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Recycling plastic is a red herring popularized by the fossil fuel industry. Up until recently most of its actual success came from a combination of: 1) China's
by Qwertious 5y ago
Recycling plastic is a red herring popularized by the fossil fuel industry. Up until recently most of its actual success came from a combination of:
1) China's heavy exports meaning that transporting bulk goods TO China was practically free, because the ships were making the trip while empty anyway
2) China's manufacturing industry growing so fast that they simply, literally could not get enough plastic
3) Dirt-cheap labor costs in some parts of China enabling labor-intensive recycling on razor thin margins
4) Corruption and a disregard for the true costs of environmental damage making waste dumping look far more profitable than it actually was.
AIUI these have disappeared recently, due to China's economic growth, and shift from exports to selling domestically, and their environmental damage starting to seriously catch up with them, all of which resulted in them no longer accepting plastic.
- petre 5y agoA waste management scientist in India has a royality free patent of using plastic in asphalt. This is a good way to recycle plastic, but one could pave only so many roads. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_road https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic_road
- ZeroGravitas 5y agoChina still accepts plastic for recycling. As you note they make a lot of stuff and so need it and have net exports so lots of ships are going there anyway. What they banned was people pretending to send recyclable plastic but really just sending them any old junk. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_National_Sword https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_National_Sword Text from their official notification: > Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where applicable: The reasons for urgent measure: According to the Special Actions of Strengthening the Supervision and Strictly Striking of Illegal "Foreign Garbage" by the General Administration of Customs of China, Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, Ministry of Public Security of China and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China, as well as the Special Actions of Striking of the Illegal Actions of Imported Solid Waste Processing and Utilizing Sectors by Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, we found that large amounts of dirty wastes or even hazardous wastes are mixed in the solid waste that can be used as raw materials. This polluted China's environment seriously. To protect China's environmental interests and people's health, we urgently adjust the imported solid wastes list, and forbid the import of solid wastes that are highly polluted. Protection of human health or safety; Protection of animal or plant life or health; Protection of the environment.