
We are damaging ourselves and our waterways for the sake of an illusionary convenience and the profit margins of a few giants.
Glass recycling is also energy intensive but it doesn't even have be recycled, people need to stop being disgusted and go the same way as beer bottles. Glass can be high power washed or autoclaved and reused by the manufacturer. Glass transportation costs also become marginal once we transition to EV logistics delivery in the next 15/20 years.
If we make it.
They collect all kind of plastic, melt it together and make furniture out of it.
"reduce, reuse, recycle".
in that order