Recycling Plastics, Bio Plastic and degradability

Degradability is different for different plastics and not what is always wanted.

If a plastic can degrade to an edible form for bacteria or break down into gases then yes it had degraded to a point where is can be used, but some plastics don’t degrade so well and hence recycling is an option worth considering, not just for the environmental ‘protection’ but as a resource.

Bio plastics that require cultivation of land to create is like fossil fuels a short exploit. All the so called ‘waste’ sugar cane etc. may alternatively be used as compost and fertiliser for growing more crops rather than relying on chemical fertilisers.

That a plastic is made from bio resources doesn’t mean it will breakdown biologically it mostly used to create non-biodegradable plastics.

It is these non-biodegradable plastics, no matter their source that may be fit for recycling, but this doesn’t mean that can happen repeatedly and ‘soon’ they will have their demise; probably by incineration if they are not in that majority that will live out their existence as micro plastics in everything we touch, see and consume.

Given that probably only 10% gets recycled, and that can only be done a few times, all plastic will degrade to micro-plastic, if not incinerated ~ unless maybe ~ it is made to have longevity and then quickly recycled into large blocks to make walls from the ongoing sea level rises. :slight_smile:

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