• nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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    11 months ago

    It might become feasible for certain types of plastic. #1 and #2 (PET and HDPE) are easily cleaned and remelted.

    ABS can offgas butadiene (the B) and is pretty cancerous.

    PVC can lose the Chloride and that’s deadly too.

    The polystyrene is too bulky to make sense recycling in low quantities without big compaction equipment. But apparently can be profitable if you can offload the compaction and collection costs to sellers or consumers. Otherwise recyclers don’t touch it.

    We really just need to outlaw using most difficult to handle plastics for one time use.

    • Bananigans@lemmings.world
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      11 months ago

      You can at melt polystyrene down with acetone for compact storage and repurpose it as glue. It’s an option at least.

        • Aux@lemmy.world
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          11 months ago

          Cooking on a gas stove produces so many VOCs that any plastic melting will cry in the corner. Yet many people still cook on a gas.

          • nilloc@discuss.tchncs.de
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            11 months ago

            Yeah, finding out how much crap comes out of those stoves really makes me upset about all the shitty landlords I had over the years that didn’t bother installing working vents over the stoves.

            Got a halogen/glass stove now and it works great.