…Technology Solves Problems, Not Governments…
For decades, there has been publicity about how plastics are befouling our oceans.
I’ve seen trash floating in areas where you might least expect it, such as Bali, a tourist haven with an image of a pristine environment.
Plastics are pernicious because they are not bio-degradable.
Recycling of plastics has been largely unsuccessful. First, only specific plastics have been conducive to reprocessing and reuse. Second, most recycling programs lose money.
Once again, big government is stepping in, using the pretense that plastics are socially irresponsible.
The advocates of big government, such as Greenpeace and leftist politicians, are pushing legislation to curtail the use of plastics. The most recent effort has been the recent introduction of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 (BFFPPA).
The fact remains that plastics are important to our daily lives and are beneficial in many respects.
Unfortunately 90% of plastic waste is not recycled.
If there was a demand for plastic waste, it would make it more valuable so that recycling could be profitable.
Creating a sufficiently large demand for recycled plastics is difficult.
Attempts have been made in the past to make boards and panels out of recycled plastics to replace lumber for such applications as building decks and making children’s swing sets.
The problem has been that there hasn’t been enough demand for recycled plastics to make recycling work.
Now there is an application that has the potential to take a large bite out of the plastic waste stream.
Scottish engineer Toby McCartney has invented a process that uses plastic waste to pave roads.
From the MacRebur website:
“MacRebur products are made from non-recyclable waste plastics that were destined for landfill or incineration.”
And :
“1 tonne of MacRebur mix contains the equivalent of 80,000 plastic bottles.”
Interestingly, these efforts are underway in the UK and a few other countries.
Wouldn’t it be better for our government to get involved with this new technology to help create demand for plastic waste rather than enact legislation that creates more regulations and bureaucracies?
Building and repairing roads is a huge opportunity, not only in the united States, but also in developing countries such as India.
This technology could represent an opportunity to help solve the plastic waste problem.
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I like the idea of repaving roads with materials from used plastics. Roads are now paved with bitumen, which decays in years or decades and releases CO2 to the air.
Hardly any US plastics end up in the ocean. Many developing countries have no trash collection function at all. They are the source of the ocean plastic gyres.
Thanks for your comments.
It sounded like a good idea to me, even if it’s to keep plastics out of landfills. And this type of idea keeps government from creating bureaucracies and regulations that never die.
Great to see enterprising individuals coming up with solutions. It should on the front page of the NY Times. Even if they just repaired the potholes that would be a tremendous help. But, getting “government” to do something economically is a challenge, especially when they can’t even answer a simple question … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYd8Jioiq0E&t
Thanks for the comments and the link. The answer to Senator Kennedy’s question is, of course, virtually zero.