Whenever I'm on campus, I make sure to sort out my recycling into the proper bins. Generally, campus is quite clean and I feel good about myself for doing so. But can you believe that only 10% of our plastics are actually recycled or down cycled? I have family in the Philippines who are very poor and I've seen the amount of single-use plastics that end up in the natural environment there. Additionally, videos circulate online of how much plastic is in our oceans. I value healthy, natural ecosystems across our globe that are free of plastic pollution and I envision a world where our oceans and forests are empty of trash and plastic waste and single-use plastics are no longer created or used/in circulation. I also value educating the public on recycling myths and envision a future where people are made aware of the true numbers when it comes to recycling, and instead, are more mindful, aiming to first reduce their consumption and reuse items/materials before resorting to recycling. We need to push our government bodies to draft bills and legislations to end the production and sale of single use plastics, either by incurring a fine for companies that produce them, or providing incentives for those company to refrain from producing them altogether. I hope through these actions, we may be able to one day stop single-use plastics. I truly believe that if we had survived without them before, we could learn to survive without them now.
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I totally hear you, Karli! Ten Four!
In our bldg, we sort for downcycling and we also compost - thanks to our excellent apartment staff, janitor, facilities manager and programs manager!
The good news: plastic can become fuel: here's a "little secret": Did you know those "unrecyclable" used foil lined chip/crisps/deep fried snack bags actually make excellent kindling/fire-starter for camp bonfires and marshmallow/weenie/s'mores roasts? I know because I lit one up in my kitchen sink! So, save your empty foil lined snack bags for your friends who love to go camping! The combination of grease, salt, metal aluminum foil, and plastic make extremely fast-burning big flame fire starter - even in rainy conditions! BUT! BEWARE! CHIP BAGS ARE HIGHLY FLAMMABLE AND CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS! This is especially relevant in Canada where summer nights can sometimes be cold in comparison to the Philippines!
You might also read up on thermolysis machines that turn some types of solid plastics back into liquid hydrocarbons for mixed liquid combustible fuels! The applications and innovations for plumbing, heating, etc. might yet be discoverable! I will eventually post more about it! The only thing I want to know is, does it need to be handled in a closed system, if that is even possible? The reason? Off-gassing could occur, but I wouldn't know because I haven't smelled the plastics thermolysis process and I don't know the effects it could have on a person's health if one is excessively exposed to this process. Then again, the Blest Machine could bypass shipping and labour costs of transportation logistics for recycling some sorts of plastics because many types of plastic can be transformed into mixed hydrocarbon fuel that can be used at homes and residences - if deemed safe - for hot water and radiant heat flooring systems, borrowing tech and concepts from our old oil-powered water heaters & hot water tanks. Again, this sort of tech is relevant in the Taiga and North America other colder places relatively far from the Equator. For more info: Please visit:
https://blest.co.jp/eng/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7n2BDAvjDPs&t=34s
Thank you, Karli, for your thoughts, consideration and care in sorting your recyclables! Every bit helps! I, too, live it (though admittedly, not perfectly every time - Yesterday, I forgot to ask for a frosty mug and got a plastic lidded cup instead - Darn That Holey Sock!), and I appreciate everyone's efforts in Environmental Management!😃
Hi Karli, that stat is shocking! Especially at UBC I often assume others are sorting out there disposables however I realize that many grow up in different backgrounds and upbringings. I am curious what methods UBC could emplore to educate about the imporatance of sorting recyclables?
To add on to the point you made about the large amount of plastic that is in our oceans, how do you think we should remove this plastic? It would surely be an incredibly difficult operation that would have no simple fix.
Hi Karli, I also like to recycle whereever I am but did you know that despite our work in recycling, the actual garabage itself often don't end up being sorted when they are taken by garbage trucks because they are not held accountable? How could we approach such a problem?