It’s always nice to be able to blame 90% of something on someone else. But that doesn’t resolve our responsibility. There is a very large market for “plastic flake”… things like water bottles that have been broken into small flakes and sold to be re-used. The plastic comes from recycling those bottles. Yet although that vast market is there, still only 4% of American plastic is recycled, with 96% going to landfills and yes, oceans.
So okay, supposedly 90% is generated by China and Africa. What about that other 10%? And are we devoid of responsibility because it’s China and Africa polluting? Do nations have no responsibility in assisting other nations to solve major, earth-threatening problems.
Perhaps knowing where that 90% comes from, the other nations can work together with China and Africa to help correct that problem.
Slap a big tax on new carbon – oil, natural gas, coal – and the ragpickers of the world can make a living off of extracting plastic from the waste piles, to be feedstock for the factories making all the plastic. And it needs to happen posthaste, before all that plastic breaks up into microscopic pieces that sail right past the blood-brain barrier.
@sundogusa Plastic is an ideal fuel for trash to power plants (incinerators), creating little ash. Glass is not recycled in very many areas – it gets ground up into sand (using energy) and landfilled.
Here in NoVa, general trash is incinerated, generating electricity. Glass is not recycled. Burning paper generates 10% ash. So I buy plastic disposables as much as possible (and reusing as well).
I visited Nampa, Idaho. They put everything in the landfill. So the key there is reuse. Reuse those paper coffee cups, reuse those plastic plates, use empty glass bottles as water bottles, etc.
Up in northern Idaho, they ship plastic and paper over the border to an incinerator in Washington. The energy produced is enough to pay for transportation over that distance and still leave a profit (it cost something to run a landfill also). Glass, again, is sadly not recycled, and gets ground up and landfilled.
The moral of the story is that “one size fits all” recommendations are very likely to be totally wrong for a given area. This is especially true for “save the environment” recommendations. It really, really depends on where you live.
Another example: reusable cloth diapers are an enviro-win in New England states with abundant water and hydro-power. They are a destructive loser in the Southern California desert – where power is intermittent and water is scarce (and piping water from nearby states is destroying the Western US water table). Try to explain this to a California “environmentalist” – and see what reaction you get.
Even in New England, incinerating disposables is a win over washing cloth. But there aren’t many incinerators – and if your trash doesn’t go to one, then cloth is the way to go.
It takes some research to find out what happens to trash in your area. Take the tour with your trash or recycling company. Take the tour with competitors as well – some may actually have glass recycling.
The poorest and smallest food producers have the greatest birth rate.They should all get cable TV and Deliveroo… Something positive to do with your billions Zuckerburg.
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace about 5 years ago
Plenty to eat.
LeeCox about 5 years ago
That’s the problem with being at the top of the food chain — there’s no place to go but down!
Farside99 about 5 years ago
90% of the plastic in the ocean comes from 7 Chinese rivers and 2 African rivers.
Watcher about 5 years ago
100% of plastic in the ocean and on land comes from people.
Mordock999 Premium Member about 5 years ago
The “Food Chain” explained.
cubswin2016 about 5 years ago
There’s always a bigger fish. (Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace)
JonladY2K about 5 years ago
And then the humans get killed by global warming
HappyDog/ᵀʳʸ ᴮᵒᶻᵒ ⁴ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵘⁿ ᵒᶠ ᶦᵗ Premium Member about 5 years ago
I actually saw a pelican get swallowed by a very large fish as the pelican was diving for a small fish.
Snoots about 5 years ago
It’s always nice to be able to blame 90% of something on someone else. But that doesn’t resolve our responsibility. There is a very large market for “plastic flake”… things like water bottles that have been broken into small flakes and sold to be re-used. The plastic comes from recycling those bottles. Yet although that vast market is there, still only 4% of American plastic is recycled, with 96% going to landfills and yes, oceans.
So okay, supposedly 90% is generated by China and Africa. What about that other 10%? And are we devoid of responsibility because it’s China and Africa polluting? Do nations have no responsibility in assisting other nations to solve major, earth-threatening problems.
Perhaps knowing where that 90% comes from, the other nations can work together with China and Africa to help correct that problem.
Cerabooge about 5 years ago
Slap a big tax on new carbon – oil, natural gas, coal – and the ragpickers of the world can make a living off of extracting plastic from the waste piles, to be feedstock for the factories making all the plastic. And it needs to happen posthaste, before all that plastic breaks up into microscopic pieces that sail right past the blood-brain barrier.
zeexenon about 5 years ago
This apex predator suggests you might want to toss in some anti-allergy medicine with that.
moosemin about 5 years ago
If all the different species of animals could suddenly communicate with eachother, Man would be in BIG trouble!
danketaz Premium Member about 5 years ago
Anyone for turducken?
WCraft Premium Member about 5 years ago
Tip to last fish: Do not eat that boat!
exciteme about 5 years ago
Garbage boat belching smoke seems a bit advanced for the time period. I wonder if this is an activist strip now?
Iwa Iniki about 5 years ago
Big fish. Little fish. Not new.
stuart about 5 years ago
@sundogusa Plastic is an ideal fuel for trash to power plants (incinerators), creating little ash. Glass is not recycled in very many areas – it gets ground up into sand (using energy) and landfilled.
Here in NoVa, general trash is incinerated, generating electricity. Glass is not recycled. Burning paper generates 10% ash. So I buy plastic disposables as much as possible (and reusing as well).
I visited Nampa, Idaho. They put everything in the landfill. So the key there is reuse. Reuse those paper coffee cups, reuse those plastic plates, use empty glass bottles as water bottles, etc.
Up in northern Idaho, they ship plastic and paper over the border to an incinerator in Washington. The energy produced is enough to pay for transportation over that distance and still leave a profit (it cost something to run a landfill also). Glass, again, is sadly not recycled, and gets ground up and landfilled.
The moral of the story is that “one size fits all” recommendations are very likely to be totally wrong for a given area. This is especially true for “save the environment” recommendations. It really, really depends on where you live.
Another example: reusable cloth diapers are an enviro-win in New England states with abundant water and hydro-power. They are a destructive loser in the Southern California desert – where power is intermittent and water is scarce (and piping water from nearby states is destroying the Western US water table). Try to explain this to a California “environmentalist” – and see what reaction you get.
Even in New England, incinerating disposables is a win over washing cloth. But there aren’t many incinerators – and if your trash doesn’t go to one, then cloth is the way to go.
It takes some research to find out what happens to trash in your area. Take the tour with your trash or recycling company. Take the tour with competitors as well – some may actually have glass recycling.
David Peters about 5 years ago
The poorest and smallest food producers have the greatest birth rate.They should all get cable TV and Deliveroo… Something positive to do with your billions Zuckerburg.