TIL Only about 9% of plastic ever produced has been recycled. - eviltoast
  • TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee
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    3 months ago

    I personally would prefer us to accept that plastics aren’t really recyclable. It’s better to move towards renewable plastics

    Err … getting mixed signals …

    What you are describing is exposure. There are plenty of build with 100% recycled plastic, so not sure where you are getting that 30%. I think you are perhaps thinking of the marketing material of PLA filaments that sell themselves as particularly ecofriendly because they include recycled materials, while I’m talking about builds made entirely out of things like recycled water bottles, which are made out of PET. PLA is more susceptible to exposure to sunlight, heat, and moisture, so rather than using it to hold beverages at that point you might want to skip plastic entirely. PLA itself is not recycled that much, but it is more biodegradable.

    • cynar@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Exposure can cause similar effects. However, the act of heating the plastic to the temperatures needed to melt it and defirming it also damages the structure. It’s particularly obvious with pla, but all plastics suffer from it, to an extent.