Tuesday, March 3, 2020

The plastic conspiracy

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/plastic-problem-recycling-myth-big-oil-950957/

"Since 1950, the world has created 6.3 trillion kilograms of plastic waste — and 91 percent has never been recycled even once, according to a landmark 2017 study published in the journal Science Advances. Unlike aluminum, which can be recycled again and again, plastic degrades in reprocessing, and is almost never recycled more than once. A plastic soda bottle, for example, might get downcycled into a carpet. Modern technology has hardly improved things: Of the 78 billion kilograms of plastic packaging materials produced in 2013, only 14 percent were even collected for recycling, and just two percent were effectively recycled to compete with virgin plastic. “Recycling delays, rather than avoids, final disposal,” the Science authors write. And most plastics persist for centuries."

Baby Boomers ignored the waste their wonderful technologies would produce.

1 comment:

Devon said...

This subject, the negligence of responsibility and shrugging off of it in a manner of "Oh, others will take care of it, the government will, and our recycling efforts are helping to solve the problem" is one example of how dependent our minds have grown, thinking that the government takes care of us and of our waste. Properly.
That wishful thinking is coming to an end fast now, even for those who chose to live with eyes wide shut.
And second, the Climate Change Salvation Army, which so very cleverly manages to recruit us, so that we feel we're doing something good and positive for the planet and our environment, shows up even more with evidence that its roots are growing in poisoned soil and deception. The whole UN Climate Change report is in essence a form of mind programming equal to the "old time religion..." methods playing the strings of people's guilty feelings. I've seen the many followers of Extinction Rebellion and their windows with large sheets, showing slogans such as "We are in a climate emergency" or copying David Atterborough's words, on these sheets.

It's a daily affirmation of a disaster, while the followers live in an illusion that they're doing something positive and feel heroic as well. They're walking around in self-importance, deserving a medal in their own minds.

Meanwhile, 50% of the British food disappears in the bins with general waste and spoiling the British youth results in an enormous amount of plastic toys, cuddles and other throw away stuff, that is usually looked at once, played with once and than thrown in the bin, or the front garden. Deliveries of products, ordered online, are much favored in Britain, and couriers are running around, huffing and puffing with heavy boxes, which contain 80% packaging material. That's the madness of Britain and proof how residents stick their head in the sand, proud of doing good.

They're the ones with status in the British communities, often. Consensus reality is strong in rural parts of Britain, for example in Totnes and surrounding villages and towns, in Devon. As a Dutchy, I've witnessed this attitude for almost 5 years. Gosh!