5 ms·

I had the same exciting thought before it dawned on me that we usually choose plastics for a reason. Imagine water bottles breaking down in the store. Imagine p

I had the same exciting thought before it dawned on me that we usually choose plastics for a reason. Imagine water bottles breaking down in the store. Imagine protective coatings of ships breaking down. While I'd be happy for the mess we created in the oceans, I'm unsure if this would just trigger another arms race for more indestructible materials — that would clog the oceans once again.

chiefalchemist 9y ago
We chose plastics because it was cheaper. Yes, there are other benefits. Unfortunately, no one asked, "If this stuff doesn't decompose, then what?" to assess that risk vs the benefits. Without that answer the use of plastics should have been mitigated a la nuclear fission. Instead, micro bits of plastics are everywhere; the oceans and their ecoayatem are compromised. Etc. For what? Convenience and a few cents?
- acdanger 9y ago
  I ask myself the same question about our current techno-commercial landscape.
spodek 9y ago
The main reason is not having to account for externalities. As long as someone else has to pay for cleaning up, why bother thinking about it when you can keep the short-term profits?
fredley 9y ago
My favourite what if: What if we engineer such bacteria to survive in our gut?
pbhjpbhj 9y ago
Manufacturers don't really choose plastic for longevity, they choose it because it's cheap and easy to work with (ie plastic [adjective]). There are already biodegradable alternatives for almost everything but they add a few pence to the cost of a happy meal, say, and aren't a strong enough differentiator at the point of sale for profit-driven companies to care about it. The alternatives don't instantaneously degrade, they usually need proper composting to quickly degrade (high temperatures, aerobic). We've used compostable nappies that when properly composted can degrade fully in a year - they're similar in use (save not releasing "gel balls"), don't appear to have a significantly depleted shelf-life. I don't know why such things aren't mandated TBH.

chiefalchemist 9y ago

We chose plastics because it was cheaper. Yes, there are other benefits. Unfortunately, no one asked, "If this stuff doesn't decompose, then what?" to assess that risk vs the benefits. Without that answer the use of plastics should have been mitigated a la nuclear fission. Instead, micro bits of plastics are everywhere; the oceans and their ecoayatem are compromised. Etc. For what? Convenience and a few cents?

acdanger 9y ago
I ask myself the same question about our current techno-commercial landscape.

spodek 9y ago

The main reason is not having to account for externalities. As long as someone else has to pay for cleaning up, why bother thinking about it when you can keep the short-term profits?

fredley 9y ago

My favourite what if: What if we engineer such bacteria to survive in our gut?

pbhjpbhj 9y ago

Manufacturers don't really choose plastic for longevity, they choose it because it's cheap and easy to work with (ie plastic [adjective]). There are already biodegradable alternatives for almost everything but they add a few pence to the cost of a happy meal, say, and aren't a strong enough differentiator at the point of sale for profit-driven companies to care about it. The alternatives don't instantaneously degrade, they usually need proper composting to quickly degrade (high temperatures, aerobic). We've used compostable nappies that when properly composted can degrade fully in a year - they're similar in use (save not releasing "gel balls"), don't appear to have a significantly depleted shelf-life. I don't know why such things aren't mandated TBH.