Use those empty plastic jugs and bottles!

[VenomJockey]

https://www.askaprepper.com/15-survival-uses-for-plastic-bottles/

 

[Weedygarden]

Creative, but impoverished people are using them all over the world.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Creative, but impoverished people are using them all over the world.

Yep. I found a YT channel by a fella who is an "Honorary Professor Botany Univ. Ghent (Belgium)"
https://www.youtube.com/user/willemvcot/videos

The videos are how people all over the world use plastic bottles,tins,grocery bags,etc to grow their food. Its interesting to see how they grow everything in different containers

 

[Caribou]

I save some plastic for storing food, water, and various parts or liquids. The rest gets burned. I know this is a sin in many eyes but the option is landfill and I'm not willing to pay for a different poor option.

 

[backlash]

The amount of plastic in the oceans is mind blowing. If something isn't done about it soon we are going to be in a world of hurt.

 

[Weedygarden]

There is a man from Europe, maybe Denmark, who has started something called Precious Plastic. He has led people in various parts of the world to recycling plastic. Shipping containers are often used to set up grassroots recycling stations. Plastic is sorted by number, ground into chips which are stored until there is enough to melt and form into usable goods. There is a series of videos that he has done about the work. If the really poor people of the world could have access to the recycling stations, they could collect plastic and have it made into materials that they could use, such as bowls. I haven't seen it, but all kinds of goods could be made to help build shelters and homes for people. Dave Hakkens

 

[backlash]

Several recycling companies are shutting down due to costs. China changed their policies and now won't take a lot of recycle.
When I worked at a hospital they were very strict about putting only recyclable things in one of the dumpsters. I watched a garbage truck pick up a regular dumpster then he picked up the recycle only dumpster. All that fuss for nothing.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/Market-forces-put-America-s-recycling-industry-in-the-dumps-20784599

 

[Hooch]

Several recycling companies are shutting down due to costs. China changed their policies and now won't take a lot of recycle.
When I worked at a hospital they were very strict about putting only recyclable things in one of the dumpsters. I watched a garbage truck pick up a regular dumpster then he picked up the recycle only dumpster. All that fuss for nothing.

https://www.concordmonitor.com/Market-forces-put-America-s-recycling-industry-in-the-dumps-20784599

the small town closest to me has a recycling center. There was a article recently about how they are storing items waiting for a better price but are realizing due to this situation, prices are not going to improve any time soon and they are running out of room.
It will now cost the county more money to recycle the cardboard and alumimun bales they have in storage. It made me think that the cardboard could be used and made into logs for burning at least. Didn't a alumunim smelting plant have a recent cyber malware attack ? maybe recycling American garbage into useful items might be a good idea again??

 

[Sewingcreations15]

Yes @Hooch you can use cardboard to make paper fire bricks as we have made them and they are good fire starters. Basically with any cardboard or non shiny papers you can mix with water and swooge with a paint mixer on a drill into a slush and pop them in a firebrick maker and squeeze out the water and dry in the sun. Labour intensive but they are good firestarters and you can also put dried leaves and things in them too.

 

[Hooch]

I know I save my cardboard all season for use in winter as a tinder...Maybe this could be a renewed way to recycle used cardboard in communities as well as possibly a extra income?? cardboard to fire brick recycling ??

 

[hiwall]

Mostly plastic recycling is a farce. Actually most recycling other than metals is a waste of resources because more energy is used to recycle than saved by recycling.
We have never done any recycling at any of our locations where we have lived other than metals. I have always done a lot of re-purposing.

 

[Spikedriver]

Long ago, I worked at a plastic molding factory where we made food containers like what you get sour cream or yogurt in. We took any scrap pieces and ran them through a shredder and re melted them into new product. The problem was that the scrap had color in it so we had to feed it into the machines carefully and just a little at a time or it would mess up the color of the new product coming through the machine. I imagine that's a problem for much of our recycling.

I repurpose any jugs that are half gallon or larger into rifle targets. Filled with water, they make a nice reactive target. Still have to clean up and dispose of what's left though...

 

[SheepDog]

spikedriver,
Thankyou for picking up your targets after they are blown to pieces. I wish the guys that shoot plastic jugs, chunks of concrete and old glass jugs at the local range would learn to do that.