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I don't disagree with the point you are trying to make, but how else would you expect the concept of recycling to work? So, let's take Visy, in the context of
by doesnt_know 9y ago
I don't disagree with the point you are trying to make, but how else would you expect the concept of recycling to work?
So, let's take Visy, in the context of this post, they are in the business of waste disposal, recycling, and packaging. For their packaging business, they turn raw materials into packaging. For cardboard, that's either dead trees or recycled/reprocessed cardboard.
So they either pay for brand new raw materials or recycled materials. They decide to skip the middle man and setup a plant, negotiate contracts with councils/governments and take peoples waste so they can turn it into packaging.
That's what recycling is. It's not magic. If there is no one/business on the other end to consume or process it, it's not recycling, it just garbage and goes to a land fill.
I'm just using cardboard as an example because it's easier to grok (trees/cardboard etc), but over the last 5 years there has literally been occasions where the price of brand new cardboard has been lower than recycled cardboard. So yes, sometimes this the recycling industry is all sorts of fucked, but if you don't have industry/business/consumer on the other end of this recycling equation it's worthless.
- andrewstuart 9y agoWe need standard, reusable packages sizes, refundable, washable, can be labelled with paper stick on branding. Maybe 150 of them as a guess. Legal requirement to use them.
- droidist2 9y agoInteresting idea. Can it be fully washed out though? I really wouldn't want to reuse a bleach bottle and fill it with milk.
- testvox 9y agoWhy not? For example laboratories reuse the same glass equipment, sometimes for decades without any fear of cross contamination.
- droidist2 9y agoI feel like glass is different than plastic though. Or would we switch to glass in this scenario?
- yoz-y 9y agoGlass is heavy though. I wonder if the additional energy to lug it from one location to another would be worth it.
- ac29 9y agoDisclaimer: Sample size 1. Laboratories definitely worry about cross contamination for reagent (or even worse, culture) containers. The vast majority of containers used in Microbiology labs are disposable and incinerated after use. And they certainly dont drink or eat their contents, which was the point you were responding too.