Why we're burning our recycling | It's Complicated
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 มี.ค. 2022
- Almost 90% of people in the UK recycle. But more than a tenth of everything we put out for recycling in this country is being burned.
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Why is this happening? Josh Toussaint-Strauss explores how local authorities have ended up incinerating so much of our recycling and what impact this is having on the environment
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#recycle #recycling #environment #trash #rubbish #garbage
We will never be able to eliminate waste entirely, but the solution to this has to begin with reducing the amount of waste we produce enormously, and regulate the types of waste produced
Only humans do wast we could do zero wast simply not using toxic fossil fuel / plastic. Plants don't bo wast we have the technology to go zero wast. Capitalism is a con
Yup that is what recycling is.
@@Siviks309 No, it's not.
@@ster2600 you don’t get sarcasm do you?
@@Siviks309 Not when it's completely imperceptible and serves no purpose, not even humour.
The simple solution coming from 22 years in the waste and recycling Industry I'd simply buy less or buy what you need. Reduce. Unfortunately there is too much packaging. Also a simple universal waste collection scheme would be better i.e the same collection method across the UK. One bin for refuse one bin for recycling and one bin for all organics.
Thats the system in italy, i was there for 10 years. There were several bins.
One for glass
One for paper
One for plastics
One for general waste
One for general recycling.
This was further incentivised by fining anyone who doesnt match thr corresr waste wirh the correct bin
Too much packaging is a real problem
It should be illegal to mass produce non-recyclable products, under penalty of revocation of corporate charter. All companies should be fully responsible for their actions.
I'd go further and say ban plastics altogether given that recyclable plastics can only realistically be recycled once
@@waqasahmed939 go back to metal and glass
IMO, all Manufacturers use the Cheapest form of Containers/Packaging...to Make More Money...period!
It's NOT our fault that they choose to use Plastic...it's the manufacturers Fault!
THEY DECIDE too use Plastic vs any Alternative Packaging material...NOT US!
@@davidho1258 paper is fine, but styrofoam is not recyclable and toxic if burned.
Governments just need to gradually ban plastic packaging. It s not the consumer's responsibility. We managed before plastic, we still can.
Recycled paper and cardboard and utilizing stock cardboard as reusable grocery totes.
The UK is corrupt AF the politicians have no incentive whatsoever to put motions like that in place. I fully agree with you but we're ruled by the elite that support corporations and not the general public 🤷
Me mum forgot her 'green ' grocery bag, and came back home to retrieve it. When she got home, I unloaded the bags-- nothing but plastic. The meat was in plastic, as were the potatoes, apples, veggies, frozen food, medicine, ect, ect.
What about high temperature incinerators? The ones that break down the dangerous byproduct gases?
Recycling is not enough. The biggest problem is the programmed obsole$cence which causes overproduction and then substantially increase environmental pollution.
The government should just make it mandatory for plastic packaging to be recyclable plastic. I guarantee that big business will find a way to apply.
Recyclable plastic can only be recycled a few times so it’s not really viable.
So It just gets burned while most people don’t know.
they could still use the money of their company to actually recycle it, but they won’t.
They use more money to advertise that recycling is real then to actually recycle it.
That way their profits are kept stable, and people will keep buying it thinking that they aren’t doing anything to the enviroment.
It’s all about image and profit.
Those are the basics of every company especially those who are primary causes of pollution.
@@uc22_swo1p It'd have to be compostable then.
My local authority gives us a brown bin to put any compostable waste. Though a scheme like this could only work if it's forced.
If it's voluntary, I can guarantee that my council wouldn't compost my compostable plastic, especially if it looks just like the regular kins of plastic.
If it's forced, then there's certainty
So, holier than thou Sadik Khan plans to increase the ulez zone upto the M25, but London is one of the worst at correctly recycling plastic waste, thereby increasing C02 emissions anyway.
Same thing is happening in Canada though no one talks about it especially the media. The collection of trash is a new way of creating taxes by local city councils.
Recyclable plastic can only be recycled a few times so it’s not really viable.
So It just gets burned while most people don’t know.
they could still use the money of their company to actually recycle it, but they won’t.
They use more money to advertise that recycling is real then to actually recycle it.
That way their profits are kept stable, and people will keep buying it thinking that they aren’t doing anything to the enviroment.
It’s all about image and profit.
Those are the basics of every company especially those who are primary causes of pollution.
Standardize reuseable glass containers. Stop most plastic production. Recycle paper. Recycle all batteries. Compost compatable waste more into areas that grow trees for paper production after many deaceds of tree growth.
no more packaging; EVER!
Thanks for informing 🙏🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Why do they always try to blame people? We buy our products in the containers they put it in .
They’re trying to make us feel responsible for their choices, like an abuser.
@@BearBoiBlakeTrue. I mean even those that try to live zero waste produce a lot of trash for it is impossible to go to a supermarket and not buy food enough food to feed a family that wouldn't have plastic packaging on it.
They need to bring the no single use plastic laws forward.
Burning is better than putting rubbish into land fill.
What’s the song name for the song playing at 3:52?
I think you are wrong .. the main stem problem is Single Use Plastics thus the solution should be eliminating single use plastics (SUPs), strick EPR on plastics, and moving toward Zero Waste Economy (i.e Refill, Reuse, Repair, Recycle, Rot,Redesign, etc - economy) .. which alot of grassroot movement and business already taking a lead in several parts of the world. A decent journalist should have known that.
Ref : BFFP(BreakFreeFromPlastic), GAIA , etc
the Fashion industry should lead from the front and complety cease all types of new fashion. Any one who throws out anything that could be used is not environmentally friendly. But then we all like to think we are doing our little bit: which is token.
