4 ms·

banning plastic is moronic. they didn't come about because people wanted to pollute the world, it solved real issues while creating unpleasant externalities and

by alliao 4y ago

banning plastic is moronic. they didn't come about because people wanted to pollute the world, it solved real issues while creating unpleasant externalities and this is a great research to mitigate the pollution. name me a country that didn't increase in plastic usage AFTER banning plastic

LunaSea 4y ago
We could use glass bottles but decided to switch to plastic ones. One has obvious ecological advantages over the other.
- cableshaft 4y ago
  While I agree with that, microplastics aren't really because of plastic bottles. "Most of the microplastic pollution in the world doesn’t come from discarded bottles. It comes from textiles, tyres and city dust. These three sources account for over 80% of all microplastic pollution in the environment and the seas."[1] Also the world is running out of the sand that's good for making glass (also concrete)[2], so that's not a great solution either. We should probably just stop using both of them entirely for canned drinks. But that's a tall ask, I know (and I also struggle with). [1]: https://www.eib.org/en/essays/plastic-pollution https://www.eib.org/en/essays/plastic-pollution [2]: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191108-why-the-world-is-running-out-of-sand https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191108-why-the-world-is...
  - LunaSea 4y ago
    You can however wash glass or melt it again. Also plastic is an issue beyond microplastics as it requires oil and is not really recyclable.
    - petre 4y ago
      Yes but glass is heavy and it pollutes through externalities (transport + melting). I like aluminium better but the liners contain BPA or replacements, so glass is still the most sensible option. During communism there was a lot of glass recycling being done in my country. Glasses and jars were standardised, meaning there were few modles in circulation and one could clean off the labels and take them to a recycling centre and collect a few pennies for evey item.
nerdawson 4y ago
Are there any countries that have done that? It seems like you’ll have few case studies to choose from. We know the harm this stuff causes and where viable alternatives exist, we should start to transition. Asbestos was a wonder material too. We learn, we change.
superinterwebs 4y ago
please tell us more!

by alliao 4y ago

LunaSea 4y ago

We could use glass bottles but decided to switch to plastic ones. One has obvious ecological advantages over the other.

cableshaft 4y ago
While I agree with that, microplastics aren't really because of plastic bottles. "Most of the microplastic pollution in the world doesn’t come from discarded bottles. It comes from textiles, tyres and city dust. These three sources account for over 80% of all microplastic pollution in the environment and the seas."[1] Also the world is running out of the sand that's good for making glass (also concrete)[2], so that's not a great solution either. We should probably just stop using both of them entirely for canned drinks. But that's a tall ask, I know (and I also struggle with). [1]: https://www.eib.org/en/essays/plastic-pollution https://www.eib.org/en/essays/plastic-pollution [2]: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191108-why-the-world-is-running-out-of-sand https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20191108-why-the-world-is...
- LunaSea 4y ago
  You can however wash glass or melt it again. Also plastic is an issue beyond microplastics as it requires oil and is not really recyclable.
  - petre 4y ago
    Yes but glass is heavy and it pollutes through externalities (transport + melting). I like aluminium better but the liners contain BPA or replacements, so glass is still the most sensible option. During communism there was a lot of glass recycling being done in my country. Glasses and jars were standardised, meaning there were few modles in circulation and one could clean off the labels and take them to a recycling centre and collect a few pennies for evey item.

nerdawson 4y ago

Are there any countries that have done that? It seems like you’ll have few case studies to choose from. We know the harm this stuff causes and where viable alternatives exist, we should start to transition. Asbestos was a wonder material too. We learn, we change.

superinterwebs 4y ago

please tell us more!