Because people are not rational and incineration "seems" dirty somehow, even though it is - by far - the mostly environmentally friendly way to deal with plasti

Because people are not rational and incineration "seems" dirty somehow, even though it is - by far - the mostly environmentally friendly way to deal with plastic. Far outclassing recycling. It just looks bad, and recycling is about feeling good, not the environment. Incineration not only disposes of the plastic, it also gives you back the energy embodied in the raw material used to make it. Then you can avoid burning some other oil, and use that other oil to make fresh plastic. You can think of it as recycling with extra steps :)