{"id":1476942,"date":"2024-02-01T19:59:42","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T19:59:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/environmentaldefence.ca\/?p=43310"},"modified":"2024-02-01T19:59:42","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T19:59:42","slug":"burning-garbage-will-not-solve-the-plastic-pollution-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/02\/01\/burning-garbage-will-not-solve-the-plastic-pollution-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Burning Garbage Will Not Solve the Plastic Pollution Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"
You may have heard about a miracle cure for plastic waste that creates green energy in the process\u2014the mystical waste incinerator. It almost sounds too good to be true, doesn\u2019t it? Well, unfortunately, that\u2019s because it is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n We know how many people want to rid the world of plastic waste and shift to sustainable energy. We want that too. And, in theory, we can see why burning garbage to generate energy might seem like the answer. But there really is no miracle cure for waste. The only solution to the plastic pollution crisis is to stop plastic waste before it starts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n We understand you probably have some burning questions about waste incinerators. We\u2019re here to answer them.<\/span><\/p>\n The short answer is no.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nobody likes landfills. They\u2019re smelly and take up a lot of space. As the waste breaks down, it generates climate-warming emissions, including methane. The main purpose of the landfill is to take your garbage away so you don\u2019t have to think about it anymore\u2014<\/span>unless you happen to live nearby<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But let\u2019s be clear: burning plastic is not a safe, green or economic alternative to landfills.<\/p>\n It may seem like waste takes up less space if you burn it, but all we\u2019re really doing is transforming that waste into something else that\u2019s just as bad\u2026and sometimes worse. Burning waste\u2014especially plastic waste\u2014generates toxic and climate-warming gases that fill our air, our lungs and our atmosphere, warming the climate and making people sick. And then there\u2019s the 20 per cent or so that\u2019s left over as ash that still has to be landfilled in the end.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The terrible truth is that incinerators <\/span>tend to be located in vulnerable communities<\/span><\/a> with higher-than-average proportions of low-income people, people of colour, and\/or Indigenous people. These communities are often already exposed to lots of air pollution from things like other industries, airports, and nearby highways. What\u2019s more, burning waste generates the most toxic substances known to science, <\/span>dioxins and furans<\/span><\/a>. These toxic chemicals accumulate in the environment and our bodies, causing cancer and other diseases.<\/span>Is burning plastic better than throwing it away in landfill?<\/b><\/h3>\n
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