The campaign against plastic is harming the planet and the public

Re:The campaign against plastic is harming the planet and th... by WalterBright on Tuesday September 29, 2020 @12:46AM (#24624224)

BTW, if you leave a plastic back outside for a while in the sun, it'll disintegrate in a month or two. I discovered this because I believed "plastic is not degradable" and used one to patch a leak in my roof.

I have since switched to using soda cans. Cut the ends off, slice up the side, and flatten it. It makes for marvelous leak and flashing patch material. So far it has lasted for years :-)

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Re:The campaign against plastic is harming the planet and th... by m000 on Tuesday September 29, 2020 @06:39AM (#24626059)

Plastic is not biodegradable, which is what is desired from an environmental perspective. But it is photodegradable [1], which results in eventual breakdown to microplastics.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodegradation

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Re:The campaign against plastic is harming the planet and th... by magicalhippo on Tuesday September 29, 2020 @09:28AM (#24627539)

However marine plastic can get buried, due to seaweed decomposing into soil. Here's[1] a recent story about some students finding 20% of the soil being plastic on a nearby island. On the surface it looks all nice and clean, but the plastic is embedded beneath the surface.

[1]: https://www.nrk.no/trondelag/forskere-fant-opptil-20-prosent...

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Re:The campaign against plastic is harming the planet and th... by syspec on Tuesday September 29, 2020 @03:49AM (#24625133)

Yes most things will also magically disappear when burned

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