Recycling is a scam invented by big oil to shift the responsibility to the consumer. Every second we argue about correct recycling, is a second we don't argue about system changes.
source for example https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled
Yes, but the main issue is how mixed the materials are in our consumables. Mixed recycling is basically bullshit. We should have more standardized packaging and more categories of separation strictly enforced. Japan does this pretty well.
You could opt in to pay extra for sorting if you can afford it sure.
And emissions need to be better taxed, and illegal dumping and discharge into rivers and such a jailable crime with big fines for businesses with accountability going right up the chain to investors.
The UK Government are taking steps to address this, whilst also charging the companies for the material they use as well as charging extra if it’s a mix. The situation is currently a mess with the rules being different only a mile down the road, so even just to have some standardisation is appreciated.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-household-recycling-in-england
Japan’s ultra-organized and visible garbage separation is mostly for show and establishing “social harmony.” 80% of their municipal waste is thrown into incinerators- the highest of all countries in the OECD.
That's a result of Tokyo and the other biggest cities only separating into recyclable bottles, non-recyclable or non-burnable material (i.e. inorganics) and all the rest which is as you say incinerated.
They also have some, if not the most clean burning incenerators in the world, and they use the waste material for construction and land reclamation.
Burning plastics at very high temperatures is far more environmentally friendly than sending them to landfills or attempting to recycle them.
Nevertheless they are known for excess packaging and obviously my arguments about standardization still apply to Japan as much as anyone else.
Washington State does this well too. Almost every bin you see, from downtown Seattle to upstate near Victoria to Mount Rainier, everything is separated by trash, metal, and paper
liberal climate action in a nutshell
it's hard when no true left party can get any attention and fucking centrists are all that's left
Doesn't help with the centrists either claim they're the left or think doing anything is too far left 😭
Sorting your trash is the human equivalent of planting a tree, and it's especially valuable if you have/teach children. It's a small activity that helps to build better habits and mindsets.
It won't change the world today, but it will build a foundation for changing the world tomorrow.
It's a small change that everyone can make for themselves, and for their piece of mind. This shouldn't feel like a chore - and even more so a particular blame we take on from the big corpos.
Doing what's technically right is what will change the world - even if our enemy is a corpo cartel.
This reminds me of something I was commenting about yesterday.
Focus on your immediate environment first, and make your little corner of the world better before you worry about saving the universe.
And like you said, it is a habit and mindset thing. If you plant a tree in your yard or in your community, no it will not save the rain forest, but your mental health and physical health and living conditions will all be slightly better off than they were before it.
If you start intentionally working in these positive actions that provide tiny incremental improvements, before you know it you may be feeling more than incrementally better.
If you start intentionally working in these positive actions that provide tiny incremental improvements, before you know it you may be feeling more than incrementally better.
some of those positive actions and changes can be really fun, too. sometimes it's hard to tell whether you're going to enjoy something before you dive into it, especially when the brain is in misery mode.
Dont forget about paper straws!!!!
I know this isn't the point, but I do like to carry a set of portable cutlery around and often use it eating out. It's usually a smallish case with metal straw(s), chopsticks, a knife, spoon, fork. Which one time lead to me forgetting my metal straw at the restaurant of course...
I’ve got a similar set.
Fun fact; you can get a set of like 12 metal straws pretty cheap, and at least the set I got came with silicone mouthpieces, so if you forget one somewhere you can just throw a new one in!
How about we start shipping recyclables back to the company that made them to recycle them?
I just do it to help the people that makes a buck recollecting re-usable garbage like plastic bottles and plastic stuff in general
It's not bad to do. We probably even need to be doing it.
It's just like putting a band-aid on a papercut while the three inch radius hole in your chest sprays blood
Where I live, they don't pick up green waste. You have to take all of that to the dump and pay a good amount of money to throw your green waste in with the trash.
It's absolutely bullshit.
start composting, and turn that green waste into green money (or food)
It’s so funny how badly Elon is handling Xai. Doesn’t even make it into jokes.
For people who don't know, you just buy certificates and your company is clean. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_certificate
"Other people don't so why should I."
This meme is terrible.
You're missing the point. Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Google aren't people. They're criminal corporations given free reign to poison the rest of us.
I'm not arguing that you shouldn't try sustainability. I was brought up with the mindset. We sort our garbage, I mend and reuse as much as I can. It's good not just for the environment and your wallet, but it's also a protest against the consumerism pushed onto society.
That doesn't mean that we should focus only on individual action (or inaction) and turning away from the actions of these massive corporations particularly not when they're blatantly flaunting them right in front of us. What point is there in me criticising you for taking an aeroplane to visit your family once or twice a year when you have Donald, Musk, and Taylor Swift riding private jets on a weekly basis? Like it doesn't even compare.
Recycling is just shipping it to Asia and they just lump ship it so even if you separate it doesn’t matter.
A lot of non-recyclable plastics get lumped in and it’s more of a landfill than recycling.
Not to say we shouldn’t recycle but that we shouldn’t use plastics.
Plastic recycling really sucks, but paper recycling is usually a net positive and compost is such a no brainer I'm always shocked it isn't everywhere.
The Toxic Lie of American Recycling: How Plastic Shipments Are Destroying Asia
For decades, the U.S., along with other countries, have been sending much of its plastic “recycling” to Asian countries to process, as running a well-functioning recycling program is more labor intensive and expensive than Americans would care to operate.[1] This relationship began as a way for Asian countries to turn a profit by importing the U.S.’ recycling to manufacture into new plastics.[2] But when the imports became excessive as Americans used more and more plastic, some countries chose to ban them, leaving an even heavier burden on places still accepting the imports.[3] Malaysia is one such country feeling this strain.[4]
In 2018, China, Asia’s largest recycling importer at the time, ceased 99% of its plastic imports.[5] Malaysia learned just how much recycling China had been taking when it much of it began showing up at their ports.[6] While from a legal standpoint, Malaysia still has a say in how much recycling they accept, there is a strong network of illegal imports that fly under the radar and pollute Malaysia’s air, water, and soil.[7] Unlicensed operations in Malaysia import recycling, hire cheap labor, establish factories, and process the plastic in dangerous and toxic ways without adherence to environmental regulations.[8] Not everything that is illegally imported is turned over for manufacturing, leaving a good part of the plastic to rot or burn in illegal landfills, causing plumes of toxic smoke and contaminated groundwater linked to widespread illness.[9] The Malaysian government says enforcement attempts to stop illegal operations has been feeble.[10]
STOP CONSUMING SINGLE USE PLASTICS YOU ASSHOLES.
That goes 1000x for multinationals. But anyone bitching about recycling is either ignorant on this point or outright maliciously perpetrating the problem.
Regular recycling isn't even an option where I live. You can literally only get a regular trash container. Sticks/leaves etc they'll take if you bring it to a center but there's no collection for that either.
