Post #1824897

2026-04-30 21:46 UTC

Plastic recycling isn’t a solution. It is a marketing campaign designed to shift the burden of waste from the manufacturer to the consumer. Most plastic is "downcycled" once, then heads straight to the landfill or the ocean. The only real way to keep plastic out of the environment is to stop producing it. #Environment #PlasticPollution #CircularEconomy #Sustainability

Replies (6)

@dianea@lgbtqia.space 2026-05-01 00:30

@resplendent606@climatejustice.social As someone who worked half my career in plastics production, this is fact. We could only reuse plastic in our supply chain if it was free of any contamination or it would clog up the extruder breaker plates or damage the crazy expensive machined extruder itself. And the longer the polymer is in that heat cycle, the stringier it gets until it turns goey blob, making it totally unusable. The most we could recycle if it was 99.999% free of contaminants was about 15% regrind and that was significantly lowering the physical qualities like strength and other QA requirements. Ask any janitor where that plastic recycling bin goes, "same place as the rest, out back in the dumpster."

Open ##1825549
@DelilahTech@tech.lgbt 2026-05-01 01:16

@resplendent606 Speaking of which, the media are all about the fuel and fertilizer shortages because of Hormuz, but the cost of plastics is also going to rise because—surprise!—plastics are made from petroleum, too

Open ##1833277
@EvelineSulman@akademienl.social 2026-05-01 06:34

@resplendent606 so true! And the same with water: the individual must take care in water usage, and then we allow a data center...

Open ##1850159
@BlippyTheWonderSlug@ieji.de 2026-05-01 06:35

@resplendent606 In 250 million years or so, some other species will be making wild theories about "the plastic layer," and sudden die-off in the fossil record.

Open ##1850160
@Paul_stilgar@mastodon.social 2026-05-01 07:12

@resplendent606 Or send them to “poor” countries. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/germany-largest-exporter-plastic-waste-2025

Open ##1850161
@domo@pizza.enby.city 2026-05-02 06:24

@resplendent606 yes! This includes 3D printing! Embrace metal and wood working! Check out your local craft spaces!

Open ##1880087