Instameat t1_isknwfj wrote on October 16, 2022 at 6:24 PM

We will eventually have a garbage planet in space just like we made an island on earth. I picture it to be like the planet of Junk from Transformers, but with more plastic.

Tomycj t1_islk92w wrote on October 16, 2022 at 9:55 PM

A planet made of waste would actually be full of useful industrial resources.

noseboy1 t1_isnb6sf wrote on October 17, 2022 at 7:08 AM

Seriously, I think a lot of people in this discussion are overlooking the fact that waste at its core could be a resource.

We're far from this being a problem, but eventually in a multi planet society we might have to start considering the impact of planetary erosion. Everything from industrial waste to human waste being transported off planet is elements of the periodic table being removed from what was a closed system.

Again, scale comes into play: it would take a long time and tremendous amount getting off world, but I think writing off any potential exploitation of resources to the point of exhaustion should be taken seriously. Just ask the world's fresh water supply...

Edit: This is also why I think mining asteroids should be higher on our list than settling Mars. Not to mention spinning up a NEO industry would make planetary travel a lot easier.