shit... : memes

[–] Grizzlyboy@lemm.ee 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

We sort trash in 4 bins and one bag.

Paper
Glass and metal
Bio, food waste
General waste that doesn't belong in the other bins.
Isn't a bin but a plastic bag for plastic.

Lets say we didn't have a bag specifically for plastic, that waste would have ended up in 4. Most of 4 is burned. By putting plastic in its own bag it increased the amount of plastic returned to waste management and reduced the amount left out in nature and burned.

We've been dealt a shit hand, but we can try making the best out of the situation. Giving up isn't an option.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 23 hours ago

Here we just ship out plastic to SEA and they toss out whatever they cannot use

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 8 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sorry I don't follow.

Is 4 a bin or a bag?

Is everything in 4 bagged or only the plastic?

How does bagging the plastic avoid it being left out in nature or burned?

[–] Grizzlyboy@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Fudge, formatting fooled me! Since 1-4 were numbers and the 5th didn't have to be a number but just "Bag", when I wrote it without a number it didn't start on the next line, but at the end of "4". Edited the comment to show it better.

The 4th is a bin, and the last one (5th for clarity) is a big plastic bag.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 5 points 1 day ago

And there's people who thing trash bins in general are just optional

[–] annie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

the people who try to force the burden of a species worth of impact onto individuals are always just running cover for corporations n conglomerates; give them time to build society's tolerance for bleakness and whatever industrial-scale crime they're doing and internalise guilt for it before coming back to win the pr war and make money in some other slightly less evil way

[–] Termight@lemmy.ml 58 points 2 days ago (4 children)

The problem isn’t just recycling; it’s consumption. Also, aluminum still holds some value. What else is worth recycling?

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 42 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Glass

[–] phdepressed@sh.itjust.works 22 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Glass used to be washed and reused. It's a lot more energy (and therefore greenhouse gases) to melt and reform into whatever.

[–] tischbier@feddit.org 14 points 2 days ago

Supply for high quality white sand used for almost all glass making will be exhausted in 2037, according to British Geologist Michael Welland.

There will be a point in the near future where recycling glass will be less expensive than sourcing high quality sand.

[–] kambusha@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 days ago

Perhaps, but it's 100% reusable as far as I'm aware. It can also be used for other things, such as roads, or even to help plants grow.

[–] mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

This is how it works in Germany. Lots of their water bottles are made of glass, and end up with textured/worn rings along the bottle; The rings are from where it goes through the recycling machines to get prepped for the next use. The rings mean the bottle has been reused a lot, and has gone through the machines enough to get slightly worn.

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[–] menemen@lemmy.ml 23 points 2 days ago

Paper, all metalls and glass. Collecting organic waste for either compost or, if your city does this, biogas plants is also good.

[–] Wilco@lemm.ee 12 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The highest value for the economy is cardboard recycling. Honestly, cardboard recycling creates a LOT of jobs. Companies get into bid wars trying to buy cardboard scrap to recycle.

[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 7 points 2 days ago

Cellulose is generally recyclable but as I understand it degrades through each cycle, until it's basically unfit for recycling and is more efficient to burn for energy.

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[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 45 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Recycling started off as the third R and last resort, the first two were Reduce and Reuse. Those were not compatible with an economy based on consumerism and growth, so Recycling became the focus, creating an industry to pick through the few things that could be recycled and trashing the rest, and encouraging the public to buy more because it's not a problem as long as you participate.

And if you don't participate, all the problems are your fault. Not the companies making the stuff, they're just doing what you want.

[–] jaybone@lemmy.world 26 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They also told us all this stuff was recyclable. They got us to separate our trash. Municipalities changed their waste collections services. Added new trucks. For 40 years. Then they were like “yeah, none of this stuff can actually be recycled”. lol. And THEN after they got called out on that, they’re like “yeah, we lied last time. But now we really are working on a way to recycle these things. And it’s really really going to work this time totally for sure.”

[–] Rhaedas@fedia.io 17 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I think it's even worse. They didn't tell us what was and wasn't recyclable. They used symbols very similar to the recycling logo to stamp on various types of plastics to classify them. Most of the types used are one time use, they never were meant to imply recycling, that's just the symbol appearance.

[–] tektite@slrpnk.net 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And even still, not everything of any particular code is recyclable.

I finally discovered that what is accepted in my recycle cart is determined by who will buy it for recycle. For example, some company might buy yogurt tubs and milk jugs but not other shapes of the same plastics.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's a system for more than just plastics, like batteries are that symbol with 43? In the logo. It is a classification system for waste handling, some materials more recyclable than others. The idea is as technology increases we may have methods to deal with more of them. For now, what plastic isn't recycled is often made into fuel pellets, and used as heating sources for industrial stuff. It's better than mining coal, and oil, but still not an ideal reuse method.

[–] Johanno@feddit.org 30 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Reuse repair and recycle are in this order for a reason.

Companies should use recycle as a last resort. And especially should consider repair when producing items.

However people buy cheap new shit more often than try to repair sth.

