3 ms·

I still separate my trash because even though my plastic will probably end on the landfill, my municipality does process organic materials into compost, and pla

by otikik 4y ago

I still separate my trash because even though my plastic will probably end on the landfill, my municipality does process organic materials into compost, and plastic added to the mix burns CO2 on the separation plant. But yes, if it all ends up in a landfill anyway where you live sorting out the trash is a waste of effort

yurishimo 4y ago
This depends on the country though. Here in the Netherlands, it's extremely expensive to dispose of things in the "general trash" bin. Recycling on the other hand, is essentially free (at least in my village). Organic waste is not free (except during the holidays!), but it's an order of magnitude cheaper than the general waste.
- nirimda 4y ago
  Yes but this just changes which bin the stuff is put into. The organic bin next to my apartment in Germany always has plenty of plastic in it. The stuff that actually gets put into the packaging bin vs the general waste bin seems to be completely random, to the extent that I can see it. (Glass and paper bins mostly contain glass and paper.)
  - cinntaile 4y ago
    This is sometimes solved by requiring pre-paid see through bags. If the garbage man notices something that shouldn't be in there, it's not collected.
- Acinyx 4y ago
  They are more and more working on doing the separation at the garbage company though instead of at the source. Generally the reason for this that that consumers aren't very consistent in the separation and a few mistakes makes the whole stream worthless if they don't implement separation after collection. Two examples of large municipalities going this route: * https://www.amsterdam.nl/afval-en-hergebruik/plastic-scheidingsinstallatie/ https://www.amsterdam.nl/afval-en-hergebruik/plastic-scheidi... * https://www.almere.nl/wonen/afval/afval-scheiden/nascheiden https://www.almere.nl/wonen/afval/afval-scheiden/nascheiden
nosianu 4y ago
There is a problem with people putting plastic into organic waste bins though. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468584421000696 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S24685... (Compost as a carrier for microplastics and plastic-bound toxic metals into agroecosystems) https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aap8060 https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aap8060 (Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment) When I look at the contents of the organic waste bin of my apartment house people often put what they throw in there inside plastic bags, which is kind of understandable because just throwing it in there unprotected and open to the air will probably lead to a rot problem and some really bad smells right in front of the house. I don't think this is collected every day. I read an article here in Germany years ago that this is a major problem and a leading cause of ever more plastic in agricultural soil. and also https://www.newscientist.com/article/2345545-most-home-compostable-plastic-doesnt-break-down-in-garden-bins/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2345545-most-home-compo... (Most ‘home compostable’ plastic doesn’t break down in garden bins)

by otikik 4y ago

yurishimo 4y ago

This depends on the country though. Here in the Netherlands, it's extremely expensive to dispose of things in the "general trash" bin. Recycling on the other hand, is essentially free (at least in my village). Organic waste is not free (except during the holidays!), but it's an order of magnitude cheaper than the general waste.

nirimda 4y ago
Yes but this just changes which bin the stuff is put into. The organic bin next to my apartment in Germany always has plenty of plastic in it. The stuff that actually gets put into the packaging bin vs the general waste bin seems to be completely random, to the extent that I can see it. (Glass and paper bins mostly contain glass and paper.)
- cinntaile 4y ago
  This is sometimes solved by requiring pre-paid see through bags. If the garbage man notices something that shouldn't be in there, it's not collected.
Acinyx 4y ago
They are more and more working on doing the separation at the garbage company though instead of at the source. Generally the reason for this that that consumers aren't very consistent in the separation and a few mistakes makes the whole stream worthless if they don't implement separation after collection. Two examples of large municipalities going this route: * https://www.amsterdam.nl/afval-en-hergebruik/plastic-scheidingsinstallatie/ https://www.amsterdam.nl/afval-en-hergebruik/plastic-scheidi... * https://www.almere.nl/wonen/afval/afval-scheiden/nascheiden https://www.almere.nl/wonen/afval/afval-scheiden/nascheiden

nosianu 4y ago

There is a problem with people putting plastic into organic waste bins though. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2468584421000696 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S24685... (Compost as a carrier for microplastics and plastic-bound toxic metals into agroecosystems) https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aap8060 https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.aap8060 (Organic fertilizer as a vehicle for the entry of microplastic into the environment) When I look at the contents of the organic waste bin of my apartment house people often put what they throw in there inside plastic bags, which is kind of understandable because just throwing it in there unprotected and open to the air will probably lead to a rot problem and some really bad smells right in front of the house. I don't think this is collected every day. I read an article here in Germany years ago that this is a major problem and a leading cause of ever more plastic in agricultural soil. and also https://www.newscientist.com/article/2345545-most-home-compostable-plastic-doesnt-break-down-in-garden-bins/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/2345545-most-home-compo... (Most ‘home compostable’ plastic doesn’t break down in garden bins)