Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report.
“The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.”
it’s not really difficult to recycle plastics (depolymerisation) - but it’s not cheap to do it at scale and there really isnt any way to profit from it, so it’s just not done.
This is the real fucking answer right here. Follow the fucking dollar bills.
The profit is for society as a whole for creating less waste, but of course, that doesn’t translate to money earned today. It will, on the other hand, translate to money lost (and more) in the future.
And the energy used and pollution created in depolymerising and remanufacturing plastic is higher than the cost of just making new plastic. So there’s not really much environmental motivation to do so, or it’s a mixed bag at best. Less landfill, more pollution.
The invisible hand of the market ladies and gens.
A 100% tariff on virgin plastics would be amazing.