Such an effort would provide an improvement, albeit miniscule, because it would only apply to the subset of straws that are thrown out as litter. A ban on plastics exportation and the construction of plastic incinerating power plants to handle the plastics we can't affordably recycle here would be a tremendous improvement.
Such an effort would provide an improvement, albeit miniscule, because it would only apply to the subset of straws that are thrown out as litter. A ban on plastics exportation and the construction of plastic incinerating power plants to handle the plastics we can't affordably recycle here would be a tremendous improvement.
It is true that a very large amount of plastic pollution comes from the Pacific Rim. It is also true that a noticeable amount of that pollution originates here, and is transported there via the recycle bin.
When we do beach and creek trash cleanups, and I presume it’s similar for highway litter cleanup schemes, the primary plastics we find are light weight items that also catch easily in the wind. Before the plastic bag “ban” (which hilariously were replaced with thicker plastic bags because virtue signaling politicians ignore downstream effects) that’s what we’d primarily find. But we also find straws, food wrappers, and now masks.
Turns out in these public areas the waste disposal containers are open at the top and fill up quickly. There’s always a small breeze at a minimum anywhere near the coast. All these items catch in the wind and can move easily from the intended place of disposal to the beach, creek, and eventually ocean.
Also in residential areas, recyclables are required to be loosely placed in the recycling containers. No bagged items allowed, and for that matter no empty plastic bags either. This is because they cause problems at the materials recycling facility. But what happens when they’re dumped into the garbage/recycling collection vehicle on a slightly breezy day?
Some dog owners apparently think their plastic poop filled bag belongs in the recyclables too.
Such an effort would provide an improvement, albeit miniscule, because it would only apply to the subset of straws that are thrown out as litter. A ban on plastics exportation and the construction of plastic incinerating power plants to handle the plastics we can't affordably recycle here would be a tremendous improvement.
It is true that a very large amount of plastic pollution comes from the Pacific Rim. It is also true that a noticeable amount of that pollution originates here, and is transported there via the recycle bin.
When we do beach and creek trash cleanups, and I presume it’s similar for highway litter cleanup schemes, the primary plastics we find are light weight items that also catch easily in the wind. Before the plastic bag “ban” (which hilariously were replaced with thicker plastic bags because virtue signaling politicians ignore downstream effects) that’s what we’d primarily find. But we also find straws, food wrappers, and now masks.
Turns out in these public areas the waste disposal containers are open at the top and fill up quickly. There’s always a small breeze at a minimum anywhere near the coast. All these items catch in the wind and can move easily from the intended place of disposal to the beach, creek, and eventually ocean.
Also in residential areas, recyclables are required to be loosely placed in the recycling containers. No bagged items allowed, and for that matter no empty plastic bags either. This is because they cause problems at the materials recycling facility. But what happens when they’re dumped into the garbage/recycling collection vehicle on a slightly breezy day?
Some dog owners apparently think their plastic poop filled bag belongs in the recyclables too.