Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve

Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by jschwartzi on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @02:42PM (#17410675)

What's obvious trash? I look at the labeling on recycling and compost cans in my area and I honestly have no clue what I can recycle and what I can't. My choices are to throw away potential recyclables or recycle trash. People aren't morons, you've just built a bad system.

And to clarify, I'm talking about recycling bins in fast food restaurants and grocery store delis. I've got a pile of used paper and plastic that I just ate off of. What of it can I recycle? The labels are usually either out of date or incomplete or both. And none of the plastics have discernible labeling to help.

It's basically the worst system I can imagine.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by gomox on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @04:23PM (#17411520)

So much this. The one at my previous office wanted "clean plastic". What's "clean plastic"? Is an empty soda bottle clean? Is an empty salad container clean? Is cling wrap from a sandwich clean?

I'm an environmentally conscious nerd. If my demographic can't figure out how the system works, what do you expect from the general public?

Of course only the trash bin was full at all times.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by watwut on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @04:33PM (#17411607)

From what I was told, the food remains on salad or sandwitch container will be destroyed in the process of dealing with separated trash. Theoretically, you dont have to care about it much.

However, it can smell pretty quickly and bugs like it, so if you plan to collect plastic for multiple days especially if it is hot, then you clean it up.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by thecrazyone on Thursday June 28, 2018 @04:20AM (#17415031)

Wow, Clean up trash before we throw it?

We're throwing away our time is all we're doing. Looks like no one here values time. Sorting into 13 bins, etc. We need govt to get out of the way so someone can figure this out and make money (their incentive to figure it out).

Govt's not going to figure this out for us. It has no incentive to.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by watwut on Thursday June 28, 2018 @06:38AM (#17415687)

I just wrote that you don't have to do it, provided you take it out often enough or don't mind smell.

Useless outrage.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by maxerickson on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @04:44PM (#17411700)

Cat litter, needles, food, yard waste, diapers, etc.

Lower your expectations a bit, the people doing the worst aren't wondering what to do with a clean plastic fork.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by gascan on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @02:49PM (#17410736)

There's ambiguous stuff to be sure. But I'm talking about people who throw food scraps, furniture, car tires, ash, bbq coals, construction debris, etc in the recycling. Yes, I've seen all of those things go into the recycling bins and more.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by TheSpiceIsLife on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @03:30PM (#17411056)

Tricky. The first three should be recyclable: good scraps can be composted, timber and metal in furniture can be recycled, and car tyres can be recycled.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by sbov on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @08:06PM (#17412985)

You're being WAY too charitable to end users. People aren't talking about the compost bin. They're talking about the recycle bin. The one for glass, paper, plastics, and cans.

We have a trash bin, yard waste bin, and recycle bin where I live, and I've seen neighbors dump their grass clippings into the recycle bin. I've had family members toss paper plates along with the half eaten hamburger on them into my recycling (NOT compost) bin because the plate is paper.

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Re:Plastic recycling is a problem consumers can't solve by mikec3010 on Wednesday June 27, 2018 @03:12PM (#17410918)

I don't see how recycling paper products helps anything. Paper = carbon. There is too much carbon in the atmosphere now. Throwing paper away sequesters it from release into the atmosphere and drives up demand for timber - a renewable resource, which removes carbon from the atmosphere.

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