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MtnGoat
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PostWed May 06, 2020 10:40 am 
I'm not aware of a single recycling program which has ever made a legitimate profit on common materials. Perhaps such a case exists for exotic metals. That this is the case is prima facie evidence that there is no actual net benefit to the earth from recycling, because the wealth to back money and trade has an energy and earth cost to it too, and if you're operating at a loss which is subsidized (or requires forced payments to conduct, such as recycling charges), I posit this means you're doing more harm than good. Just because recycling sounds good does not mean it is.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Anne Elk
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PostWed May 06, 2020 11:29 am 
MtnGoat wrote:
Anne Elk wrote:
Plastics are a derivative of the petrochemical industry; I've always assumed they kept cooking up other ways to make money off the stuff. I'm just old enough to remember when there weren't such things as plastic bottles for everything, and Saran Wrap (et al). It was all redeemable glass bottles and waxed paper. Even deodorant came in glass (remember roll-on deodorant?) Why couldn't we go back to glass? Yeah, yeah, I know, heavier transport costs, but you have to trade off somewhere.
Anne, I don't understand why figuring out new uses is bad, is that your implication here?
I'm suggesting that the proliferation and ubiquity of plastics is bad in itself compared to other materials, given the documented harms from hormone disruptors to micro-particles in the ocean, etc etc. We know the benefits relative to weight, etc., but the effects on the environment at this point are pretty bad.

"There are yahoos out there. It’s why we can’t have nice things." - Tom Mahood
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MtnGoat
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PostWed May 06, 2020 11:33 am 
thanks for the answer Ann.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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treeswarper
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PostWed May 06, 2020 1:23 pm 
I suggest you research Lewis County's program about 3 or 4 years ago. They apparently were turning a profit and made some major improvements to the recycling area with that money. That's what the usually correct rumor mill was spreading about. I doubt if they are now, but should the market in recycling go up again, they may do well again. It has to do with location.

What's especially fun about sock puppets is that you can make each one unique and individual, so that they each have special characters. And they don't have to be human––animals and aliens are great possibilities
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MtnGoat
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PostWed May 06, 2020 1:31 pm 
Ok that's a worthy thing to look into, thanks for the tip. If a program is making a legitimate profit, which should be easy if the claims of efficiency are correct, especially since the source materials are free, then of course it would be a good thing all around.

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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MtnGoat
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PostThu May 14, 2020 4:43 pm 
New developments in this topic https://www.france24.com/en/video/20200514-face-masks-and-gloves-mark-plastic-comeback-amid-covid-19-raising-fears-of-pollution

Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Cyclopath
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PostThu May 14, 2020 7:31 pm 
"Microplastics have been found in many places, including in various foods such as honey, milk, beer and seafood, but these are foods that you can choose not to eat—unlike salt, water and air, which no one can avoid, and that's why we're focusing on these," he says. The researchers have conducted a so-called meta-analysis. This means they have reviewed 46 existing scientific articles on the subject while looking for trends and patterns. They conclude, among other things, that of the three sources of microplastic intake, the primary one is air; especially indoor air. We inhale microplastics "When we inhale microplastics, the tiny particles can reach the lungs and digestive system. Nobody knows what this means for the human organism and our health, but as we are talking about a lifelong exposure, it's a cause for concern," says Genbo Xu. There are no official guidelines for how much microplastic food may contain. Likewise, no studies have defined values for when certain sizes or amounts of microplastic particles can be hazardous for humans to ingest. However, animal studies show that the ingestion of microplastics can disturb, for example, the metabolism and intestinal system. https://phys.org/news/2020-05-microplastics.amp

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