child, wondering where trash goes: well someone must have thought of a good solution for all this
adults: we put it into very large holes and then put dirt on top
child: even the plastic?
adults: especially the plastic
child: oh my god
I have some options on future yields in a rubbish mine that i would like to offer you... :D
@thetrakynia
Child: what if you run out of room?
Adults: Burn it.
Child: Even the plastic?
Adults: Especially the plastics.
@ultimape @thetrakynia
Child: There's a lot of trash that doesn't get collected. What happens to that?
Adults: It gets flushed into the ocean.
Child: Even the plastics?
Adults: Especially the plastics.
@reinderdijkhuis @ultimape @thetrakynia this thread. omg.
Say hi to the Precious Plastic Universe!
The alternative plastic recycling system run by (brilliant) people around the planet.
@realcaseyrollins @thetrakynia i was going to mention the burning. many if not most cities will burn at least some of the trash in large incinerators.
@thor Worth mentioning also that plastic recycling is pretty much make-believe (few cycles and many common types can't be recycled even once or few places actually accept them). Maybe it gets turned into a lawn chair on the way to the landfill though...yay...
Just making the stuff in the first place is harmful too.
@thetrakynia yeah, i've heard about the problem. a lot of the stuff we wrap in plastic could be sealed in glass containers with a lid instead. or metal cans, if they can remelt those.
inside eu, certain mixings of plastics are illegal since their production but especially their presence (disintegrating) is really bad for the environment
however, one of those types can be easily and cheaply produced from freshly recycled plastics
if you guessed these basic plastics would be shipped to china where they are turned into that which is illegal in europe, you were right
also, it ofc gets imported back to europe
that much on efficacy of european laws and *not* leaving holes
What we really, seriously need right now, though, is to stop burning fossil fuels.
And I'm afraid the answer isn't popular. The only tech we have that's ready NOW that can step into that gap, is nuclear.
If we started now, then in 15 years, the world would be a dramatically better place.
Sally, I doubt I will live long enough to see it.
@thetrakynia to be fair there's effectively unlimited places for us to put garbage. There's a *lot* of land without a water table worth worrying about.
Of course, it's not done properly.