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The Forum > Article Comments > Plastic is for burning! > Comments

Plastic is for burning! : Comments

By Ken Calvert, published 5/2/2019

Wastes to energy incineration is the choice of an increasing number of our world's cities, especially where land is in short supply. Our world needs plastic.

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I wonder how many of us have stopped to think and ask "Why is it up to me to look after waste?" There is sleight-of-hand going on here: the producer makes a potentially-polluting object, sells it to another entity to be filled and sold, and we finish up with the wrapping and packaging for us to get rid of. The producer has transferred all guilt and all responsibility for disposal of the product to the end-user. Many end-users don't accept their responsibility for safe disposal

A product should not be approved for sale until there is a recycling or refilling programme in place.

As for burning plastic, why should we consider any option that will increase the already dangerously high levels of Carbon Dioxide in our atmosphere? Unless very high temperatures are used, a witch's brew of toxic decomposition products will be released to further damage the health of the area around the incinerator.

Our motto should be: "You made it - you take responsibility for its safe disposal or re-use".
Posted by Brian of Buderim, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 9:10:27 AM
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Plastic can be recycled up to seven times before it needs to be dumped. And even then baled plastic can be used in lieu of coal in the steel making process. Or put through an industrial microwave to convert it to oil and gas? One can buy a modest machine from the Chinese that converts waste tyres and plastic into oil? And advertised here on OLO some months ago.

The problem with recycling anything as a new product is the energy component and cost. Which makes it entirely impractical for third world countries where the daily wage could be 2-3 dollars a day.

Cowpats are an excellent fuel for folk living on savannas and treeless plains. And just hot enough to bake clay pots.

One can mix clay and coffee grounds which are then moulded into cups or bowls that drip filter contaminated water to purify it. Cowpats providing the optimal temperature for this clay bake job.

Even then the water is brought to a minimum 3-minute rolling boil and left covered with a wet cloth/sack overnight before it is put through the baked coffee/clay filter.

May need several if purifying more than a couple of day's supply.

But I digress. Recycling in third world countries is entirely reliant on affordable reliable dispatchable energy!
TBC, Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Tuesday, 5 February 2019 10:05:59 AM
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In our town the Council only accepts plastic water bottles with the 10 cent refund printed on them. All other plastics get just buried in land fill.
It seems to be about money rather than the environment.
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 10:38:20 AM
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Cont.

As already indicated, recycling anything requires affordable energy as does a healthy robust manufacturing sector. And for mine, that affordable, reliable, dispatchable energy has to be MSR thorium.

As a thermal reaction using molten fluoride salt. Doesn't need to be pressurised, nor does the protective radiation eliminating water jacket surrounding the reactor.

The sweet spot temp for these reactors is around 700C and hot enough to liquify plastic and allow fractional distillation to recover the ethylene and hydrocarbons, and remake either as new products or reusable solutions/fuel.

Only possible and affordable with energy as potentially as cheap as an entirely unpressurised MSR can produce!

Less than a reported 2 cents per KwH?

One can use some recently discovered and perfected industrial processes to turn some of the components of seawater into all manner of hydrocarbons. By combining captured carbon (CO2 vacuumed from the water) and Heat decomposed and released hydrogen.

And because the synthetic product is a compound hydrocarbon can even be turned into endlessly sustainable fuel, plastics and fertilizer.

The problem with some folk, getting older doesn't make them wiser, just self-serving ( Altrave's scumbags) moribund miscreants and completely clueless where it really counts. The third world didn't choose its status, users did and still do!

D for dunce and F for fail!
Alan B.
Posted by Alan B., Tuesday, 5 February 2019 10:39:48 AM
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What a breath of fresh air, shining a light on the stupidity of wasting resources on collecting rubbish that is of no real use to anyone after collection.

Alan is half right as usual. Yes plastics can be remoulded a number of times, but with a great reduction in the quality & physical ability of the material each time. Where any even moderate quality is required, no more than 20% of regrind can be used, & that regrind must be kept scrupulously clean & free from even the slightest contamination with another type of plastic, or even a different grade of the same plastic.

Even the slightest contamination with a different grade of the same plastic will produce faulty products, or burning in the production machinery. Plastics factories produce more than enough reground plastic in the production process, or while changing a machine from one colour to another in the same product.

Few can use all they produce, & most have a couple of plant pot moulds, to try to usefully use their waste. You can perhaps now imagine how useful any plastic is, after going through waste collection process, & being mixed with both other plastics & lots of contaminants.

Like so many things green, recycling sounds great, but is simply a waste of resources in most instances. If it was confined to only materials which were of some real value after collection & sorting, it would be great, but pretending all recycling is great is as true as tits on a bull.
Posted by Hasbeen, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 11:05:01 AM
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One of the biggest problems with virtually anything you buy is planned obsolescence, item now are made to last a short time then need replacing or you need a newer updated model.

As someone above suggested I agree the manufacturer should be held responsible for doing something about their products, like recycling.
Posted by Philip S, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 1:55:10 PM
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