4 ms·

I'm assuming this is the from cotton fertilizer runoff.

by Aunche 3y ago

slg 3y ago
Which would mean all 5 of these measures are purely about production which gives an incomplete picture. The problem with single use plastics isn't the production. That is why they became so popular. The main concern is what happens to the plastic after that single use. For example, how many microplastics does a cotton bag keep out of the ocean?
- Aunche 3y ago
  A plastic bag that is reused as a trash bag that ends up in a properly lined landfill isn't going to release microplastics in the the ocean either. The problem is that people really like sexy solutions over practical ones, so you end up with with ineffective initiatives like teaching Africans how to recycle or plastic bag bans rather than building more and safer landfills.
  - slg 3y ago
    If the solution was as easy as telling people to reuse and dispose of single use plastic properly, we would have solved this issue decades ago. People still don't do that in high enough numbers for it to be an actual solution.
    - Aunche 3y ago
      You don't have to teach anything. If someone has a better place to throw their trash than their local dump pile, they'll do it because they don't like that place either. The vast majority of river plastic comes from developing counties with poor trash infrastructure. Plastic pollution is largely a solved problem. There may be plenty of assholes who leave their garbage on the beach in the US, but when they're home, their waste still gets properly disposed of. https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/ https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/
      - slg 3y ago
        That link doesn't demonstrate what you are claiming. Developing countries handling this worse than the US doesn't prove that the US handles it well.
        Aunche 3y ago
        It makes sense to prioritize tackling low hanging fruit with solutions that we know to work rather than ones that inconvenience us and make us feel like we're doing something, but don't actually do anything. The only benefit the LA Times article mentions is that there are fewer plastic bags found on beaches, but since "reusable" grocery bags are significantly heavier than the old disposable ones, I'm not convinced it's actually any better in that aspect as well.
        slg 3y ago
        The LA Times' findings just take us full circle back to my original point. I thought keeping plastic bags off our beaches (and other environments) was supposed to be the primary benefit of the ban.
        Aunche 3y ago
        One heavy plastic bag may look visually less offensive than 3 lighter ones, but is it better for the environment? Would the money people spend on "reusable" disposable bags be better spent on enforcement of littering of cleanup?

I'm assuming this is the from cotton fertilizer runoff.

by Aunche 3y ago

I'm assuming this is the from cotton fertilizer runoff.

slg 3y ago

Which would mean all 5 of these measures are purely about production which gives an incomplete picture. The problem with single use plastics isn't the production. That is why they became so popular. The main concern is what happens to the plastic after that single use. For example, how many microplastics does a cotton bag keep out of the ocean?

Aunche 3y ago
A plastic bag that is reused as a trash bag that ends up in a properly lined landfill isn't going to release microplastics in the the ocean either. The problem is that people really like sexy solutions over practical ones, so you end up with with ineffective initiatives like teaching Africans how to recycle or plastic bag bans rather than building more and safer landfills.
- slg 3y ago
  If the solution was as easy as telling people to reuse and dispose of single use plastic properly, we would have solved this issue decades ago. People still don't do that in high enough numbers for it to be an actual solution.
  - Aunche 3y ago
    You don't have to teach anything. If someone has a better place to throw their trash than their local dump pile, they'll do it because they don't like that place either. The vast majority of river plastic comes from developing counties with poor trash infrastructure. Plastic pollution is largely a solved problem. There may be plenty of assholes who leave their garbage on the beach in the US, but when they're home, their waste still gets properly disposed of. https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/ https://theoceancleanup.com/sources/
    - slg 3y ago
      That link doesn't demonstrate what you are claiming. Developing countries handling this worse than the US doesn't prove that the US handles it well.
      - Aunche 3y ago
        It makes sense to prioritize tackling low hanging fruit with solutions that we know to work rather than ones that inconvenience us and make us feel like we're doing something, but don't actually do anything. The only benefit the LA Times article mentions is that there are fewer plastic bags found on beaches, but since "reusable" grocery bags are significantly heavier than the old disposable ones, I'm not convinced it's actually any better in that aspect as well.
        slg 3y ago
        The LA Times' findings just take us full circle back to my original point. I thought keeping plastic bags off our beaches (and other environments) was supposed to be the primary benefit of the ban.
        Aunche 3y ago
        One heavy plastic bag may look visually less offensive than 3 lighter ones, but is it better for the environment? Would the money people spend on "reusable" disposable bags be better spent on enforcement of littering of cleanup?