3 ms·

Is that a joke? - 10% of the plastic I dispose of doesn’t end up in the ocean because I live in a civilised country that disposes of it in the places made for

Is that a joke? - 10% of the plastic I dispose of doesn’t end up in the ocean because I live in a civilised country that disposes of it in the places made for it’s disposal. - Plastic is incinerated in special chambers that make sure everything burns to a simple combination of CO2+H2O, while your home probably doesn’t have the necessary equipment to do so.

danw1979 7y ago
Yeah. I wasn't being serious.
- simonebrunozzi 7y ago
  Yep, I think it was pretty clear you were being sarcastic.
vegannet 7y ago
The majority of plastic waste in “civilised” countries is shipped elsewhere: out of sight out of mind. There’s a strong likelihood that your plastic waste is ending up somewhere you do not expect it to end up. https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-recycling-is-in-chaos-heres-what-has-to-happen/ https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-recycling-is-in-chaos...
danw1979 7y ago
... also I just read this (on the front page now !) - https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/08/smart-plastic-incineration-posited-as-viable-solution-to-global-recycling-crisis/ https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/08/smart-plas... - Nonetheless, the risk of harmful substances reaching the air may not be completely eliminated by engineers. In some countries, newer incinerators would apply air pollution control technologies, including fabric filters, electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers, the CIEL authors argue. However, these filters may not prevent all hazardous emissions, such as ultra-fine particles - unregulated and particularly harmful to health - from escaping into the air. This was my uninformed understanding of incineration - that there's at least some toxic leftovers no matter how hot you burn it. Is there really a way to burn it down to just CO2 and water ?

3 ms·

Is that a joke? - 10% of the plastic I dispose of doesn’t end up in the ocean because I live in a civilised country that disposes of it in the places made for

by heavenlyblue 7y ago

danw1979 7y ago
Yeah. I wasn't being serious.
- simonebrunozzi 7y ago
  Yep, I think it was pretty clear you were being sarcastic.
vegannet 7y ago
The majority of plastic waste in “civilised” countries is shipped elsewhere: out of sight out of mind. There’s a strong likelihood that your plastic waste is ending up somewhere you do not expect it to end up. https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-recycling-is-in-chaos-heres-what-has-to-happen/ https://www.wired.com/story/the-worlds-recycling-is-in-chaos...
danw1979 7y ago
... also I just read this (on the front page now !) - https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/08/smart-plastic-incineration-posited-as-viable-solution-to-global-recycling-crisis/ https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2019/08/smart-plas... - Nonetheless, the risk of harmful substances reaching the air may not be completely eliminated by engineers. In some countries, newer incinerators would apply air pollution control technologies, including fabric filters, electrostatic precipitators and scrubbers, the CIEL authors argue. However, these filters may not prevent all hazardous emissions, such as ultra-fine particles - unregulated and particularly harmful to health - from escaping into the air. This was my uninformed understanding of incineration - that there's at least some toxic leftovers no matter how hot you burn it. Is there really a way to burn it down to just CO2 and water ?