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Wouldn't (fully) burning all single-use plastics effectively make them no more long-lived and problematic than burning crude oil at sea? I know that's a low bar
by lxmorj 2y ago
Wouldn't (fully) burning all single-use plastics effectively make them no more long-lived and problematic than burning crude oil at sea? I know that's a low bar, but it seems like at least you're getting two uses out of them at that point...
- Synaesthesia 2y agoA lot of plastics are incinerated. I think it has to be at a high temperature. Of course this does emit carbon dioxide.
- zdragnar 2y agoThe temperature at which burning polymers completely eliminates particulates and CO is very close to the temperature that NOx starts to form. Source: I did a bunch of research on rocket mass heaters (think rocket stove, not missile engine) when I built one.
- Mashimo 2y agoAnd if you produce heat / energy from burning it, you can technically call it recycling :) Put some filters on top of the power plant exhausts and it's clean enough to build a ski slope on top of it.
- neilknowsbest 2y agoThe reference: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amager_Bakke https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amager_Bakke
- XorNot 2y agoLandfilling plastics avoids even putting CO2 back into the environment. Modern landfill is highly engineered and extremely stable: what goes in there stays there. Plastic starts as oil in the ground. Replacing it as solids in the ground isn't a problem.
- ainiriand 2y agoThat was always my impression, and after that you can always build a park on top!
- djentile 2y agoAmong other problems, plastics release methane and c02 as they decompose in landfills, so it's not as cut and dried a solution as you imply.
- xnx 2y agoModern landfills carefully channel and burn off the methane