The Myth of Plastic Recycling
78,399
Published 2024-07-19
Patreon: www.patreon.com/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Leave a tip: paypal.me/GeorgRockallSchmidt
Twitter: twitter.com/grockallschmidt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025678273449
Sources
Our World in Data: Plastic Production
ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution#key-insights
Critics call out plastics industry over "fraud of plastic recycling"
www.cbsnews.com/news/critics-call-out-plastics-ind…
The Fraud of Plastic Recycling
climateintegrity.org/uploads/media/Fraud-of-Plasti…
Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life
www.npr.org/2024/06/09/nx-s1-4942415/disposable-pl…
Why most plastic can’t be recycled
www.dw.com/en/why-most-plastic-cant-be-recycled/a-…
Only 5% of plastic in the U.S. is recyclable. What should you do with the rest?
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2023/09/05/unrecyclable-pl…
The Age of Plastic: From Parkesine to pollution
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/chemi…
Microplastics are in our bodies. Here’s why we don’t know the health risks
www.sciencenews.org/article/microplastics-human-bo…
Microplastics have been found in the human bloodstream
www.henryford.com/blog/2022/04/microplastics-in-hu…
Plastic ingestion by people could be equating to a credit card a week
www.newcastle.edu.au/newsroom/featured/plastic-ing…
Plastic junk? Researchers find tiny particles in men's testicles
www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/05/22/12528…
A first overview of textile fibers, including microplastics, in indoor and outdoor environments
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026…
Plastic contamination in agricultural soils: a review
enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302…
Exposure of U.S. adults to microplastics from commonly-consumed proteins
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269749…
Micro- and nano-plastics in edible fruit and vegetables. The first diet risks assessment for the general population
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935…
Uptake and Accumulation of Nano/Microplastics in Plants: A Critical Review
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8618759/
Breathing Plastic: The Health Impacts of Invisible Plastics in the Air
www.ciel.org/breathing-plastic-the-health-impacts-…
All Comments (21)
-
Do you remember when they switched from paper grocery bags to plastic bags because plastic was more environmentally friendly?
-
Ah a good old existential crisis on a Friday.
-
Nothing in my life has black pilled me more than when I learned about the reality of plastic recycling
-
A CREDIT CARD A WEEK?! that cant be right, what about the 3 credit cards I ate today alone
-
But at least rich companies made a pot of money, so, there’s that.
-
I've read that of 4800 tons of microplastic produced every years in my country, 3600 comes from tires and road markings slowly eroded away into the environment. the next big part is coming from construction materials or even some building paint. plastic are used for so many things, it is like every single object we can own is part of the problem.
-
The line about us consuming a credit card of plastic is actually from a paper that says we consume “up to” a credit card worth of plastic a week. A credit card is about 5 grams and we consume between 0.1 to 5 grams of plastic a week, which is a very different claim. It’s from a study published by the Journal of Hazardous Materials, should be easy to find online.
-
Thanks Georg! I only follow you because of this type of content and think on the same lines pretty much. "It's the consumers who decide, consumer is the king" - being as misinformed as we are, so no we don't. We consumers are marionettes of the markets, some less, some more, but we're all lead by the marketing by industry and commerce.
-
When I first learned about the little numbers in the triangle logo, I immediately realized this is a scam. Additional differences in chemical composition aside, the practical impossibility of separating these pieces of waste into their respective groups just makes the whole thing a non-starter, with today's applied technology at least.
-
"Here's some of the worst, most existentially terrifying news out there. Don't let it get you down, though!"
-
Delicious. Thank you Georg, I needed some more bleakness this morning.
-
*Looks at plastic warhammer collection….* my god, what have I done ……..
-
This man just gave me some existential dread on my birthday. Thank you George.
-
Single use plastics should be illegal. In 2020, I wondered through a field which had been plowed to get ready to build yet more houses on the greenbelt. I think there used to be a farmhouse there in the 1800s, because I kept finding pieces of glass bottles and other pottery. I knew they were from the 1800s because I was able to Google and identify what the bottles and items were. One fragment I discovered was part of a ceramic toothpaste container….. let that sink in.
-
Fleece clothing made with recycled plastic bottles, etc. I bought a warm top to use when camping - come to find that each time recycled plastic bottle clothing is washed (by hand or machine), micro-plastic fibers are released into our waterways and earth.
-
Here's the thing. Plastics ARE Miraculous! Here's the problem. Every Miracle is also a curse.
-
Fastest click of my life. I've legitimately wanted to know more about this for a while now but didn't really look into it. Great surprise getting a video about it from one of the most underrated YT creators. Cheers
-
ohhh i was so upset when i found out about this. i'd recycled assiduously since i was a kid. dissa-POINTING
-
EVEN OUR DOGS HAVE MICROPLASTICS IN THEIR TESTICLES.
-
I appreciate that you can make these super informative videos with depressing but important news and still put in little goofs that make me chuckle almost every single time. You are a global treasure, sir. I thank you 🙏
