# The vast majority of plastic that people put into recycling bins is headed to landfills **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728 "2022-10-25T01:24:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/121 "2022-10-26T20:01:44Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Easily dealt with. Use the money raised to increase the allotment of SNAP benefits, and the income level required to get them. I disagree that the answers to the recycling/landfill issues is more wealth redistribution. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/122 "2022-10-26T20:26:53Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Daylilies grow like weeds in most temperate climates with average rainfall and soil (hence the common nicknames “ditch lilies” and “outhouse lilies” You are eroding your case to use these as straws. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/123 "2022-10-26T20:42:18Z")
Whenever a shipment arrives, like from Amazon, I save the plastic airbags used to cushion the item. In my garage I have a large trash bag and I put them in there. I have a separate bag for styrofoam peanuts. I reuse them whenever I ship something out. The large trash bags? They’re plastic, of course. 😜 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/124 "2022-10-26T20:45:44Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > You are eroding your case to use these as straws. Hee, you may not want to think too hard about the culture of mushrooms. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/125 "2022-10-26T21:36:32Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Also, if we can reduce plastic back basically into the oil it was made from, it seems like it should be indefinitely reusable. If we can turn ashes back into wood, we can spare our forests. But reversing entropy to that degree takes godlike powers. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/126 "2022-10-26T21:39:10Z")
Or at least truly gawdawful amounts of energy. If we can come up with free (enough) energy, all other aspects of chemical entropy reversal get a LOT easier. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/127 "2022-10-26T23:06:47Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > We use cloth napkins, that rarely need to be washed more than once a week or two, and get washed as part of a larger load. I might have [some bad-ish news](https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2021/03/the-invisible-threat-microplastics-from-your-clothes/) for you. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/128 "2022-10-26T23:30:58Z")
How is an article about micro particles of plastic relevant to whether i use paper or cotton napkins? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/129 "2022-10-26T23:37:37Z")
It is extremely difficult to find textiles that have no synthetic fibers in them. Perhaps you are among the tiny minority of people who have. Or perhaps your laundry effluent goes into a septic tank. But microplastics from laundry are very much not a small issue. I believe I heard/read that most of the microplastic pollution in the oceans is from laundry effluent. So, you may be golden, but most people going that route are probably not. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/130 "2022-10-27T00:11:56Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > It is extremely difficult to find textiles that have no synthetic fibers in them. Perhaps you are among the tiny minority of people who have. ? It is not in fact difficult to find clothing and household linens—and of course fabrics, for the textile DIYers—that are 100% cotton, or wool, or hemp, or otherwise devoid of petroleum-derived fibers that shed microplastics. It is of course extremely difficult to find a large selection of cheap textiles at chain stores and the like that meet those criteria. No argument about that. But ISTM that if puzzlegal is using 100% cotton napkins—which really aren’t that tough to find—then their laundering isn’t contributing directly to the microplastics problem. What else may be going on in her washing machine I can’t undertake to say. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/131 "2022-10-27T00:27:17Z")
I’m not claiming my laundry is pure as the beaten snow. But napkins, like towels, are really better when they are all natural fibers – those are much more absorbent than cotton-poly. We used to get linen napkins, but those are hard to find, and always look wrinkled. All-cotton napkins are easy to find, in fact, I thought they were the norm. Honestly, I’d be surprised if anyone is regularly using (actually using, as napkins, not just decorating the table) cloth napkins that aren’t natural fibers. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/132 "2022-10-27T00:36:44Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I’m not claiming my laundry is pure as the beaten snow. Well, then you need to be using new and improved BeatenSnow ™ laundry detergent! Kills only half as many fish as other leading brands! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/133 "2022-10-27T11:05:17Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (We use cloth napkins, that rarely need to be washed more than once a week or two, and get washed as part of a larger load.) My new wife would have a word with you. Cloth napkins are _always_ use-once-wash-once. Emily Post Said it, She Beleives it, and that Settles it. Dishtowels too. [Where’s the sigh smiley when you need it?] ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/134 "2022-10-27T12:22:25Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > If we can turn ashes back into wood, we can spare our forests. In burning wood, you are removing the energy that is stored in it. That’s not the same as with making plastic. > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > But reversing entropy to that degree takes godlike powers. It doesn’t take a god even for turning ash back into wood, all that takes is a tree. But for plastic, there are other options: > **[Purdue innovation affordably turning plastics into fuel](https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2021/Q2/purdue-innovation-that-converts-plastic-waste-into-high-value-fuels-could-turn-recycling-into-a-more-profitable-venture.html)** > > Hasler Ventures LLC plans to scale up to commercial levels a Purdue University patented technology that may accelerate the volume of waste plastic recycling. > [@](#): > > The recently invented conversion process incorporates hydrothermal liquefaction and efficient separation. Once the plastic is converted into oil or naphtha, it can be used as a feedstock for other chemicals or further separated into monomers, specialty solvents, or other products. Now, I will admit that these are not commercial scale applications yet, and it’s hard to say how it will fit in economically, but the physics works just fine. I was aware of these technologies when I made my statement, so my “if we can” was not a question of whether it was physically possible, but if it is something that we are willing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/135 "2022-10-27T13:06:11Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > but the physics works just fine. Yes for sure. Other options are making component chemicals for other processes. E.g., lubricants, xylenes. They all have supply chain and transport challenges. But the chemistry works. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/136 "2022-10-27T13:21:56Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > (We use cloth napkins, that rarely need to be washed more than once a week or two, and get washed as part of a larger load.) > > My new wife would have a word with you. Cloth napkins are _always_ use-once-wash-once. Emily Post Said it, She Beleives it, and that Settles it. > > Dishtowels too. [Where’s the sigh smiley when you need it?] If you come over for dinner, I promise you will be given freshly-laundered napkins. Just don’t look too closely at the napkins at the seats of those who live here and she’ll be fine. I don’t wash the sheets every night, either. I suspect Emily Post had a servant to do the laundry. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/137 "2022-10-27T13:48:35Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I don’t wash the sheets every night, either. Do NOT giver her ideas. Please!!!1! I keed, I keed! but only some. 😉 She is a most wonderful person who makes me very happy. But she comes with some rigid and to my eye silly-wasteful ideas about both cleanliness and etiquette. It’s an odd combination of aping the etiquette of the pretentious upper classes of 100+ years ago combined with cutting edge levels of dirt-o-phobia. But dirt-o-phobia in the name of etiquette and elegant style, not fear of germs as germs. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/138 "2022-10-27T14:37:11Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Cloth napkins are _always_ use-once-wash-once. In this house we only wash cloth napkins once every week or two. Each individual napkin is only used once, though, we just have enough to last between washes. And do we ever have enough… Most of our napkins are reused material from worn out clothes, bed sheets, or whatever. Cut to size, sew around the edge, and napkin! The cloth napkins go in a small laundry hamper in the kitchen (it’s an [Ikea wire trash can](https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/droenjoens-wastepaper-basket-white-60460107/)). Kitchen towels also go in there. We go through lots of kitchen towels, but still only wash every week or two. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/139 "2022-10-27T14:38:18Z")
fwiw, my etiquette guide is Miss Manners, and she’s who told me that napkin rings are for the family, not for guests, and their purpose is to keep the napkins straight BECAUSE they aren’t washed every time. You might want to introduce your wife to Miss Manners. Her original book is slightly out of date, of course, but is probably still the best. She’s funny, but very on-point and makes both a strong case for the importance of manners, and also gives some good overall guidelines for how to behave. [Amazon.com: Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior: 9780393058741: Martin, Judith, Kamen, Gloria: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Manners-Excruciatingly-Correct-Behavior-Freshly/dp/0393058743) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728/140 "2022-10-27T14:45:04Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > fwiw, my etiquette guide is Miss Manners, and she’s who told me that napkin rings are for the family, not for guests, and their purpose is to keep the napkins straight BECAUSE they aren’t washed every time. That was certainly my go to reference author and my attitude on cloth napkins in the Before Times. In Certain Circles in my current home, Miss Manners is a dangerous radical preaching new and obviously apostate ideas. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vast-majority-of-plastic-that-people-put-into-recycling-bins-is-headed-to-landfills/973728.md?page=8)