Fuck consum economy

[–] GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml 33 points 2 days ago (1 children)

the order is actually Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

i think it's reconsider (buying this product), reuse, recycle

[–] RichardDegenne@lemm.ee 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Isn't it Reny, Refend, Repose?

[–] gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 1 day ago

that's the anarchic stance. mine was more a chemical/technical one.

[–] cogman@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago

Some stuff has to be consumed, like food. And that's a major problem with plastic. Plastic is being used to protect and preserve foods, but it's also being used as a cheap binding for shipments.

The right solution introduces an added logistic hurdle to send back packaging for reuse and to reprocess/clean that packaging.

There is actually a way out of this, but marketers hate it. It's standardized reusable containers and outlawing or severely limiting the use of plastic and inks for product distribution.

Sure, it'd turn our grocery stores into a warehouse-like feel, but it would also make it easy and possible for reuse and recycle centers to process and redistribute packaging with very minimal waste.

It'd also make it a lot harder for companies to play the shrinkflation game.

Standardization like this does wonders.

[–] Nindelofocho@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sometimes the only option is to buy the cheap shit too and it pisses me off. Theres so many times where I want a quality version of some tool or item and I can only find the item in cheap materials barely different than any other version. Ive started even designing my own stuff and going through sendcutsend or having it manufactured otherwise

[–] monarch@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

Or there is only a cheap option or an option over 10x as expensive with no middle ground.

[–] MyDarkestTimeline01@lemmy.ml 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I think if we can't convince people to reduce their consumption which is a Sisyphean effort, The next best step would be to try to convince manufacturers and packaging companies to switch over to either mostly cardboard or metal. Metal is almost infinitely recyclable, and cardboard once it reaches the end of its recyclable life span can be used as fertilizer and as a product for other things.

[–] milicent_bystandr@lemm.ee 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yes, ship all Amazon packages in metal boxes! I like this future 😎

[–] MyDarkestTimeline01@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Or, ya know. Cardboard.

[–] Kacarott@aussie.zone 9 points 1 day ago

Cardboard boxes? That will never catch on

[–] whinestone_cowboy@sopuli.xyz 18 points 2 days ago (2 children)

I have plastic in my testicles and I don't even have any.

[–] Bread@sh.itjust.works 15 points 2 days ago

MY GOD... The plastic took your testicles?!? WHY ARE WE NOT DOING SOMETHING ABOUT THIS?!?!?!?

[–] Perhapsjustsniffit@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Maybe you have plastic testicles now... isn't evolution amazing!

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[–] Retreaux@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Plasticles

[–] lime@feddit.nu 10 points 2 days ago

the most flexible greek philosopher

[–] PeripheralGhost@lemmy.world 19 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Big oil...

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[–] spicytuna62@lemmy.world 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Not to mention how plastic recycling isn't exactly easy anyway. Not all jurisdictions take all kinds of plastic. So you have to know what your recycling center can handle and what you're tossing in or risk contamination.

I go out of my way to buy things shipped in paper, glass, or metal containers. Even though steel and aluminum cans do have a little plastic in them, it's far less plastic than containers made entirely of it.

It would be nice if we could have more things sold in the bulk section so you can bring your own container. Like, if I could buy laundry detergent or shampoo using my own containers, that'd be sick.

[–] frog@feddit.uk 6 points 2 days ago

My coffee shop used to take my own cup and they would fill that up. The pandemic hit and they stopped doing taking reusable cups. After the pandemic, they still aren't taking cups. This just feels like corpo propaganda.

[–] Venus_Ziegenfalle@feddit.org 12 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The problem is plastic can't be broken down and reassembled forever. Recycling isn't Lego. The focus should be finding ways to reuse something without altering it too much. But yeah it's not gonna save the planet sadly.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (3 children)

This is actually incorrect, you can absolutely break plastic into its basic constituents and create new plastic. But that costs more than simply using already existing oil.

The cheaper downcycle method is roughly separating the plastics and using certain ones to make new items like plastic bags, buckets etc.

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[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I mean, plastic recycling is easy; burn it with filters, then put the filters in the hole where the oil came from. Then use a biodegradable replacement according to your needs.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What do you mean with filters?

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Those active coal and/or electrostatic ones you put in the chimney?

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

But why put them in the hole? If you have no clean burning, the filter mostly gets carbon, which can be burned again. Some plastics like PVC release HCl, so you need to scrub that, but the result is harmless table salt. The biggest issue is formation of dioxins, so you need to have a high flame temperature to make sure everything burns clean. Otherwise dust etc. could contain heavy metals, but that is not directly from the plastic.

[–] MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

I mean, climate change is coal (C) we take out of reserves in the form of oil and gas (from times where climate was warmer) and then burn it with oxygen (O) to CO².
Yes, plastic is a problem with pollution. But no matter how much we recycle it or if it rots away over centuries, hurting animals and poisoning environments: the end result is still that it is processed oil (C) out of a hole, contributing to greenhouse effect.

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