Radio programme item on the collapse of the recycled materials market

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http://www.rte.ie/radio1/player_av.html?0,null,200,http://dynamic.rte.ie/quickaxs/209-rte-todaywithpatkenny-Thursday.smil

The item starts at 33m 40secs into the programme.

derry

Here we go again .Recycling is always prone to these glitches.It requires a longer term solution to recycling to get areal solution .As usual the solutions are just simplex find a place that will buy the crap and ship it there and let them recycle it .No plan B if that buyer stops to buy.

So now we have no buyer and a pile of rubbish stuff building up.Now it doesnt take genuis to know that as markets for these products build up again we can sell the stuff again if we wish . The cost of storage might exceed the cost of seeling though.The other possibilties are bury in a land dump or burn the stuff.Both solutions have problems .Land fill risks to contanamate the local water supplies particulary with chemical residules from plastics and things like chemicals inside the containers like shampooss cleaners oil products whatever.Burning offers short cut solution that if it works .However the risks from badly burnt plastics could doom ROI to never be able to sell any agricultural products.That is because Plastics badly burnt form toxic chemicals like PCB and dioxins.These type of chemical if they leave a furnace spread for miles around and contanomate the ground .Then they accumulate in the fats of animals in the food chain and finaly get into humans .Before this however tests will show this and ROI will be banned from exporting food stuffs possibly for decades .That is because these chemicals never break down for hundreds of years.

So if assume that burning or insinerators in ROI will screw up seeing as even in Europe they screw up its seems best to assume insineration of plastics inst an option .Burning paper isnt that big an iisue and can return OK fuel benfits . Metal washed and then crushed doesnt take up much space and can often return economic costs at at a later day justifing storage costs .


That leaves only one other option for plastic rubbish. That is to decide to recyle the stuff in ROI .We can shred it and make products like insulation. We can melt it down and make other products like fence posts or plastic products .

So its also good to try to reduce the amount of the plastic being made and or imported.Also there exists biodegradable plastics which can disappear to non toxic products over time .

So best I can tell the best solutions will be crush and store the metal .Burn the paper and cardboard.Recycle the plastic in ROI or find and or pay a recycler to make it into blocks or pellets as feed stock that can be used and sold on for making new products .

Failing that then land fill suitably sealed off is the next least risky solution for the plastic wastes

Others more up to speed on the subject may have better ideas but realy the garentees that insineration works are often shown to be lies as the accident rate in the incinetor trade with Plastics is very high with huge long tterm damage to the enviorement

Derry