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There is no need for myths when you can rely on powerful euphemisms such as "thermal recycling"... "Officially, Japan recycles 84 percent of the plastic it col
by wombatmobile 6y ago
There is no need for myths when you can rely on powerful euphemisms such as "thermal recycling"...
"Officially, Japan recycles 84 percent of the plastic it collects, one of the highest rates in the world, but the government designates three types of recycling processes: material, chemical and thermal. Material recycling means the plastic itself is reprocessed into new plastic — PET bottles, for instance, are made into new PET products. This is probably the image of recycling that most people have. Chemical recycling means that plastic waste is broken down into its constituent components, which are then recombined to make new plastic materials. Thermal recycling means that the plastic is burned in incinerators to produce energy."
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/06/national/media-national/japan-faces-uphill-battle-reduce-plastic-consumption/ https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/07/06/national/media-...
- ekianjo 6y agoBurning plastic to produce heat hardly counts as "recycling"... Incidentally, in Japan, PET recycling is a very small minority of all plastic collected, so it hardly moves the mark even if that part is recycled in plastic-loving Japan.