Please read, it may be long but extremely important to plastic materials in tech
Plastic is a major pollutant and a serious global epidemic. Before dismissing me, please read my post; I wrote it for an hour to shorten it as much as possible to keep people from disregarding it. Thanks so much!
I pass this along as I am passionate on this matter, I do not want to leave a caustic planet to my children, nor do I want to destroy the oceans and wildlife that are negatively impacted by our out of control consumerism and waste. I know this is a long post, but it's a quick read and so important to all of us. E-waste is a serious negative factor, especially with plastics. Please take the moment
Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. Recycling plastic produces more waste, consumes more energy and most don't recycle. Recycling produces more pollutants, including chemical stews when breaking down different products. Recycling is not cost-efficient and annually results in a net loss. It costs $50-60 to landfill a ton versus $150+/- to recycle. Only the recycling of aluminum really makes any money. Reclaiming metals is feasible and fairly easy, whereas plastics and paper are expensive, wasteful and overly difficult. The biggest disadvantage to recycling is that it gives the consuming public a false sense of 'security'; a sense that they're doing something to benefit the environment. Except for materials like metal and some glass, recycling is almost always bad for the environment. One of the best places to start is with a report from Perc.org, called the Eight Great Myths of Recycling.
There are 2 plastic islands the size of Texas, one in the Pacific Ocean - the "Great Pacific garbage patch"and one in the Indian Ocean and more being discovered almost monthly.
Charles Moore - TED discussion on plastic - a 7 minutes presentation on alarming facts regarding plastic recycling and increasing rate of waste.
As Japan has a serious garbage epidemic, a Japanese scientist invented a machine that breaks any plastic down into oil! I've mentioned it on MacRumors before as it's an issue very relevant to the tech industry from e-waste and common use of plastic (here for example). This device is no larger than a microwave and uses less energy than a coffee maker. Read the first article, then watch the short 5 min video, if for nothing else than the tech as it's amazing. Hoping quick mainstream adoption lowers the $10k price tag quickly enough for residential use and can make up for its price by reusing the oil. Used in large industrial recycling centers would be amazing!
Aluminum is currently the best material for mass production in products, especially tech due to e-waste. Bauxite being the most common aluminium ore. Refinement uses much less energy to produce, and is improving with recent advancements, especially compared to the Hall-Héoult Process (the major industrial process aluminum extraction). Aluminum is theoretically 100% recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities and requires only 5% of the energy used to produce aluminium from ore, though a significant part (up to 15% of the input material) is lost as dross (ash-like oxide). Recycled aluminium is known as secondary aluminium, but maintains the same physical properties as primary aluminium. Secondary aluminium is produced in a wide range of formats and is employed in 80% of alloy injections. The process produces aluminium billets, together with a highly complex waste material, which can be reused as a filler in asphalt and concrete.
If you got this far, thank you. Collectively we can make a difference by "voting with our dollars".
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!
Plastic is a major pollutant and a serious global epidemic. Before dismissing me, please read my post; I wrote it for an hour to shorten it as much as possible to keep people from disregarding it. Thanks so much!
I pass this along as I am passionate on this matter, I do not want to leave a caustic planet to my children, nor do I want to destroy the oceans and wildlife that are negatively impacted by our out of control consumerism and waste. I know this is a long post, but it's a quick read and so important to all of us. E-waste is a serious negative factor, especially with plastics. Please take the moment
Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times. Recycling plastic produces more waste, consumes more energy and most don't recycle. Recycling produces more pollutants, including chemical stews when breaking down different products. Recycling is not cost-efficient and annually results in a net loss. It costs $50-60 to landfill a ton versus $150+/- to recycle. Only the recycling of aluminum really makes any money. Reclaiming metals is feasible and fairly easy, whereas plastics and paper are expensive, wasteful and overly difficult. The biggest disadvantage to recycling is that it gives the consuming public a false sense of 'security'; a sense that they're doing something to benefit the environment. Except for materials like metal and some glass, recycling is almost always bad for the environment. One of the best places to start is with a report from Perc.org, called the Eight Great Myths of Recycling.
There are 2 plastic islands the size of Texas, one in the Pacific Ocean - the "Great Pacific garbage patch"and one in the Indian Ocean and more being discovered almost monthly.
Charles Moore - TED discussion on plastic - a 7 minutes presentation on alarming facts regarding plastic recycling and increasing rate of waste.
As Japan has a serious garbage epidemic, a Japanese scientist invented a machine that breaks any plastic down into oil! I've mentioned it on MacRumors before as it's an issue very relevant to the tech industry from e-waste and common use of plastic (here for example). This device is no larger than a microwave and uses less energy than a coffee maker. Read the first article, then watch the short 5 min video, if for nothing else than the tech as it's amazing. Hoping quick mainstream adoption lowers the $10k price tag quickly enough for residential use and can make up for its price by reusing the oil. Used in large industrial recycling centers would be amazing!
Plastic to oil fantastic
Video
Aluminum is currently the best material for mass production in products, especially tech due to e-waste. Bauxite being the most common aluminium ore. Refinement uses much less energy to produce, and is improving with recent advancements, especially compared to the Hall-Héoult Process (the major industrial process aluminum extraction). Aluminum is theoretically 100% recyclable without any loss of its natural qualities and requires only 5% of the energy used to produce aluminium from ore, though a significant part (up to 15% of the input material) is lost as dross (ash-like oxide). Recycled aluminium is known as secondary aluminium, but maintains the same physical properties as primary aluminium. Secondary aluminium is produced in a wide range of formats and is employed in 80% of alloy injections. The process produces aluminium billets, together with a highly complex waste material, which can be reused as a filler in asphalt and concrete.
If you got this far, thank you. Collectively we can make a difference by "voting with our dollars".
Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!
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