5 ms·

I was born in the 50's. Growing up, the worst thing about the garbage generated at home was that it had to go into leftover paper bags from the grocery store b

I was born in the 50's. Growing up, the worst thing about the garbage generated at home was that it had to go into leftover paper bags from the grocery store because plastic garbage bags didn't exist. And those bags went into metal garbage cans outside the house, because plastic garbage cans didn't exist, and those garbage cans were always dented, rusty, and with lids that quickly stopped sealing properly. What a mess.

asdff 3y ago
They still sell the metal cans today but they are at least galvanized.
notachatbot123 3y ago
> What a mess. Nothing compared to https://www.google.com/search?q=landfill+plastic&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=landfill+plastic&tbm=isch
- trallnag 3y ago
  Plastic trash is supposed to be burned or recycled
  - lupire 3y ago
    Plastic recycling is marketing myth to make you feel better about plastic trash.
  - AlecSchueler 3y ago
    We don't live in a world where what's supposed to happen is what actually happens.
  - piva00 3y ago
    Recycling of plastic is only even possible for a really low percentage of the total produced, it's not a fungible thing since there are seven different grades and each one is incompatible with the other in terms of recycling. Some of those grades are not recyclable at all. Currently we recycle 9% of plastics, sorting through the cheaper grades is non-trivial, we can't recycle our way out of this mess. Burning plastic will just create more pollution, capturing outgassing from burning is also non-trivial. We should instead use less plastic, the 3 Rs start with Reduce, then Re-use and only after that Recycle.
    - Velofellow 3y ago
      Thank you for remembering the other 2 Rs! I just had a conversation with someone last week where I brought up the two prior to Recycle, and they had completely forgotten. Even the ubiquitous 3 Rs logo with arrows has now become shorthand for just recycle.
  - lm28469 3y ago
    > Plastic trash is supposed to be burned Ah, nothing to worry about then
  - notachatbot123 3y ago
    https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/incineration-burning-plastic-crisis/ https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/incineration-burning-plas... https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/8/science-highlights/burning-plastic https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/8/science-highlights/burni...

asdff 3y ago

They still sell the metal cans today but they are at least galvanized.

notachatbot123 3y ago

> What a mess. Nothing compared to https://www.google.com/search?q=landfill+plastic&tbm=isch https://www.google.com/search?q=landfill+plastic&tbm=isch

trallnag 3y ago
Plastic trash is supposed to be burned or recycled
- lupire 3y ago
  Plastic recycling is marketing myth to make you feel better about plastic trash.
- AlecSchueler 3y ago
  We don't live in a world where what's supposed to happen is what actually happens.
- piva00 3y ago
  Recycling of plastic is only even possible for a really low percentage of the total produced, it's not a fungible thing since there are seven different grades and each one is incompatible with the other in terms of recycling. Some of those grades are not recyclable at all. Currently we recycle 9% of plastics, sorting through the cheaper grades is non-trivial, we can't recycle our way out of this mess. Burning plastic will just create more pollution, capturing outgassing from burning is also non-trivial. We should instead use less plastic, the 3 Rs start with Reduce, then Re-use and only after that Recycle.
  - Velofellow 3y ago
    Thank you for remembering the other 2 Rs! I just had a conversation with someone last week where I brought up the two prior to Recycle, and they had completely forgotten. Even the ubiquitous 3 Rs logo with arrows has now become shorthand for just recycle.
- lm28469 3y ago
  > Plastic trash is supposed to be burned Ah, nothing to worry about then
- notachatbot123 3y ago
  https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/incineration-burning-plastic-crisis/ https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/incineration-burning-plas... https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/8/science-highlights/burning-plastic https://factor.niehs.nih.gov/2022/8/science-highlights/burni...