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Mannielf t1_j3m6z9t wrote

Reply to comment by AftyOfTheUK in Single-use plastic cutlery and plates to be banned in England by Sariel007

What are the potential benefits of keeping them / risks getting rid of them?

My knowledge on this is as basic as it comes, but getting rid of something that takes 100s of years to breakdown and replace them with stuff that doesn’t take 100s of years to breakdown seems like a good idea

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AftyOfTheUK t1_j3mcf3d wrote

>What are the potential benefits of keeping them

As the people who are buying them? Various options exist, but some people still buy the plastic option - they obviously perceive benefits - maybe price, maybe functionality, maybe hygiene.

> getting rid of something that takes 100s of years to breakdown

In landfill, that doesn't matter, we're not running out of landfill space for sporks.

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Mannielf t1_j3mga9z wrote

I agree that various options should be available, but there’s always going to be a line. E.g. You can’t buy asbestos insulation anymore.

I disagree with ‘we aren’t running out of landfill space for sporks.’ Its not about having space for sporks now, it’s about the impact plastics have in the future. These are small steps, but when there’s a cleaner solution, it’s silly to use a more harmful option.

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AftyOfTheUK t1_j3miyfu wrote

>E.g. You can’t buy asbestos insulation anymore.

This is a really good example, because asbestos insulation was directly linked to a huge number of deaths and chronic debilitating ilnesses.

We were able to get a rough quantification of the damage done to people's lives, and we decided to (mostly) get rid of asbestos because that damage was very high.

So I'm asking - what level of damage is being caused by plastics used within this country (the ones that can be controlled by legislation) - how much harm/damage is caused.

If it's a lot, we should get rid of it. If it's not, then we shouldn't be banning it.

>I disagree with ‘we aren’t running out of landfill space for sporks.’ Its not about having space for sporks now, it’s about the impact plastics have in the future.

What impact do you believe plastics disposed of in a landfill (or incinerator) will have on you in the future?

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