this post was submitted on 21 Mar 2024
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Science

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[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

Nice. It won't help with existing junk, but it can be the basis for mandates that all plastic produced and sold be able to biodegrade within 9 months.

If it becomes reality is could significantly reduce the amount of new microplastic, and as a side effect reduce fossil fuel consumption from the plastic industry.

The raw material still has to come from somewhere. Plants based plastic could mean land use to grow plants for plastic production, which has it's own impact.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

How about no?

And clean up the shit that is already there.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

How about no?

I'm not really sure what you're suggesting. This is apparently plant based so I don't really see the harm. We should definitely clean up what we have already but not sure what's wrong with trying to find an alternative to avoid dumping anymore microplastics

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Why even use it when not using anything like that does the trick as well?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

As much as I would love that, companies won't do it unless there's a cost efficient, easy alternative.

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good, etc

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago

It was recently made mostly illegal in eu. Just saying. Most things work without as well, those that don't can use alternatives.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Cool cool cool... now how do I get the old ones out my water supply?

[–] [email protected] 0 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00081

Edit: As a possibility? I've not implemented or tried it myself, just heard of the research. Probably better implemented at utility scale, than individual houses, but not reason cant be both.