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I keep thinking thermal depolymerization is the only good strategy for anything not standardized (soda bottles, milk jugs). Plastics are just too cheap, light,
by dehrmann 4y ago
I keep thinking thermal depolymerization is the only good strategy for anything not standardized (soda bottles, milk jugs). Plastics are just too cheap, light, and durable to move away from in a lot of applications that they won't go away, and a lot of these are the applications where they're hard to recycle. That leaves burning, burying, and depolymerizing.
- jaggederest 4y ago> Plastics are just too cheap, light, and durable to move away from in a lot of applications that they won't go away There's an easy answer for this, build the externalities into the price. They won't be cheap, and so alternatives will be used. Depending on the kind of plastic, of course, the externalities differ, and thus so too should the price.
- tuatoru 4y agoThe alternatives have their own externalities. Paper comes from monocrop plantations (so soil depletion and erosion,and after heavy rain, trash all over roads and neighboring properties), and it's energy intensive and chemical intensive to make. The waxes used for foodproofing paper are-well, you might as well just use all plastic. Glass is very energy intensive to make and it's heavy to transport. Aluminum is also very energy intensive. It's the best in terms of recyclability though.
- jaggederest 4y agoYes, don't get me wrong, we should incorporate the externalities of all package manufacturing. Hell, all manufacturing generally. I think if you manufacture it, you should be responsible for disposing of it.
- tempestn 4y agoDoesn't this research present a very attractive fourth option, if it's successful?