Re:Plastic industry knew recycling was a farce for decades
by xp84 on Friday February 16, 2024 @11:48PM
(#39406466)
There isn't and won't be a technology that is going to ever economically recycle (closed loop, meaning used for a similar purpose over and over) most of the plastic containers in the trash, especially when it's 40 different types of plastic all mixed together (with generous amounts of contaminants mixed in). Sure, it can sometimes be downcycled once, like shredded into some kind of filament and used to stuff a low-quality cushion or something. That's about it.
If it were economic to really recycle it, China wouldn't have stopped taking ours. And most of the rest of Asia followed suit, which is why municipalities are sheepishly hoarding it in warehouses now without a plan, or just admitting to themselves (if not their citizens) it's a sham and diverting most of those plastics we put in the blue bins straight to the landfill.
If it were economic to really recycle it, China wouldn't have stopped taking ours. And most of the rest of Asia followed suit, which is why municipalities are sheepishly hoarding it in warehouses now without a plan, or just admitting to themselves (if not their citizens) it's a sham and diverting most of those plastics we put in the blue bins straight to the landfill.