4 ms·
Garbage is deeply misunderstood. If you make a pile of garbage and put enough garbage in it, it will heat up to crazy temperatures and start to decompose, inclu
by oceanplexian 2y ago
Garbage is deeply misunderstood. If you make a pile of garbage and put enough garbage in it, it will heat up to crazy temperatures and start to decompose, including plastic, which is a hydrocarbon.
“Recycling” on the other hand is a code word for shipping stuff on a slow boat to China, and is actually much worse for the environment.
- ninkendo 2y agoChina stopped taking our recycling in 2017. Plastic recycling usually just means the incinerator now.
- smsm42 2y agoI don't think plastic alone would heat up (unless you have some very weird plastics). Organics probably would. But for common household garbage, there's not much harm in just burying it somewhere, provided it's not leaking or otherwise getting out - plant some trees on top of it and you have a nice park. Toxic garbage is more challenging but regular plastic doesn't seem to be this huge problem if you don't dump it into the river or such.
- justinator 2y agoIt wasn't even a slow boat, it was part of how the international shipping system worked: we got cheap plastic goods FROM China, we shipped back plastic "to be recycled" TO China. The idea is that it was better than shipping back empty containers. They don't take recyclables any more.