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Recycling works mostly fine in many countries other than the US. But of course reduce, reuse, repair should always have been the primary "re" words. It's just t

Recycling works mostly fine in many countries other than the US. But of course reduce, reuse, repair should always have been the primary "re" words. It's just that those are less convenient and bad for business from the usual shortsighted perspective.

eru 4y ago
Recycling of plastic doesn't work very well, regardless of country. Recycling of aluminum works really well. Recycling of paper works ok. Recycling of glass is pretty pointless (it doesn't really safe energy compared to make new glass, however re-using bottles via a deposit system works ok).
- Sharlin 4y ago
  Yes, which is why eg. where I'm from (northern Europe) recycling plastic hasn't even been a thing until very recently, except for things such as PET bottles which have a deposit and which recycle very well. Improved automatic sorting machines have made plastic recycling more feasible, and providing a separate bin for plastics is now required for medium and high density residential properties. (It has been normal for decades to have separate bins for glass, metal, paper, and cardboard; in recent years bins for plastics and biodegradable waste have been introduced as well. There has never been just a single all-purpose "recyclables" bin.) And yes, a lot of household plastic still isn't recyclable because there are just so many types of plastic, with so many different additives used. But it is also a case of "build it, and they will come"; new industrial uses for recycled plastics do pop up once the infrastructure for delivering high-enough-quality streams of raw materials is in place.
  - pasttense01 4y ago
    It's not just a question of sorting; it's also a question of contamination.
lost_tourist 4y ago
It works fine in the US too. We may not be as efficient as some hyper aware European countries but overall the US is doing fine, especially with non plastic stuff. The US has far far more land available for internment of waste than Europe. We could definitely do better but quit acting like we're a 3rd world country. I'm not saying we couldn't do better but all the doom and gloom about the US is friggin' tiring.

eru 4y ago

Recycling of plastic doesn't work very well, regardless of country. Recycling of aluminum works really well. Recycling of paper works ok. Recycling of glass is pretty pointless (it doesn't really safe energy compared to make new glass, however re-using bottles via a deposit system works ok).

Sharlin 4y ago
Yes, which is why eg. where I'm from (northern Europe) recycling plastic hasn't even been a thing until very recently, except for things such as PET bottles which have a deposit and which recycle very well. Improved automatic sorting machines have made plastic recycling more feasible, and providing a separate bin for plastics is now required for medium and high density residential properties. (It has been normal for decades to have separate bins for glass, metal, paper, and cardboard; in recent years bins for plastics and biodegradable waste have been introduced as well. There has never been just a single all-purpose "recyclables" bin.) And yes, a lot of household plastic still isn't recyclable because there are just so many types of plastic, with so many different additives used. But it is also a case of "build it, and they will come"; new industrial uses for recycled plastics do pop up once the infrastructure for delivering high-enough-quality streams of raw materials is in place.
- pasttense01 4y ago
  It's not just a question of sorting; it's also a question of contamination.

lost_tourist 4y ago

It works fine in the US too. We may not be as efficient as some hyper aware European countries but overall the US is doing fine, especially with non plastic stuff. The US has far far more land available for internment of waste than Europe. We could definitely do better but quit acting like we're a 3rd world country. I'm not saying we couldn't do better but all the doom and gloom about the US is friggin' tiring.