Two writers for the Atlantic hit a nerve when they argued recently that we should forget plastics recycling and, instead, push for an end to single-use plastic products. Steve Alexander, president of the Association of Plastic Recyclers, called the article “pitiful.” Writing in the Plastics Recycling Update, Alexander argued that the authors, Judith Enck and…
Tag: recycling
Should We Even Try to Recycle Plastics?
Pressuring plastic producers to recycle their products has gone on for decades. But two writers at the Atlantic have now concluded, “Plastic recycling does not work and will never work.” In the U.S. in 2021 only 5 percent of all post-consumer plastic was recycled. Furthermore, they say that the plastic producers deny this and those denials…
Dept. of Energy: The Cost-Effective Way to Dispose of Solar Panel Waste Is Landfill
The federal government admits that right now the best (i.e., most cost-effective) way to deal with aged solar panels is to put them in a landfill. The Dept. of Energy is hoping to change that by encouraging recycling panels, but the challenges are severe. A department paper on an “end-of life” action plan says: “Currently…
The Latest Perils of Curbside Recycling
Advocates of curbside recycling are trying to get rid of contamination. Specifically, they are trying to combat “wishcycling.” This is a term for families’ tendency to put into the recycling bin such non-recyclable materials as plastic bags, Styrofoam, food waste, and clothing. Writing on The Conversation website, Jessica Helges and Kate O’Neill observe: “Contaminating the…
California Clamps Down on Waste, Again
California governor Gavin Newsom has signed a raft of new state laws tightening up the rules on waste recycling, strengthening policies it adopted in 2019. (That year it stopped hotels from giving out small plastic bottles for amenities, created a state recycling commission, and extended a recycling loan program till 2031). Some highlights from Megan…
Are Cloth Totes ‘Environmentally Friendly’?
In the past there was a debate over whether cloth diapers were really environmentally better than disposable diapers. The answer: not in areas where water and energy are scarce, because rewashing cloth uses more resources (water and heat) than do plastic and cellulose production and landfill disposal. Now the New York Times poses another environmental…