Recycling isn't the answer

[capfits]

Have a look at your own plastic use on farm.
Silage wrap on bales is such a waste, surely not beyond the wit of scheme to have say an allowance against the plastic to build a good pit?
25 kg pellets bags shocking, bulk would reduce, I have been thinking of approaching my mineral producer for example to see if they do 500-600 kg bulk bags.
Fertiliser bags again a better bulk storage would help though other issues may arise NH3NO3 for example
Non returnable fillable chemical drums bizarre isn't it.
But yes packaging in general is excessive and the use of single use plastics inparticular.
If we cut out polyethylene and polystyrene I wonder what the gas situation would be?

 

[teslacoils]

and if we recycle everything, we mentally tick the environment box and pat ourselves on the back, without doing the important thing, reducing our consumption.

Our economy is based on restricted supply of houses making prices go up; borrowing against this value; spending the money on crap we don't need. Reduce and reuse are not part of the economic growth paradigm.

 

[delilah]

Credit were credit is due to greenpeace, good little vid that speaks the truth.

I hate bioplastics with a passion as they are the bain of the bio waste recycling world, they never break down as they should.. And the Environment agency don't acknowledge their existence as plastic is plastic to them.

We tried out loads of samples/ brands of kitchen caddy liners in the early days ( going back to early 90's here) most were still visible to the naked eye time you screened the compost, those that weren't visible were still there under analysis, doesn't sound like it has come along much.

 

[DrWazzock]

Anybody can see that plastic use is a disaster that’s come about because it fits the corporate multinational business model.
Watched Panorama last night. Something like 8 plastic coke bottles produced per annum for every person on the planet. I never drink it. It rots your teeth and gives you diabetes. Nobody needs it, yet it’s the foundation of a multimillion international corporate business. Until we sort out the fundamentals we are wasting our time. We just don’t need this at all, never mind the plastic it comes in.

 

[daveydiesel1]

The government could say to retailers that all products could be sold in a common shaped bottle that was black or whatever and save having a myriad of different bottle types that could thus be washed and recycled but no one will because big business would complain their unique packaging was lost.

They did it way fags and hid them but the people that wanted to smoke still did it and the young generation is far worse with usin e cigs

 

[SilliamWhale]

Just out of interest .......... and potentially VERY worrying but I see that Dutch researchers have now found micro plastics in the bloodstream of farm animals. It is assumed that they have got there via water ingestion.
Ergo, it is likely that micro plastics will also be in the blood of humans. However, far more likely is that it will be used as a stick to tell us to stop eating meat

Microplastics are found in the blood of farm animals for first time

Scientists say the research, which involved 12 cows and six pigs and was led by Heather Leslie, of Vrije University in Amsterdam, could have serious implications for public health.

www.dailymail.co.uk

(also in the Times but behind a pay wall)

and here we go:

Microplastic particles now discoverable in human organs

New technique expected to enable scientists to find accumulated microplastics in humans

www.theguardian.com

Who is to say micro plastics are a problem?

 

[Bald Rick]

Who is to say micro plastics are a problem?

I suspect we will find out sooner rather than later

The fear is that they will coalesce in arteries or organs. They could even be a new primer for cancers

Either way, it doesn't appeal being rammed full of carrier bag, cheap clothing, coke bottles etc

 

[bluebell]

there was a time before plastic? Not that many years ago, remember paper sacks that cattle feed came in? baler twine made from some sort of i think sisal? Food wrapped, sold in grease proof paper? Glass bottles, tin cans, etc etc etc , as for recycling thats not new? the difference was in the past it was a cost thing ?

 

[Stw88]

The supermarkets in New Zealand had large pick and mix type set ups for lots of foods and you had to take your own reusable containers. Surely lots of drinks could be sold in glass bottles which get returned to the shops when you go for more. If more meat was cut and sold over the counter it wouldn’t need all the packaging either.

 

[quattro]

Incinerate the lot and make electricity from it.

All packaging should be paper, starch or biological in nature. Conventional plastics just incinerate them.

Can you post a link to a video for allerton waste recovery park in N Yorks a great video of incinerating waste (sorry I don’t know how to do it)

 

[DrWazzock]

Nobody in the western world needs to buy bottled water or even ready to drink liquids of any kind. Only allow the sale of concentrates for dilution. Have more taps around for refills of reusable containers. Problem solved.

 

[manhill]

Incinerate the lot and make electricity from it.

All packaging should be paper, starch or biological in nature. Conventional plastics just incinerate them.

Remind me again why we don't use plastic for fuel? It surely has an excellent energy density.

 

[Yale]

Bottom line is if the population cannot be trusted to live their lives in a lower impact way then governments have to regulate.

If coke bottles and the product in it have no use then it should be banned.

However that is a government which takes your rights away and decides how you live your life and where does that stop?

It‘s a very difficult subject.

The only thing government can do is restrict packaging by law and bring in costlier alternatives.

This would push up food prices and that is not what government want.

Plastics is a very difficult subject to promote less use as it is now integral to the food supply chain.

Just look at milk.

 

[Scholsey]

We were buying paper cow bedding from a national recycling company and had hundreds of small (stamp size and below) per tonne, I kept flagging it up with company and they didn’t care and said no body else has a problem with it……

Presumably they are dumping contaminated paper waste that can’t be used for recycling onto farmers whilst getting £60/t.

 

[DrWazzock]

Maybe we need to be more stroppy. Kick up a fuss about why spray containers arent reusable and why we end up with cost of disposal etc.
Would not grants for silage clamps and bulk fert stores be better than for nature recovery?
It could be solved if the collective will and leadership was there.

 

[manhill]

Remind me again why we don't use plastic for fuel? It surely has an excellent energy density.

Remember burning a Rubic cube size nylon block in a bothy one cold night. Amazing how long it burned for. Probably get lynched for doing that now!

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Credit were credit is due to greenpeace, good little vid that speaks the truth.

I hate bioplastics with a passion as they are the bain of the bio waste recycling world, they never break down as they should.. And the Environment agency don't acknowledge their existence as plastic is plastic to them.

But we are told, especially by the government, that technology is the answer to everything.

Because it means even more money can be made from it.

Simply buying less doesn't "add value".....

 

[manhill]

Anybody can see that plastic use is a disaster that’s come about because it fits the corporate multinational business model.
Watched Panorama last night. Something like 8 plastic coke bottles produced per annum for every person on the planet. I never drink it. It rots your teeth and gives you diabetes. Nobody needs it, yet it’s the foundation of a multimillion international corporate business. Until we sort out the fundamentals we are wasting our time. We just don’t need this at all, never mind the plastic it comes in.

ever tried it as a rust killer? Cheap at the price and would stick well?

 

[Yale]

Maybe we need to be more stroppy. Kick up a fuss about why spray containers arent reusable and why we end up with cost of disposal etc.
Would not grants for silage clamps and bulk fert stores be better than for nature recovery?
It could be solved if the collective will and leadership was there.

Silage clamps are a difficult one as the carbon emissions for producing the cement for the concrete are enormous.

Then you still have a plastic top sheet and probably line it all around.

If we could find a genuine use for spent bale wrap it would be better.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Silage clamps are a difficult one as the carbon emissions for producing the cement for the concrete are enormous.

Then you still have a plastic top sheet and probably line it all around.

If we could find a ganuine use for spent bale wrap it would be better.

True but the plastic use per tonne of feed is much lower and the plastic is much easier to recycle than blown film (if it's clean).

Our clamp concrete is 40 years old. I suspect the smudging have long been covered.

Wrapped silage caught on because it makes management so flexible.