Answers

5:23 AM

1) Plastic that can not be recycled, either because the process to recycle it has not been invented yet (which is the case for thermoset plastics) or because there is a lack of appropriate local infrastructure, will end up in landfills or littered in random locations. 2) The biggest problem with plastic, particularly plastic waste, is that when it is discarded, as mentioned above, it will not breakdown for a long time (I've seen estimates that range anywhere from 200 - 1,000 years). When one considers the rate at which we as a species are making new plastics, it is easy to see how the current problems we are encountering with plastic waste, such as the destruction of the environment and the leaching of plastics into soil, crops, and ultimately the food that we eat, are likely to get significantly worse.

5:24 AM

3) Unfortunately, the usage of non-recycled plastic isn't as talked or debated about as it probably should be, at least in my experience. For example, my university is located in Southern Illinois, which is a rural area where outside of the university itself, many people do not believe that the environment is in danger. An especially political and therefore dividing concept is whether or not global warming exists. When talking about the environment and asking people to be “eco friendly”, they will often associate your requests with a greater political agenda to prove the existence of global warming, even if what you are talking about is not related. Therefore it is incredibly important to pay attention to how you structure your message to the public. I mentioned before that SIU was “for the most part” an eco friendly university. This is because SIU, like much of the Southern Illinois region, uses a coal-fired power plant to provide all of its electricity. If you believe in climate change, this is pretty terrible. However, if you do not believe in climate change, then to you it would seem fine, especially since the negative effects of global warming cannot be easily or immediately seen by your average person. Plastic pollution, on the other hand, has immediately visible effects which can be seen everyday when one drives to work, school, or anywhere. With some attention to detail, it is possible to use this to effectively convey your message to these two opposed groups of people. In terms of whether or not plastic should be considered ‘evil’, I think most everyone in this discord would tell you that it isn't the plastic itself that is inherently evil. Plastic is just another material that humans use. What we do with it (such as choosing to find ways to recycle it or littering it) can more easily be classified as good for the planet or bad for the planet.

5:24 AM

4) A government ban on single use plastics could theoretically help reduce global plastic pollution, but would be politically impossible in most places I can think of. All nations have vast amounts of people who, to some extent or another, use single use plastic. It is not hard to imagine the nightmare of trying to convince your citizens to “go-green” when other nations aren't also “going-green”. We are already seeing it happen with climate treaties that continually fall through. A better solution, in my opinion, is to invest in the research and development of new and improved ways to recycle plastic products, and then further invest into the necessary infrastructure to do so. Less intrusive economic regulations, such as limiting the use of thermoset plastics in products and taxing the usage of new, non-recycled plastics could help as well. 5) Start a plastics recycling club! If you grab a couple of friends and can find a good place to store some stuff, you’ll have a great time. A student from pretty much any major can apply their skills in a meaningful way to the broad field of plastics recycling. Engineering, business, political science, any media related field of study, any major remotely related to human health or agriculture, or anything else. Even if you don’t think you have any relevant skills you can still contribute. 6) Yes. (edited)

dogwire changed the channel name: Answers 4/13/2022 5:28 AM