Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report.

“The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.”

  • slingstone@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    9 months ago

    Why couldn’t we switch back to glass as our primary container material? Wasn’t that always fully recyclable?

  • kttnpunk@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    9 months ago

    Well, as a american- everywhere I’ve ever worked has had a recycling bin but it’s always treated as another trash can. Just something that depresses the absolute fuck out of me.

    • WoahWoah@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      edit-2
      9 months ago

      The whole point of the article is that, in general, it WAS just another trash can.

  • Neato@ttrpg.network
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    9 months ago

    Figure out which ones lied. Then figure out the estimated cost of actually recovering and recycling plastics that weren’t recycled. Then take that number, add 20% for “processing fees” and charge it to the companies, split up by their market caps.

    Those companies will then go bankrupt and with the money they tried to pay Uncle Sam, said Uncle can buyout the remainder of the companies that are actually doing something worthwhile and operate them as a public trust.

    • schnapsman@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      9 months ago

      This is an application of ai that I don’t think people have caught onto yet… Doing the calculation. Everyone and their descendents who got rich screwing the environment and others will pay reparations and the few people who can stop the financial computer network from carrying it out won’t since everyone will want to find out what happens. Ai is capable of orchestrating this reckoning.

  • Extra_Special_Carbon@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    0
    ·
    9 months ago

    The thing is, chemists knew it. Nobody wanted to hear it. There are only three things worth recycling: Aluminum, glass, and electronics.

    • Gabu@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      9 months ago

      That’s extremely reductionist and inaccurate. Most metals can be recycled easily, not only aluminium.

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        0
        ·
        9 months ago

        Aluminium is typically used as is though, while many other metals are used as alloys. I suspect that it makes things much easier when you don’t have to worry about composition.

        Note that I don’t really know anything much about metals or recycling, so I might be completely wrong.