Current Events > Single-use plastic items need to be banned.

(+) Yeah! (+)

This isnt some hippy save-the-planet issue. It is a legit public health issue. Google microplastics. When plastic breaks down in waterways, the particles are too small to be filtered out of water. You are drinking plastic every day. There are biodegradable alternatives to these products, but they are more expensive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHCgA-n5wRw" data-time="

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChHbZOTaXfc" data-time="

Nah the earth and the people on it are fucked anyway. Let me have my easy meal with no dishes afterwards.
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Vancouver i think just banned plastic straws, so i guess they're going the right direction?
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Rest of the country needs to follow suit.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seattle-becomes-first-u-s-city-to-ban-plastic-utensils-and-straws/

It's bizarre that we've come to this stage only very recently. In theory, it shouldn't be that hard to go back.
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Pretty sure that fits in being "hippie" it being a legit concern doesn't change that.
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Yup, I got faith in capitalism to fill the void
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No need to ban these items. They can be made from recycled plastic.

Restaurants that go through a high volume of these items can switch to resin, though, which is similar but falls apart after several months making it unsuitable for home use.
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I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?
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CiIantro posted...

silverware

Utensils, man.
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booboy posted...

I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?

I've been an advocate of moving to metals that can be put in a furnace and given an ammonia bath.

Yes you're "reusing" things like syringes and such but nothing biohazard going to be left after incineration and ammonia baths.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?

I've been an advocate of moving to metals that can be put in a furnace and given an ammonia bath.

Yes you're "reusing" things like syringes and such but nothing biohazard going to be left after incineration and ammonia baths.

I don't know much about ammonia bath use, but I know throwing the metal portions into a furnace that can melt them and re-use raw stock from that is more than hot enough to kill any possible contaminants.
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A whale died from eating plastic like 30 minutes from my house. Beached itself in Songkhla, Thailand and they pulled some ridiculous amount of plastic from its its stomach in the autopsy.

Asia especially has a real bad problem with plastic. If you walk in a Thai 711 and buy a bottle of water this is what you get plastic wise:
The bottle
The bottle cap
The plastic seal over the bottle cap
A plastic bag to put the bottle in
A plastic straw
Plastic overing for said straw

It's fucking insane just how much plastic they give out.
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booboy posted...

Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?

I've been an advocate of moving to metals that can be put in a furnace and given an ammonia bath.

Yes you're "reusing" things like syringes and such but nothing biohazard going to be left after incineration and ammonia baths.

I don't know much about ammonia bath use, but I know throwing the metal portions into a furnace that can melt them and re-use raw stock from that is more than hot enough to kill any possible contaminants.

You need to do more than just destroy organic material you also need to cleanse possible allergens which includes leftover Ash.
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MuayThai85 posted...

A whale died from eating plastic like 30 minutes from my house. Beached itself in Songkhla, Thailand and they pulled some ridiculous amount of plastic from its its stomach in the autopsy.

Asia especially has a real bad problem with plastic. If you walk in a Thai 711 and buy a bottle of water this is what you get plastic wise:
The bottle
The bottle cap
The plastic seal over the bottle cap
A plastic bag to put the bottle in
A plastic straw
Plastic overing for said straw

It's fucking insane just how much plastic they give out.

So should we switch over to user brought in "Thermos" that contains the drink from a Fountain dispenser of some sort and pay for amount of drink dispensed & printed up on the receipt?
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KamenRiderBlade posted...

So should we switch over to user brought in "Thermos" that contains the drink from a Fountain dispenser of some sort and pay via amount of drink sold from the receipt.

My local gas stations already allow this sort of thing. I've seen maybe two people do it. Ever.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

My local gas stations already allow this sort of thing.

But make it "Mandatory" across the country.

If you want "Big Change", then you need legislation to "Mandate" it.

Every Plastic Utensil, Straw, etc will be a "extra surcharge" that the owner must factor in separately and "CANNOT" be given away.
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No idea what the solution is tbh. Apparently Indonesia invented some kind of natural biodegradable plastic that is even edible. More research and money needs to be put into things like that.

Something definitely needs to be done though.

They can also use paper cups instead of plastic cups for fountain drinks.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?

I've been an advocate of moving to metals that can be put in a furnace and given an ammonia bath.

Yes you're "reusing" things like syringes and such but nothing biohazard going to be left after incineration and ammonia baths.

I don't know much about ammonia bath use, but I know throwing the metal portions into a furnace that can melt them and re-use raw stock from that is more than hot enough to kill any possible contaminants.

You need to do more than just destroy organic material you also need to cleanse possible allergens which includes leftover Ash.

What would the ash be from for allergens? The idea I'm envisioning is to throw all the metal parts into a smelter to re-make into raw metal stock to be remade into needles and other one-use metallic items.
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KamenRiderBlade posted...

Tyranthraxus posted...

My local gas stations already allow this sort of thing.

But make it "Mandatory" across the country.

If you want "Big Change", then you need legislation to "Mandate" it.

This is unenforceable.

The only way to make it mandatory is to ban the sale of the disposable alternatives.
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booboy posted...

Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

Tyranthraxus posted...

booboy posted...

I'm generally on board with the idea, but there's one massive elephant in the room that needs talking about.

Health care has shitloads upon shitloads of single-use plastic. How would you propose helping there while maintaining or improving cross-contamination?

I've been an advocate of moving to metals that can be put in a furnace and given an ammonia bath.

Yes you're "reusing" things like syringes and such but nothing biohazard going to be left after incineration and ammonia baths.

I don't know much about ammonia bath use, but I know throwing the metal portions into a furnace that can melt them and re-use raw stock from that is more than hot enough to kill any possible contaminants.

You need to do more than just destroy organic material you also need to cleanse possible allergens which includes leftover Ash.

What would the ash be from for allergens? The idea I'm envisioning is to throw all the metal parts into a smelter to re-make into raw metal stock to be remade into needles and other one-use metallic items.

Oh no I was thinking metal that could survive the incineration and you just reuse it as is. Not smelt it down to base materials.
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Australian major shopping centres (Coles and Woolworths) banned them as of 1st July.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

This is unenforceable.

The only way to make it mandatory is to ban the sale of the disposable alternatives.

That's the point, either go "Whole Hog" or it's not going to work.
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Tyranthraxus posted...

No need to ban these items. They can be made from recycled plastic.

Recycled plastic is only good in the sense that it means we have to create less of it and use less oil. The real problem with plastic is that it takes centuries to break down, and ends up in the waterways. The worn-down particles are too small to filter out of drinking water. Not to mention the effect it has on aquatic ecosystems.

Uuhhhhh no? I cant stand those people who are like ... you buy paper towels!?
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DavidWong posted...

Australian major shopping centres (Coles and Woolworths) banned them as of 1st July.

Well just the plastic bags as far as I know. Not sure if they'll take it further than that.
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