Stop government grants
This is the most important decision.
Stop giving government grants for the development of new plastic materials and plastic waste management options.
This ban should cover all types of organisations doing research on plastic: universities, companies, NGOs, etc.
No more US tax payer money spend on plastic research.
Why?
The plastic industry is wealthy enough to pay for its own R&D. That’s all folks.
The European Union fiasco has taught us that the game is more about setting up fake projects to collect public funds than to solve plastic-related problems. The European Union works on the basis of nepotism through programs called Horizon and fake public private partnerships called CBEJU. It’s a scam to racketeer public funds. Learn from their mistake.
You need to go back to the basics of economics to find real solutions. Leave it to the market to come up with ‘working’ solutions and to attract private investments.
Mechanical Recycling
Recycling is a fairy tale: the only type of mechanical recycling that works economically and technically is the mechanical recycling of PET bottles and eventually hard non-bottle shaped PET packaging if the recyclers can incorporate it in their system. PET bottles get recycled into polyester for the textile industry and rPET bottles for the food industry. Mechanical recycling of soft plastics packaging is not going to happen.
Important insight
PET bottles are circular in terms of waste management but have an important skeleton in the closet: Recycled PET is toxic for (1) humans and for the (2) environment.
- rPET bottles contain more toxic chemicals than virgin PET bottles. Polyester is toxic for human health.
- Washing polyester in washing machines creates nanoplastics fibres that will end up in waterways, oceans etc.
What did we learn from the PET recycling model?
- It’s a market based solution: there were clients interested in the outcome of the recycling process (rPET or polyester) before they set up the process.
- Bottles are recognisable and can be sorted more easily from the other food packaging. We could recognise a plastic material by its shape which make separate collection easier. This is why eco-design of packaging is important.
- Packaging eco- design, waste collection and contamination should be considered as part of the recycling process. They’re part of the same family that is called ‘waste management‘.
Advanced and Chemical recycling
Advanced recycling is a fancy word to describe chemical recycling. Chemical recycling is a heavier process than mechanical recycling.
Chemical recycling’s main ‘theoretical’ USP is to recycle different types of plastic all together: individual sorting is not a necessity.
Chemical recycling can work in a lab but will not work in the real world because plastic packaging is massively contaminated with non plastic items such as food etc.
Compostable plastics
Compostable plastic should be banned because they contaminate the commercial composting process, the compost and the farmlands where it will be used. Compostable plastics are not just made of carbon; they contain lots of toxic chemical additives. The risk is too high to pollute our soils with plastic and toxic chemicals. Compostable plastic are an important source of microplastics and nanoplastics.
Ban it.
Biodegradable Plastics
The degradation of plastics through bacterial digestion is a potential end-of-life option for plastic that has been littered. The difference between compostable and biodegradable plastics relates to (1) what starts the degradation process and (2) where does the degradation takes place.
You need to set up a committee of wisemen to answer this question: what should happen to littered plastics? Do you want it to remain intact or do you want it to degrade?
When it comes to biodegradable plastics you have two options: you upgrade regular plastics such as PE with a biodegradable additive (OXO) or you have polymer that biodegrades on itself in the open environment (PHA). This is
Plastic Waste Export
The export of plastic waste to other countries should be stopped immediately: No more ‘plastic waste exported to be recycled in developing countries’ – bullshit.
You need to place heavy fines on the fraudulent export of plastic waste.
Plastic waste is a waste, it’s not a feedstock. It becomes a feedstock once it has been processed and is ready to be used; in the meantime it’s a waste and shouldn’t be exported.
Plastic waste transit and export between US states
Geographical location, location, location should be the main principle. Priority should be given to closer recycling plants. Remember, not much plastic can be recycled at the end of the day.
Incineration vs Landfill
I’m not sure about landfill. Some people say that landfill is OK in the US but not OK in the EU because there’s more available land in the US. I don’t know. I think landfilling is a filthy option that could lead to long term pollution problems. You should ask the opinion to the local communities living around the landfills: what do they think about the landfills? Would you like to live close to a landfill?
Incineration is a filthy option and a filthy business, but hear me out…. there is no other option to deal with the massive plastic waste stream that our consumption society creates.
The European Commission believes we can convert plastic waste into Japanese fine craft origami … but it’s just a lie to extort public funding.
Incinerators are a bit like the butthole of the human digestive system… and right now we haven’t found a better way to get rid off the digested food.
At the end of the day, plastic is an incredible material. It has been designed in a super efficient way; so unfortunately, the carbon chain are so efficient that they cannot be resuscitated into a new material after they have been used.
The Western world has lost enough time and ressources in turning in circles…. turning into circles is the business model of the EU circular economy
The Plastic waste continent
At some point someone will have to remove the waste from the oceans; and Mr. Trump, maybe you want to take credit for that.
Several options and scenarios:
2.000 men and 100 ships should be mandated for a period of two years to remove all the waste from the oceans (plastic continent) with nets and cranes etc. Maybe there’s a role for Chinese manpower here.
Special attention should be given to the marine wildlife living in the plastic continent: maybe there’s a role to play for US universities. …
The waste should be sent to a country that can deal with the waste …. maybe the US? PET recycling, incinerators and other materials that can be recycled (there will be more materials than just plastic waste).
Maybe you could finance this by making it an American buffalo bill show …. you know American ‘show business’ (some kind of touristic attraction) where people pay to see what kind of waste has been collected from the seas.