5 ms·

what about like a really really really deep hole

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Cthulhu_ 8y ago
I'm wondering why garbage dumps aren't more of a thing, maybe seepage over time? Or nobody wants it in their back yard? But on the other hand, the US still has huge amounts of unused land, deserts where nothing grows anyway. I could make the argument that moving it to the dump costs too much in transport, but err, it was moved halfway across the world earlier so ???. Anyway, why not separate, compact and store it safely and dig it up again once we've found out how to recycle it properly. I want to believe plastics are a valuable resource and burning it is a huge waste.
- AstralStorm 8y ago
  Safe storage is a major problem, esp. groundwater contamination and offgassing. This is why mines are good landfill spots - because they're already drained and protected so that they do not flood.
- cr0sh 8y ago
  > deserts where nothing grows anyway I live in Arizona. I've also driven many times through the Mohave desert. Stuff grows there. You'd have to be blind not to see that. There are whole ecosystems out here in our deserts. I imagine it's the same in virtually any desert. Heck, even in Black Rock City, I've seen a bug on occasion - that's one area where you could say "nothing grows" - but I bet that's false too. In regards to plastics: Most - if not all - plastics cannot be reused without molecular degradation. The plastic that results is highly inferior to "virgin plastic". Which is why the products that are made of "100% recycled plastic" are fairly - hmm, mundane? I'm not sure what the word is, just that you won't see such plastics used exclusively for most products. At best, they will be mixed with new plastic. Even then, the ratio will favor the new plastic. Maybe some day we'll be able to decompose the plastic into atoms and re-constitute them back into new plastic - but that won't be any time soon.
Synaesthesia 8y ago
Costs a lot, more the deeper you go.
- Cthulhu_ 8y ago
  What if the hole already exists? Former open-air mines?
  - ccozan 8y ago
    How about a vulcano?
    - Retra 8y ago
      Volcanos are not holes, they are mountains. And throwing it into an active volcano is just the same as burning it, but far more dangerous and expensive.
akerro 8y ago
Just send it to sun
- lotsofpulp 8y ago
  Good episode of Futurama, Season 1, Episode 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Big_Piece_of_Garbage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Big_Piece_of_Garbage
- darkpuma 8y ago
  Requires too much delta-v.
jandrewrogers 8y ago
This is already done. Some of California's "recyclables" are transported by rail to large desert canyons in Nevada that are literally filled to the top with garbage. The scale of these landfills are impressive. Nevada is a popular large-scale waste terminus precisely because deep desert canyons are plentiful and cheap.
- JoeAltmaier 8y ago
  citation?
- abathur 8y ago
  I guess I'm supposed to have faith that whoever came up with this thought it through. It probably depends on which recyclables are going, but this seems a lot like the geologic analogue to "let's just throw all this crap in the storm drain"...
cr0sh 8y ago
I'm surprised they aren't using some of the tapped-out deep pit mines here in Arizona (southern area, mainly around Bisbee). Some of those holes are huge! Then there's that old diamond pit in Russia that could be filled in (though I think it's still producing)...

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

I'm wondering why garbage dumps aren't more of a thing, maybe seepage over time? Or nobody wants it in their back yard? But on the other hand, the US still has huge amounts of unused land, deserts where nothing grows anyway. I could make the argument that moving it to the dump costs too much in transport, but err, it was moved halfway across the world earlier so ???. Anyway, why not separate, compact and store it safely and dig it up again once we've found out how to recycle it properly. I want to believe plastics are a valuable resource and burning it is a huge waste.

AstralStorm 8y ago
Safe storage is a major problem, esp. groundwater contamination and offgassing. This is why mines are good landfill spots - because they're already drained and protected so that they do not flood.
cr0sh 8y ago
> deserts where nothing grows anyway I live in Arizona. I've also driven many times through the Mohave desert. Stuff grows there. You'd have to be blind not to see that. There are whole ecosystems out here in our deserts. I imagine it's the same in virtually any desert. Heck, even in Black Rock City, I've seen a bug on occasion - that's one area where you could say "nothing grows" - but I bet that's false too. In regards to plastics: Most - if not all - plastics cannot be reused without molecular degradation. The plastic that results is highly inferior to "virgin plastic". Which is why the products that are made of "100% recycled plastic" are fairly - hmm, mundane? I'm not sure what the word is, just that you won't see such plastics used exclusively for most products. At best, they will be mixed with new plastic. Even then, the ratio will favor the new plastic. Maybe some day we'll be able to decompose the plastic into atoms and re-constitute them back into new plastic - but that won't be any time soon.

Synaesthesia 8y ago

Costs a lot, more the deeper you go.

Cthulhu_ 8y ago
What if the hole already exists? Former open-air mines?
- ccozan 8y ago
  How about a vulcano?
  - Retra 8y ago
    Volcanos are not holes, they are mountains. And throwing it into an active volcano is just the same as burning it, but far more dangerous and expensive.

akerro 8y ago

Just send it to sun

lotsofpulp 8y ago
Good episode of Futurama, Season 1, Episode 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Big_Piece_of_Garbage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Big_Piece_of_Garbage
darkpuma 8y ago
Requires too much delta-v.

jandrewrogers 8y ago

This is already done. Some of California's "recyclables" are transported by rail to large desert canyons in Nevada that are literally filled to the top with garbage. The scale of these landfills are impressive. Nevada is a popular large-scale waste terminus precisely because deep desert canyons are plentiful and cheap.

JoeAltmaier 8y ago
citation?
abathur 8y ago
I guess I'm supposed to have faith that whoever came up with this thought it through. It probably depends on which recyclables are going, but this seems a lot like the geologic analogue to "let's just throw all this crap in the storm drain"...

cr0sh 8y ago

I'm surprised they aren't using some of the tapped-out deep pit mines here in Arizona (southern area, mainly around Bisbee). Some of those holes are huge! Then there's that old diamond pit in Russia that could be filled in (though I think it's still producing)...