Plastics companies know about chemical recycling’s shortcomings — but still sell it as a solution
Plastics companies know about chemical recycling’s shortcomings — but still sell it as a solution
archived (Wayback Machine)
Alright, let's see if the make the relevant point.
Andrew Rollinson, an independent chemical engineering consultant unaffiliated with the Center for Climate Integrity, agreed with the entirety of the report: Chemical recycling “certainly is a fraud,” he said. “It hasn’t gone anywhere in 50 years, it won’t go anywhere in another 50 years, and it won’t go anywhere in 500 years.” He said a follow-up report could flesh out some of the technical reasons for these poor prospects, like what he described as chemical recycling’s very high energy use and vexing contamination issues.
They do not.
The relevant point that needs to be clear for everyone is this: plastics, especially those single use plastics, need to be abolished. Their production needs to stop. It doesn't need to stop after some replacement technology. It needs to stop now.
Agreed. There is no need for even more microplastic in everything from deep-sea sediment to rain clouds. But I suspect that as people accumulate more and more microplastic in their brains, they will become less and less capable of making rational and ecologically-responsible decisions. A vicious cycle.
