Plastic Garbage Segregation

We've got the same problem here in the US, as well as the rest of the world.

The only feasible answer I've been able to come up with, is to charge a small deposit on plastic items. Enterprising people will do the work to collect it, separate it, and turn it in.

Make thick expensive plastic bags with deposit so that consumers will reuse it.

let's wait for the other experts to chime in. They may have novel ideas other than this or being send to the furnace as an energy source.

Wasn't just last week, you had an idea dealing with plastic bags? I've been meaning to pass on my condolences about losing your friend and neighbor. I guess if and when we pass on, lets just hope that we're doing something we like and it'd be quick, huh?

Thanks dj. Yeah, I was thinking that the thin plastic grocery bags would make good insulation if compacted...................still do.

Dumping plastics,glass,metal,electrical items etc with household waste should be declared a punishable offence and authorities should provide separate containers for each kind of garbage.

It's suppose to be, here in PI. But regretfully it is not properly implemented. But hopefully, with proper info dissemination, it will be implemented.

Sir,

I am Vijayakumar - from Chennai - India. Sir, Punishing is not a perment answer. We should learn to reuse / make viable recycling. This will take care of the problem.

Imagine a country without police,if authorities announce to the public to refrain from criminal acts will anybody listen/>

Grind the entire mess, use a fan tower to separate light weight from organic, then run it into the scrubbers?

This is, supposed to be, after the segregation process.

You could enlist the help of agencies who can furnish free help, in the form of probationers who must perform so many community service hours and have them sort the rubbish.

It's tedious work.

That's a pretty trashy idea, but I like it A GA from me

Like.

some counties here in cali, use welfare recipients to man the separation belts

The problem of recycling plastics is huge and the finished product is of limited use because:

• Good segregation is very difficult and there are many classes of the same type of plastic
• Different plastics have different melting points
• Molten plastic can be a liquid or malleable
• Cured plastics ain't able to be melted
• Often the product has UV damage
• The same product has several types of plastic in it
• Metal inserts are moulded in

Making pizza box and concrete reinforcing spacers is about all its good for and any other product has to be massive to ensure sufficient strength. Also it can damage expensive molding machines because of the above.

I see that car manufacturers are now bar coding parts to assist recycling and it would be useful if a trace element could be put in the plastic to identify it. Anyone any ideas?

We have deposits here in South Australia (10c) and very few cans and bottles are dumped, charities collect them. The soft drink manufacturers make a big fuss, but it's been in place for 30 years now.

When ever I see people drinking bottled water in non-third world countries I cringe, I believe it takes 3 times as much water to make the bottle than they put in it. Recycling isn't new they used to collect, wash and reuse milk bottles.

Tony

Sir,

I am vijayakumar from -CHENNAI. Sir, it is true . the Garbage contains various types of plastics, etc. Sir,but we should remember we are not going to store milk in this. These are are various composites come s- eg wood flour can be put along with this, melted etc, waste rubber / tyre etc can be melted with this & made in to a new composite. In fact in USA there is new plastic available like this , though it is expensive that a new wood. Besides we can try to pyrolyse these & try to make out some chemicals , so that they can be used in different places. In India - all these PET bottles are mostly recycled at least in Cities.What I want to make a point is --- if a better commercial use is found out then people will demand money for the scrap. Also they can be taxed. eg In India Disele is less taxed - because it is mostly for trucks, buses etc. Govt wants less burden on people. Now all the Car companies have churned Diesel versions of car. Govt should have put a tax on the Diesel cars it self. Like this Govt can also push people to be more envoirment friendly. But we have to accept that the developed countries like US / europe etc consume or rather waste lot of plastic, much of them can be put to reuse. recycle - provided they wish.

This technology may be proprietary. Mike Biddel, for instance, is opening big factories all over the world MINING this stuff. Here is a link to his TED talk on this very subject.

Although I understand the idea of providing work for the poorest of the poor, I don't think the way we are doing it now works well for plastics. Separating the materials at the household level often puts the poorest out of work. A properly run recycling factory will put them back to work in a cleaner and more sustainable fashion.

Twenty years ago, Mike Biddel started in his garage developing tools which can separate plastics from each other. He grinds the plastic down and separates out the plastic in a process similar to mining technology.

It may be a good idea to talk to him and find out how he does it.

Or alternatively, your municipality can get a turn key operation with proven success installed. After that, it is just a matter of paying workers and maintenance people out of the profits.

Sounds like "mining" this stuff is not economical yet. Suggest separating the good stuff prior to dumping. Mix the non-recovered with dirt, sand, bio-degradeable trash, etc., and build a park, golf course, trees, flowers, use for "fill" dirt, and the like.

Did you even READ those links? Mining plastics is a tenth the cost of making it new.

The obvious solution is to ban the use of plastic bags and styrofoams due to their detriment to the environment. Increase the CRV per pound recycle rate for a period of time during the ban process. Educate and promote use of recyclable replacement of plastic materials. Industries moral responsibility is to create recycleable, environmental-biodegradeable product.

In a society where labor is currently available I would endulge hand separation-sorting centers that provide sanitary protection and various sifters, strainers, and rotary tools to sort and spread the refuse from where the hand pickers can provide selective collection.

I concur. Good answer. (damn...a reply to TWO anonomous posters! Oh my! Thats not like ME at ALL! I'll try not to make a habit of it since generally speaking, I consider all anonomous posters as trolls and spammers. But obviously, not in this case.)

As per video and his website, most of the scraps he recovers are blowing and injection grade, which is basically a lot thicker than film waste. Can Mike Biddle apply it on film waste? I sincerely hope so. I will try to send him an email.

Film waste to my understanding is separated by air blast.

Its a mechanical process.

Labour intensive tasks are best performed with cheap human labour. You are in the Philipines right? What's the problem?

The cost of segregating the plastic film waste via simple manual segregation falls below break even point. The time to segregate a kilo of thin plastic bottles is a quarter or probably less, than the time to segregate the plastic dilm waste because it is thin and light in weight.

Your comment is focused upon the retrieval costs of the plastics but what about the value or profits gained from the remaining elements? I would be more concerned about the jobs created for those who are not working at all but willing to put in an honest day of work. Many centavos add up to pesos.

There are no absoluts or best solution except to eliminate the source of the condition. As with RoHS --if you make it..be responsible to dispose of it.