Should all plastics that are made in the future be biodegradable? - Can you tell why yes or no?

Answer 1

That is one solution, but it implies we are still throwing it out! Since most plastics are ultimately derived from oil we should be trying to recover/re-use as much as practical! However, there are several problems with trying to re-melt used plastic: sorting the various types, contamination with forgien substances such as ciggarette butts, dead cockroaches, rotting food etc, and degradation from melting the material a second time. So it is never as good as virgin plastic.

The best way to recover and re-use would be to have either a process, or special plastics, where the used plastic could be easliy de-polymerized back to the original monomer. It is much easier to purify the monomeric materials as it usually can be filtered, distilled etc. These monomers could be used over and over again to make "new" plastic that would essentially be as good as that obtained from virgin feedstocks.

Answer 2

Not all, but it would be good to see a significant increase in the proportion of plastic that is biodegradable.

Some plastics are used for storage of highly toxic or corrosive or otherwise dangerous materials. You definitely do not want these ones to be biodegradable. However, any plastic that is intended for packaging or other disposable uses should be made biodegradable if at all possible.

Answer 3

I think the only sensible way is to make everything either biodegradeable or reusable/recyclable and/or useable as fuel when it is no longer useable as anything else. A more modular aproach to manufacturing could make most parts useable to build other things when the item they are a part of quits working. Most often it isn't the whole item that dies; rather, one or two critical parts wear out or break. It would also make sense to create things that can be easily repaired, and replacement parts should be available so long as there are any of the items remaining in use. But, this won't happen until there is some way to make this 'economically feasible'. I wonder how 'economically feasible' extinction of the human race would be?

Answer 4

I agree with the first answer and would like to add that products such as bottled water and frozen meals should not be made with biodegradable plastic. Simply cause I believe it will cause cancer if they are heated or reused.