That one is a bit complex. Recycling things like paper, metal and glass works very well, in particular if they are sorted at the source. Most plastics can’t be recycled cost effective, which a lot of plastics producers have work very hard to hide.
Recycling glass is terribly inefficient. It’s so heavy that it requires a ridiculous amount of energy to heat up, and even then needs a very high amount of “fresh” glass to keep it usable.
In addition, transporting glass is inefficient, and it is much more prone to breakages.
The real issue is the fact that every company gets to have their own plastic bottle design, with 3-4 different plastic types that have to be triaged. They typically also want way thicker bottles than required because they feel more premium.
A government that mandates a specific shared plastic bottle designed to be recyclable would be much, much ecologically effective than switching back to glass.
I don’t know if metal cans or tetrapack are better.
As far as I heard paper can’t be recycled because the fiber gets shorter every turn. It can be respiralled until it’s worthless pulp.
Eg:
> Fiber cannot, however, be recycled endlessly. It is generally accepted that a fiber can be used five to seven times before it becomes too short (as a result of repulping and other handling) to be useable in new paper products.
It’s complex enough that I don’t think your answer really covers it. For example glass is not very efficient to recycle. It needs to be transported to be used and often the cost of transporting it is not worth it.
Ma8ee|1 year ago
slau|1 year ago
In addition, transporting glass is inefficient, and it is much more prone to breakages.
The real issue is the fact that every company gets to have their own plastic bottle design, with 3-4 different plastic types that have to be triaged. They typically also want way thicker bottles than required because they feel more premium.
A government that mandates a specific shared plastic bottle designed to be recyclable would be much, much ecologically effective than switching back to glass.
I don’t know if metal cans or tetrapack are better.
AceyMan|1 year ago
nothrabannosir|1 year ago
Eg:
> Fiber cannot, however, be recycled endlessly. It is generally accepted that a fiber can be used five to seven times before it becomes too short (as a result of repulping and other handling) to be useable in new paper products.
- https://archive.epa.gov/wastes/conserve/materials/paper/web/...
I thought the same about glass but that turns out to be genuinely endlessly recyclable. Good to know!
infecto|1 year ago