[geeks] Global Warming

[Jonathan C. Patschke]

On Fri, 19 Sep 2008, Sridhar Ayengar wrote:

> Recycling paper is worse for the environment than making new paper from 
> farmed wood pulp.

Recycling paper for use as paper, yes.  But paper pulp is useful for
plenty of other things (packing material, other short-use cushioning,
fertilizer (in the case of unbleached paper)).

> Recycling plastic takes more energy than making new plastic.

For petrochemical plastic, yes.  I like the idea of making plastic from
corn and cottonseed, though.  It's not terribly durable, but a large
amount of plastic only needs to be durable for the duration of a product's
trip from manufacturing to the consumer's home.  Imagine a world where
could have blister-packs that only need to be set out in direct sunlight
for a few hours to open themselves, where you could toss food wrappers
right out the side of your car because they would break down in a day or
two, and where could buy flower bulbs or seeds in dessicated plastic
packages with the proper fertilizer already there--just plant them in damp
soil, and the plastic will break down in a couple of days.

Oh, and the increased demand for otherwise unsalable grades of produce
might raise the profits to the point that we could convince farmers that
they don't need government blood-money to pay the bills.

Places like Whole Payche^WFoods already sell items packaged in plastic
derived from corn, which will break down in almost no time when exposed to
the elements.

> Recycling metal, on the other hand, does make sense from an economic and
> physics perspective.

Yeah, that one is a no-brainer.

-- 
Jonathan Patschke | "There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Elgin, TX         |                                   --Mahatma Gandhi
USA               |