4 ms·

Space could be an issue in some places. But there is a LOT of space in the US. And a good number of landfill land is reclaimed afterwards anyway. Methane is no

Space could be an issue in some places. But there is a LOT of space in the US. And a good number of landfill land is reclaimed afterwards anyway. Methane is not really related to plastics - if anything the problem is exacerbated by renewables. But landfills could actually be part of the renewables picture here: https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-ga... Leachate is also a landfill factor that has been MUCH improved over the last few decades https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leachate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leachate I think people underrate how good modern landfills are. I think you'll find for most plastics, landfills are much less carbon intensive than recycling. And in some categories, they may even be superior to reuse.

gumby 4y ago
> But there is a LOT of space in the US. It's pretty obscure, but a little known fact is that a surprising number of people don't live in the US.
- natpalmer1776 4y ago
  I mean, we could pull the ol' uno reverse and start importing the world's trash instead of exporting our own under the guise of recycling.
autoexec 4y ago
> I think you'll find for most plastics, landfills are much less carbon intensive than recycling. recycling means we don't need to worry about the carbon intensive process of extracting and processing the raw materials to make new plastics instead of just reusing the plastics we've already created. The continuous creation of more and more plastic also means more and more microplastics. You might love landfills, but I hope I never live too close to one. Proximity to landfills has been linked to all kinds of cancers and health problems.
- gumby 4y ago
  Plastic recycling basically doesn't work. Virgin feedstock is cheaper and easier to work with. Few plastic products are "pure" (most contain pigments, adhesives, and/or different kinds of plastic, not to mention other contaminants like the previous product contained in it). In other words, essentially all plastics are "single use" plastics.

gumby 4y ago

> But there is a LOT of space in the US. It's pretty obscure, but a little known fact is that a surprising number of people don't live in the US.

natpalmer1776 4y ago
I mean, we could pull the ol' uno reverse and start importing the world's trash instead of exporting our own under the guise of recycling.

autoexec 4y ago

> I think you'll find for most plastics, landfills are much less carbon intensive than recycling. recycling means we don't need to worry about the carbon intensive process of extracting and processing the raw materials to make new plastics instead of just reusing the plastics we've already created. The continuous creation of more and more plastic also means more and more microplastics. You might love landfills, but I hope I never live too close to one. Proximity to landfills has been linked to all kinds of cancers and health problems.

gumby 4y ago
Plastic recycling basically doesn't work. Virgin feedstock is cheaper and easier to work with. Few plastic products are "pure" (most contain pigments, adhesives, and/or different kinds of plastic, not to mention other contaminants like the previous product contained in it). In other words, essentially all plastics are "single use" plastics.