Thank you 🙏
North Augusta, South Carolina burned down the recycling center.
Here's a topic you could do a documentary series about the same as your heading. In most of Canada the same thing happens to recycled waste. It's either burned or buried in a landfill while the people have to pay to have it picked up all sorted into different bins.
@@bessiehillum6498 Everything in almost every city goes into a landfill. It's a con job to believe otherwise.
This is a mashup by Axis of Awesome
Les gouvernements sont trop lâches pour légiférer sur les emballages.
So does this mean burning waste causes less emissions than landfill?
Yes coz from landfill it can go into rivers and there it kills marine wildlife and dead fish of course emit lots of methane
Dear Guardian Team
Interesting video, as you say it is complicated. I think you need to look at the bigger picture, rather than highlighting just one element of the waste management structure.
Not complicared, just economics. Glas, concrete, wood, paper, metals are recycled because it saves money and energy.
Recycling doesn't need to be regulated or subsidised when it makes sense.
Same for ekectricity generation, coal, gas and Nuclear don't need subsidies only expensive unreliables like solar and wind do.
Intresting
2:06 Who is from Czech? (car)
Individually wrapped biscuits and sweets is a disgrace
If you stop incinerate then where did the trash will go?
I have a solution! First we go back to metal, wood and glass. As was done prior to mass plastic usage. Only have plastics for medical/emergency use. Or only where absolutely needed.
Supermarkets should sell out of bulk bins as much as possible. With customers bringing their own reusable bags/containers. Would reduce food waste as well- Only buy what's needed. Developed countries waste too much food.
Create a Space Elevator to send garbage to the Sun. Sling shot the garbage bales, with the help of Earth's gravity. The Sun's gravity will pull it in and incinerate it.
That's my idea to get a handle on the plastics. It's humanity's responsibility to NOT destroy our home (Earth). Already micro plastics are being found in our blood! OUR BLOOD! Just think about all the medical issues it will, or already has caused. Will plastics be our end? Maybe.
CO2 emissions are not that big of a problem, because they will end up being consumed by plants eventually, and are turned to plant mass. We could even have transitioned to "green"/nuclear energy without restrictions for coal/oil/gas industries without much problems for ecology, despite what those ecofanatics say. This however isn't true for methane, since it's not being consumed by plants and will stay in atmosphere for a long time
The amount of CO2 that is being pumped out now is so high that our oceans, that actually account for *most* oxygen produced and CO2 absorbed, are acidifying which in turn greatly threaten the oceans capability to produce oxygen and store more CO2.
It's very bad
Hmm
Goes to prove its not the people but the powerful that are the problem.
If waste plastic that can't be recycled isn't burnt to produce electricity (plus heat for processes, greenhouses and home heating) then more fossil fuel would have to be used to produce the same amount of electricity - and you'd still have the waste plastic.
♻️
Does anybody here know that meal worms can eat and Digest plastic?
Not true
@@lamaisontokyo4696 🤣....
Tell me something about meal worms....that you know.
I think all the plastic that can't be recycled can be burned 3 gasification
Gasification Hydrogen nitrogen
Wow, didn't know the french are running this kind of experiment! Would love to hear of the plastic ban results, how much more foodwaste is generated, how much more carbon is emitted by alterantive packaging.
Recycle vs incinerate. Fire wins
Don't build any new incinerators. We already have enough.
We don't. I must tell you that EU despite having 500 inscinerators cannot burn all of its plastic waste.
Big love from India ❤️👍
I have always been a supporter of the Guardian but this video had numerous one-sided half truth.
*Just a few examples:*
1) When you say:
"Worse, 11% of waste brought to recycling is actually incinerated ( 0:28 ).
That's about the average amount of waste sent to recycling after separate collection that is then discarded by the *RECYCLING FACILITIES* precisely because it is not recyclable.
The role of incineration with energy recovery is to treat non-recyclable waste so that it does not end up in landfills where it leads to long-term risks of pollution.
It's not black or white, next time please start with the concept of *waste hierarchy* so that people understand that there is no silver bullet in waste management.
2) *Co2 only accounted from plastics:* that's because this is the fossil share, the rest is *biogenic CO2* .
3) *Comparison between CO2 emissions and energy production:*
Fine, how many wind turbines or gas-fired power plants also prevent pollution from non-recyclable waste?
Pollution and methane emissions (worse than CO2) from landfills are the (bad) alternative to energy recovery, not solar panels.
*Waste prevention, better separate collection and increased recycling capacities are key. Mere scapegoating of Waste-to-Energy is not.*
1. He did say that
2. CO2 is CO2 regardless of source.
Recycling is a myth. For years western countries have been shipping it off to places like Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, South Korea, Turkey, India and Poland. It is often burned, buried or worse dumped at sea. Those countries are starting to refuse it now and that's why you see these articles about recycling start to reappear. It never was being recycled so stop acting like you did something noble by putting recyclable waste into a special bin. You were just playing a game.
Using country of Turkey as a plastic dump, instead of China an Africa ,so technology rich West could not even produce packaging that would biodegrade ,but could produce more smart phones instead ...what a distaste ,lived in poor countries for 3 yrs and they recycled and used up natural materials as a habit , who's brainier??
horrible
Need to recycle
Could the toxic gas emissions be controlled to produce energy some way?
Some countries used the co2 for plants
Brazil used methane from waste dumps
Scientists and engineers may find a solution
Consumers need to start looking at how much waste they are producing and take action themselves
i ❤️ CO2