Sad, from a nostalgia point of view, but probably a win, environmentally. We have a pipeline to recycle plastic bottles, the mylar pouches are pretty much all single use.
Bottle deposit systems are generally effective. In Sweden, 90-95% of the pet plastic in drink bottles makes it back to a factory to be used as raw material for new bottles. We don’t really recycle the hdpe lids or polyester labels, though.
That’s not actually a solution when talking single-use either. Remaking the bottles from recycled glass is incredibly energy intensive and not an environmentally friendly process either. Multi-use bottles are much better, but the cleaning required also isn’t that simple and also relatively energy intensive (far from remaking the bottles of course).
There’s also practical downsides to glass (heavy, breakable), but those are subjective and their relevance highly depends on the use case.
Ideally, we wouldn’t buy stuff to drink in any kind of bottle, but just use tap water. possibly just buy some concentrated stuff to then make your actual drink at home. Nothing beats the effectiveness of transporting water through a simple pipe, but that isn’t even possible everywhere in the world due to drinking water quality issues…
Good job with reading you did there. Your didn’t even make it 8 words in and already decided to comment. Maybe give it another go, if you dare, and try getting a little further this time.
If micro plastics in the water supply is an actual issue long term the tap water will be shot for the whole of most places. Reverse osmosis systems are the only ones I had heard could reliably help, but I haven’t gone to extensive on looking into that. Each household may someday need under the sink or such systems if so : /. Unless we can reliably do so at treatment plants and then transport it through the lines without the water getting any back in. With many American cities having water at its current state, I don’t see that happening.
Well that would be because the god-king CEO would have like 45k less per year out of his 38,000,000 dollar salary without bonuses and stock value if we were to do that, you fuckin peasant idiot chump. Not only that but their enabling middle management might have as much as $200 less in their annual bonuses. Think for someone else other than yourself for once.
Great, you not only read my mind but you are also spreading gloom about an extremely well known issue. Beautiful.
I don’t think I could have lived in society for the past 15 years without hearing about this issue at least 5 times a year, and I’m not sure what made you think otherwise.
So if I ask what a person means with their snark, it means I want the problem to be ignored?
That’s a sad and weird way to assume shit, honestly. Because if you actually knew my view, you would know that I think about plastics fucking the human race every day of my life
If you even thought to say that, I can’t blame you for your original comment.
Yeah, it’s really sad how bad plastic is currently destroying our environment. Humans have to be able to see further into the future than “will I live to see the consequences of my actions? Because if not, I can’t worry about them”
Sad, from a nostalgia point of view, but probably a win, environmentally. We have a pipeline to recycle plastic bottles, the mylar pouches are pretty much all single use.
We actually don’t have a pipeline to recycle plastic bottles though, right?
Bottle deposit systems are generally effective. In Sweden, 90-95% of the pet plastic in drink bottles makes it back to a factory to be used as raw material for new bottles. We don’t really recycle the hdpe lids or polyester labels, though.
Why aren’t we just using glass, as we did for decades just fine.
That’s not actually a solution when talking single-use either. Remaking the bottles from recycled glass is incredibly energy intensive and not an environmentally friendly process either. Multi-use bottles are much better, but the cleaning required also isn’t that simple and also relatively energy intensive (far from remaking the bottles of course).
There’s also practical downsides to glass (heavy, breakable), but those are subjective and their relevance highly depends on the use case.
Ideally, we wouldn’t buy stuff to drink in any kind of bottle, but just use tap water. possibly just buy some concentrated stuff to then make your actual drink at home. Nothing beats the effectiveness of transporting water through a simple pipe, but that isn’t even possible everywhere in the world due to drinking water quality issues…
A surprising number of companies actually do sell powder versions of their drinks on the web. I buy both Arizona tea and A&W root beer packets online.
Holy shit I didn’t realize you could buy root beer concentrate, this is amazing. I’m totally stocking up next time I’m in the US.
A lot of glass bottles aren’t melted down, but simply washed and reused.
Good job with reading you did there. Your didn’t even make it 8 words in and already decided to comment. Maybe give it another go, if you dare, and try getting a little further this time.
If micro plastics in the water supply is an actual issue long term the tap water will be shot for the whole of most places. Reverse osmosis systems are the only ones I had heard could reliably help, but I haven’t gone to extensive on looking into that. Each household may someday need under the sink or such systems if so : /. Unless we can reliably do so at treatment plants and then transport it through the lines without the water getting any back in. With many American cities having water at its current state, I don’t see that happening.
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Well that would be because the god-king CEO would have like 45k less per year out of his 38,000,000 dollar salary without bonuses and stock value if we were to do that, you fuckin peasant idiot chump. Not only that but their enabling middle management might have as much as $200 less in their annual bonuses. Think for someone else other than yourself for once.
Our school won’t let us send reusable glass containers excuse of fear of breakage.
I kinda understand, but our first grader has been using them for snacks at home for 5 years and never broken one.
https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/10/12/1081129/plastic-recycling-climate-change-microplastics/
When you say “we” as in you and me, yeah, I don’t think we could manage to recycle them. “We” as a planet certainly can and many countries do.
Which countries? I thought only 9% of plastic is actually recycled.
But much better to use aluminium.
At least aluminum actually is recyclable.
There is still a plastic liner on the inside, glass, stainless steel or nothing
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Microplastics aren’t nothing
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Non acidic things don’t get either of these. Anything acidic goes into glass and non gets SS. Have a return system (beer store in Ontario does this)
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Plastic and glass aren’t recyclable huh? Better just throw them in the landfill, much better.
Source on this “pipeline”?
Recycling bin > recycling lorry > container > third world country > sea.
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A landfill in your own country? How fancy!
…do you not believe bottles are recycled? Or is this just a snarky way of pointing out how ineffective the system is?
If you think recycling is effective you have fallen to their propaganda
Oh no, something is ineffective, we better abandon the whole idea!
Yes, actually. We should abandon the whole idea. We should actually stop using plastics for everything. That’s the correct take.
Something like 9% of plastic gets recycled.
No, I want an effective system starting with the producers of waste
Great, you not only read my mind but you are also spreading gloom about an extremely well known issue. Beautiful.
I don’t think I could have lived in society for the past 15 years without hearing about this issue at least 5 times a year, and I’m not sure what made you think otherwise.
I want change, ignoring the problem doesn’t makebthe issue go away
So if I ask what a person means with their snark, it means I want the problem to be ignored?
That’s a sad and weird way to assume shit, honestly. Because if you actually knew my view, you would know that I think about plastics fucking the human race every day of my life
I was a bit too snarky
If you even thought to say that, I can’t blame you for your original comment.
Yeah, it’s really sad how bad plastic is currently destroying our environment. Humans have to be able to see further into the future than “will I live to see the consequences of my actions? Because if not, I can’t worry about them”
I agree,
It pisses me off that you can slap a recycling logo on a plastic bottle and call it a day when the process is nearly impossible and hardy ever done.