So what’s to stop us- from any country- chipping away at this garbage patch by scooping up plastics and shipping them via barge to a facility on land where they can be sorted and recycled? Genuinely curious. I guess the finances would be a big hurdle but I’m wondering if it’s practical. With the micro plastics, maybe some sort of small filter or a suction method that can clump up all these bits and they can be melted/recycled/disposed of in another fashion.
The vast majority of plastics aren't recycled, so I don't think any country would take broken down ocean plastic if they're not taking readily available materials.
The better solution (in my opinion) is to reduce the use of plastics in the first place.
Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’d like to see us try to tackle it from both ends- reduce the amount that ends up in the garbage heap in the first place while making headway on making the heap smaller. I know it’s financially a lose lose, but it’s like that old Coke commercial where everybody holds candles in a circle on a hillside and sings “I’d like to buy the world a Coke..” in celebration of world peace: just a pipe dream, I suppose. Now I want a Coke. And I’ll recycle the bottle!
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u/camergen Aug 12 '21
So what’s to stop us- from any country- chipping away at this garbage patch by scooping up plastics and shipping them via barge to a facility on land where they can be sorted and recycled? Genuinely curious. I guess the finances would be a big hurdle but I’m wondering if it’s practical. With the micro plastics, maybe some sort of small filter or a suction method that can clump up all these bits and they can be melted/recycled/disposed of in another fashion.