The recycling myth: A plastic waste solution littered with failure

Re:The recycling myth: A plastic waste solution littered wit... by morpheos137 on Saturday July 31, 2021 @11:16AM (#28018848)

Added to what you said is the fact that the most commonly used plastics like polyethylene are biological inert. Thus most plastic is about as harmful as sand which only really harms life in a mechanical way if at all.

I think it is a mass hysteria fueled by social media. Plastics are not bad for the environment in of themselves and certainly not worse than chopping down trees to make paper or burning coal to make glass.

Solar produced polyethylene could be a terrific carbon sink if there was not a mass hysteria about "plastics."

It is so fascinating how the general public can demonise something they don't even understand.

"Plastic" in general is harmless to the environment. That is because it is chemically inert. Plastics are used every day in medical proceedures and medical devices. Plastics provide habitats for small organisms. Ever find a discarded plastic bottle that has been sitting in the woods for years? Usually it is teeming with life, from algae to spiders, to worms and other invertabraes.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The recycling myth: A plastic waste solution littered wit... by GordonS on Saturday July 31, 2021 @02:37PM (#28020578)

I don't disagree with everything you're saying here, but some plastic products (especially bags, polystyrene boxes and small pieces of plastic) are definitely harmful to some animals, who of course form part of the environment.

[ Parent | on HN ]