ThatDoesNotRefute t1_j50v4do wrote
Reply to comment by Floda_is_the_place in Bloomberg: Amazon Packages Burn in India, Final Stop in Broken Recycling System. Plastic wrappers and parcels that start off in Americans’ recycling bins end up at illegal dumpsites and industrial furnaces — and inside the lungs of people by ombx
Recycling doesn't exist on the scale people think they do. All that bullshit about separating recyclables is just so they can ship it off cheaper to those countries.
How plastic drink bottles haven't already been completely banned is beyond me.
EasterBunnyArt t1_j51c9yi wrote
Wasn’t this known for like a decade by now? I vaguely recall documentaries and such a long time ago.
Hell, we all had a screeching fest when China, and I want to also add Philippines to this as well, stopped “recycling material imports” from the legal and illegal sector,
I think Europe still dumps, I mean sells their waste to Africa and India to make itself look cleaner.
ThatDoesNotRefute t1_j51gl01 wrote
Like many other things, the literature is there but people don't read anymore. There is no curiosity or interest from the general public on doing any form of research even if that's just to confirm something they've heard.
Propaganda is the most powerful weapon there is. Most of the country simply don't care or understand that the government in of itself is a lie. They are not for the people, they are not bound by the same laws, we do not have a say on how money is spent nor do they actually care about our opinions.
Nothing will change most that will happen is that there is a nationwide riot and strikes and even then they'd just jump on a flight and crash the economy on the way out.
There is no winning, not anymore. Parliament is on lease and it's transferable.
mia_elora t1_j54at5f wrote
>Like many other things, the literature is there but people don't read anymore.
Most people don't go much further than a web-search, these days, and I just tried searching for the question of "does [recycling company] dump their recycling" to see what the results would be. The search engine ignored my question, and instead linked me to the corporate website, and a bunch of pro-recycling posts.
chalbersma t1_j552j0b wrote
> Wasn’t this known for like a decade by now?
Yes and no. There's a vested interest in making sure this doesn't become common knowledge. So every few months you'll see an article like this and a few more people will learn about it. But it hasn't reached a point where it society is generally aware of the problem.
akarichard t1_j51w8tw wrote
At my local place plastics #1/#2, metal cans, and aluminum cans all go into the same dumpster. I'm a bit suspicious of where everything actually ends up going.
Reasonable_Ticket_84 t1_j522qhq wrote
Many US municipalities still run "recycling" operations but ever since China and a few other Asian countries banned imports of "recycling" waste, they largely go to landfill. However, the "all-in one" recycling programs especially go to the landfill because its considered too expensive to even sort the recyclables in the US.
Telid t1_j52gssw wrote
Well, that made all my effort in making sure to recycle feel very pyrrhic.
0pimo t1_j52j0dn wrote
If it's a company like Republic, it goes to a sort center where the material is separated and processed further.
Plastic should really just go into an incinerator though. We operate clean incinerators in the US.
There are a few places that take it and make products out of it though. There's a company that will turn it into plastic decking for building patio decks with.
Big part of the problem with Plastic is that China undercut the market for so long, all of the plants that processed it in the US went bankrupt. Then China stopped taking it so now we're all fucked.
CIAbot t1_j5231ky wrote
ClimateTown has a great video about this: https://youtu.be/PJnJ8mK3Q3g
Numerous-Two-7550 t1_j526o7w wrote
Look at what republicans are talking about openly and you have your answer: distractions instead of progress because distractions cause “business” to have free reign to do literally anything instead of being governed by us.
Jonatollah t1_j543uoq wrote
Okay but democrats are the ones allocating subsidies to the companies that are defrauding the public by not actually recycling. Did I miss something !
Numerous-Two-7550 t1_j55aoj7 wrote
Yes, democrats don’t award anything to private companies everything in congress is agreed upon by committee. Republicans spiking those committees, however, by pretending to be offended by bullshit like the wrong color Starbucks cup ruins the process before it even starts.
rubbishapplepie t1_j533bk0 wrote
Things like plastic bottles and one-time-use plastic are a classic case of we'll-figure-it-out-later. Later just happens to be in India.
Uristqwerty t1_j534934 wrote
Better to leave the recycling programs in place, though. If the political will exists to upgrade what happens behind-the-scenes, it could only take a few short years to improve. For the public, though? Habits can transcend generations, so having everyone sort their recyclables from their trash regardless is valuable just to keep the opportunity open.
TheAb5traktion t1_j51wzn4 wrote
The same applies to clothing/clothing donations as well. Often times, thrift stores receive more than they can sell. So, they sell the excess clothing to 3rd parties who make rags from clothing and/or ship clothing overseas to be sold. And just like "recycled" materials, the clothing ends up in dump sites. The donation bins you see in parking lots are often owned by agencies who strictly sell the clothing overseas.
crewchiefguy t1_j53zxrh wrote
I try to buy as much stuff as I can in cardboard, glass and aluminum as those are the only things that have a high likelihood of actually being recycled. Unfortunately it’s very difficult to cut back on plastic use.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments