I had the pleasure to visit a large waste treatment plant before, unlike the dirty, dark place people may imagine, the waste treatment plant is almost clean unless the place is stacked the garbage. I remember one thing that the expert who leads our team emphasized, which is that make sure the purity of biodegradable waste, such as table scraps and grasses. If the purity of biodegradable waste is high, this waste can be treated and then used in agricultural farming. However, if the biodegradable waste contains above 20% of other garbage, such as plastic, this waste can only be treated in a landfill, and even the cost is higher than usual. It was very common to see plastic appear in biodegradable garbage.
I envision a future that plastic bags can be separated from biodegradable waste, to make sure all biodegradable waste can be valuable. Even though plastic is hard to be recycled, the mix of plastic and other waste is less valuable and harder to be treated. To achieve this, it required more garbage education to evoke citizens' responsibility, and strict laws to guide the actions. I heard that garbage education is mandatory in primary schools in Japan, maybe we need more similar lessons.
#UnleashValues@CoSphere
Hi, S! I wonder and, unfortunately, am liable to doubt about those corn starch corn oil based "biodegradeable" compost bags....? Has anyone field tested them for "truth before advertising"?
And have you heard of "vermiculite"? It breaks down into fine dust. Have you seen bits of white round styrofoam-like particles about 2-3mm in diameter in store-bought potting soil? The intention of these materials is to lighten and aerate the soil for lighter shipping costs without compromising the overall soil nutrient qualities; it also lightens and aerates the potting soil as a growing medium for plants in pots and containers for indoor and outdoor environments, decreasing in weight significantly when dealing with relatively large volumes and weights of potting materials. I am supposing they are relatively harmless. Does anyone know otherwise?
Thank you, S, for raising your concern about plastic in compost and biodegradables - like vermiculite and similar light-weight additives in potting soil and compost, I was wondering, "Can plastic be harmful if it degrades in the natural elements into small enough pieces as to be occasionally ingested by animals?" The answer is yes, unfortunately animals are known to have ingested plastic. The good news is that ingested plastic is not usually debilitating due to the design of the digestive systems of most animals, but ingested plastic is still a very significant concern. Tiny plastic shards and shreds and flakes are usually too large and insoluble to be absorbed into the plant body of edible plants (the smallest flakes of plastic have been observed to be around 100-200 microns in width or length is my guesstimate based on direct observation of degraded plastic flakes turning to dust in my late Dad's "garage-workshop"). The cellular structures of plant leaves and densely packed cellular tissues of plant roots, generally absorb dissolved minerals like potassium and gases like nitrogen. Due to plant root pore sizes being relatively smaller than the size of 20 year old degraded plastic dust (first hand observation), degraded plastic is definitely a hazard to creatures who might unknowingly ingest micron plastics and some dead animals have been found to have lots of plastic in their guts (I would hazard a guess due to plastic flotsam caused by tropical storms?) By my direct observations, 20 year old degraded plastic breaks down into flakes mostly visible to the naked eye, but smaller pieces the size of dust or sand can get into the groundwater system - thus, I would surmise that generally, plastic is only to be used for very specialized corrosive environments (oceans) and degrades much more slowly INDOORS away from UV light and dramatic changes in temperature. Ocean wayfaring zippers where metal would corrode is a good example of responsible use of plastic (HDPE 2). As plastic tends to remain for hundreds of years as a solid (even if we are talking 100 micron sized plastic flake particles) and is not a dissolvable material in water, it is relatively harmless to plants. But it can cause significant distress I would presume to an animal or human if it were accidentally ingested. Also, degraded plastic can look very very unsightly to the eye of a high aesthete material "purist"when it comes to garden landscaping.
I would hazard a guess that although it is said that plants absorb microscopic and dissolved mineral and elemental gases & nutrients in water, should we think again? Was it for marketing and sales purposes? Or is it based on observable reality? Plastic particles that don't dissolve in water will be difficult to absorb by a plant through plant root surfaces because the shreds and shards of degraded plastic are observed (at this point in time) to be too large and solid to be absorbed by plants. Degraded plastic does not yet appear (to my own eyes so far) to have the characteristics necessary for it to be completely soluble in water and thus might not be absorbed by plant roots and leaves - at least at this stage of my observations.
Henceforth, we must do our best to invest in natural biodegradeable (or better, plant-based and renewable) "organic" materials like bamboo, wood, paper, hemp, pineapple fibres, coconut fibres, reed fibres, agar, sisal, coir, natural rope fibres like jute, rice paper, etc.
We might need a TV Channel! But I don't own a TV; I own a refurbished computer! They're all rolled into one, nowadays!
When plastic is recycled, it undergoes several industrial washings with water (water conservationists have something to say?) Water is the oldest "closed loop cycle" so to speak! Our precious planet recycles water naturally for us, thanks to the sun and the cold front weather systems - but what about "global warming"?
It used to be my comfort and joy to see a bit of snow on the peaks of mountains even through the summers growing up in Unceded Coast Salish Territories of Vancouver Island and North Shore Mountains of North Vancouver; Is anyone monitoring the longevity of each year's snowline?
Hi S - Thank you for sharing your experience! I didn't know that about biodegradable waste purity.
Thanks for sharing about your experience about visiting a waste treatment plant and clarifying some misconceptions