this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2025
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[alt text: first, there's text over a happy Albinauric from Elden Ring saying "me when I thought recycling would save the world. second, there's text over a sad/depressed Albinauric from Elden Ring saying "me after I found out that plastic corporations invented plastic recycling to put the responsibility onto the consumer even though they knew plastic recycling was both chemically and financially not feasible, and now I have plastic in my brain, lungs, and testicles".]

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[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 42 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (5 children)

When they rolled out disposable plastic bags, they said they were green because they saved trees. I remember. The paper in bags was and is created using pulp from farmed trees, like other crops.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yep. Fucking hippies acting like they were chopping old-growth forests for shopping bags. Idiots should have taken a forestry class. Talk about a truly renewable resource.

"But PAPER!!!"

[–] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

in defense of at least some of the hippies, it's not like they allowed the sustainability of some tree species to stop them from taking the last of the old growth as if they were they were trophy animals.

[–] brbposting@sh.itjust.works 14 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] apfelwoiSchoppen@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Lots of inventions get changed or have knock on effects different than the inventor intended. We didn't get lazy, the corporations saw a cheaper alternative to disposable paper bags and went with it. It is a systemic issue that rises above the end consumers decision.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

You invent a plastic bag of sufficient thickness to serve for a year or more. The grocery chain sees better profits with tissue thin disposable bags though. Guess which one wins?

[–] weeeeum@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

Also its made from sawdust and scraps, stuff that has almost zero uses otherwise

[–] CannonGoBoom@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

I remember this too

[–] adarza@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 month ago

because they were lighter and more compact, transporting them burned less fuel. so they were 'less polluting'

[–] YungOnions@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Regardless of whoever came up with the idea, recycling does help and you should do it:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230317-how-recycling-can-help-the-climate-and-other-facts

It may not save the planet on its own, but it is part of the solution.

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Well yeah. We need to properly dispose of what we can get back from the environment. But that doesn't mean we should keep using it. It should be a case of proving something needs to be plastic, not passing laws to ban one plastic thing at a time.

[–] YungOnions@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Oh absolutely. There's a reason that Reduce and Reuse are before Recycle in the Three Rs.

[–] fox2263@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Every time I turn the LED light off to save the world I open up my plane app and see a thousand jet liners in flight. I then open the boat app and see ten thousand cargo freighters. Then I look at a picture of New York and Las Vegas at night.

I turn back on my LED light and leave the room.

[–] asteriskeverything@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

This is my old man yelling at clouds

Don't make the consumer guilty for the damage companies cause.

[–] Rokin@lemm.ee 7 points 1 month ago

Use less plastic!

You can still recycle paper, metal, cloth and other materials.

Also, plastics with resin id codes 1, 2 and 5 are very recycleable, but don't get recycled as they get disposed of with other plastics.

[–] udon@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

So, what do you do with it instead?

[–] JayDee@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bury It deep in the earth where it came from and mark it like toxic waste.

[–] udon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

What do you do with the massive pile of earth you have to dig up to make space for all the plastic?

[–] JayDee@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Make it into a hill over the hole

[–] udon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

What do you do with the hill?

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Reclaim wetlands from the rising ocean.

[–] udon@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What do you do with the reclaimed land?

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Here's the best part. You leave it alone and let the marshlands do their thing.

[–] brb@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

It can be downcycled up to five times tho

[–] DragonsInARoom@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago
[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

This reminds me of how ''foax fur'' products were just actually fur the whole time.

Edit: https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/mis-labelled-fur-uk/

Yes, I am referring to real fur being unlabeled or labeled as synthetic fur. This was a huge scandal a few years ago.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (3 children)
[–] andros_rex@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think they’re confusing the fact that faux fur is less environmentally friendly than real fur. Real fur can biodegrade, faux fur is plastic. It’s the “vegan leather” debate.

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I'm not confusing anything I added a link, there was a news story years ago exposing fashion brands not labeling real fur (implying it's synthetic because real fur must be labeled) or labeling it synthetic when it was real fur.

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

https://www.hsi.org/news-resources/mis-labelled-fur-uk/

Yes it was a huge news story a few years ago, a lot of designer labels were just not labeling and quietly claiming it was synthetic or labeling real fur synthetic.

[–] Micromot@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

They are more animal friendly but just as environmentally bad is the result of my google search

[–] Snowclone@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I'm referring to real fur being labeled synthetic it was a big news story a few years ago.