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Plastic waste can be naturally biodegraded and/or eaten by organisms

Polystyrene

Polystyrene is a light weight material used for floating devices (like lifesavers) and as an insulator (in coffee cups for example). It can degrade to it's components (carbon and water) within decades. All it needs is exposure to natural sunlight.

Here is an article detailing this https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sunlight-polystyrene-plastics-marine-pollution-microplastics-a9150401.html (https://archive.is/Gu44O).

Note how they apologize for the results:

>‘We’re not saying plastic pollution isn’t bad, just that persistence of polystyrene in the environment may be shorter’

It's like they have to apologize to leftists who want to use plastic waste to control others and make white people feel guilty.

PET (polyethylene terephthalate)

PET is the a common kind of plastic. It's the kind of plastic used to make bottles for drinks (cola, water, etc).

Organisms that break down PET:

Polyethylene

Polyethylene is the most commonly used kind of plastic, mostly used for containers (plastic bags, plastic films, bottles, etc). It can be broken down by the following organisms:

  • Pseudomonas fluorescens

  • Sphingomonas

  • Brevibacillus borstelensis

  • Acinetobacter

  • Indian mealmoth (aka Plodia interpunctella)

  • Galleria mellonella

All of the above from the (https://archive.is/IZQu5)

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Can be degraded by fungus:

  • Aspergillus fimgatus

  • Phanerochaete crysosporium

  • Lentinus tigrinus

  • Aspergillus niger

  • Aspergillus sydowii

All from (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride#Degradation, https://archive.is/h3N6d). Also it seems that it can easily be broken down by HCl (stomach acid). As it breaks down it generates HCl also, so it seems that it works as a catalyst.

Plastic waste can be naturally biodegraded and/or eaten by organisms **Polystyrene** Polystyrene is a light weight material used for floating devices (like lifesavers) and as an insulator (in coffee cups for example). It can degrade to it's components (carbon and water) within decades. All it needs is exposure to natural sunlight. Here is an article detailing this https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/sunlight-polystyrene-plastics-marine-pollution-microplastics-a9150401.html (https://archive.is/Gu44O). Note how they apologize for the results: >>‘We’re not saying plastic pollution isn’t bad, just that persistence of polystyrene in the environment may be shorter’ It's like they have to apologize to leftists who want to use plastic waste to control others and make white people feel guilty. **PET (polyethylene terephthalate)** PET is the a common kind of plastic. It's the kind of plastic used to make bottles for drinks (cola, water, etc). Organisms that break down PET: - Nocardia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate, https://archive.is/aNZI6) - Ideonella sakiensis (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ideonella_sakaiensis, https://archive.is/f53f1) **Polyethylene** Polyethylene is the most commonly used kind of plastic, mostly used for containers (plastic bags, plastic films, bottles, etc). It can be broken down by the following organisms: - Pseudomonas fluorescens - Sphingomonas - Brevibacillus borstelensis - Acinetobacter - Indian mealmoth (aka Plodia interpunctella) - Galleria mellonella All of the above from the [wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene#Biodegradability) (https://archive.is/IZQu5) **Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)** Can be degraded by fungus: - Aspergillus fimgatus - Phanerochaete crysosporium - Lentinus tigrinus - Aspergillus niger - Aspergillus sydowii All from (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride#Degradation, https://archive.is/h3N6d). Also it seems that it can easily be broken down by HCl (stomach acid). As it breaks down it generates HCl also, so it seems that it works as a catalyst.

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[–] • 0 pt

Is there any reason why things like plastic jugs can not simply be sterilized and used again? They did it with glass back in the day.

[–] • 0 pt

Cost really. It costs more money to sterilize and clean the plastic than it does to just blow up some new ones. And the virgin product will be 100% guaranteed to be clean.

They don't even do the same thing with glass though, they break it down and remelt it.