EnergyNewsNetwork OP t1_jcbrdfx wrote
Reply to comment by ImmediateSympathy752 in New Hampshire welcomes ‘advanced recycling’ of plastics as some call for tighter regulations by EnergyNewsNetwork
Some parts of the U.S. do burn plastic for energy (this national lab says about 9% of all plastic waste went to that in 2019 https://www.nrel.gov/news/press/2022/nrel-calculates-lost-value-of-landfilled-plastic-in-us.html). But there are definitely concerns that burning plastic could create a lot of air pollution, and it emits greenhouses gases just like any fossil fuel: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/should-we-burn-plastic-waste
Umbert360 t1_jcchabi wrote
As bad as putting plastic in a landfill is, doesn’t it serve as a carbon sink? Wouldn’t converting the plastic to diesel, then burning the diesel re-release the carbon back into the atmosphere, not to mention any other pollutants in the plastic?
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