Capstones
Graduation Date
Fall 12-13-2021
Grading Professor
Emily Laber-Warren
Subject Concentration
Arts & Culture
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Abstract
Plastics production and incineration contributes more than 850 million metric tons to the emissions that are causing climate change. Emissions are growing at a moment when scientists and world leaders are in agreement that they need to dramatically decrease. Environmentalists say that plastic production makes up 4.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. New plastic plants opening in the U.S. do not line up with emission reduction goals.
At the end of plastics’ lives, a lot of what we’re putting into our recycling bins isn’t getting recycled. In fact, only 18% of trash from New York City homes is actually recycled. Some of it is just too small to be separated, and some types of plastics are not recyclable at all.
Further, the Department of Sanitation estimates the cost of collection of recyclables at $686 per ton. New York City taxpayers are the ones paying for it. It’s simply too inefficient and costly to try to recycle everything. Therefore, a lot of the plastic we throw into blue bins ends up getting diverted to landfills where it takes hundreds of years to break down.
New York State senators are working on a potential aide to fighting our plastic crisis. A new bill that employs the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility is designed to shift the financial burden of waste and recycling recovery from taxpayers to the producers.
Another potential solution is biodegradable plastics. Scientists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with single-use plastics that can biodegrade and compost over time – instead of becoming indestructible litter. The Salt Lot Community Compost site in Gowanus, Brooklyn goes through twelve thousand pounds of food scraps every week. Little bits of faded green biodegradable plastic bags are scattered among their composting piles.
Clark Adomaitis reports on emissions from plastic production, biodegradable plastics, and extended producer responsibility with an NYC focus via audio, photo, and text.
https://cadomaitis.journodev.com/
Recommended Citation
Adomaitis, Clark S., "Plastic Recycling Is Inefficient and Expensive" (2021). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/531
Only 18% of trash from New York City homes is actually recycled. Some of it is just too small to be separated, and some types of plastics are not recyclable at all. A lot of the plastic we throw in the blue bin ends up getting diverted to landfills where it takes hundreds of years to break down. On top of this, we are the ones footing the bill. The Department of Sanitation estimates the cost of collection of recyclables at $686 per ton, and NYC taxpayers are the ones paying for it. A bill is on the New York State Senate floor for 2022 that is designed to shift the financial burden of waste and recycling recovery from taxpayers to the producers. Reported by Clark Adomaitis, music by Clark Adomaitis. Intro voiced by Denny Jacob.
AUDIO_Adomaitis_Clark_Biodegradable.wav (100899 kB)
Biodegradable plastics with an NYC focus -- Every year, about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans. However, scientists and entrepreneurs are experimenting with single-use plastics that can biodegrade and compost over time – instead of becoming indestructible litter. The Salt Lot Community Compost site in Gowanus, Brooklyn goes through twelve thousand pounds of food scraps every week. Among the Salt Lot’s composting piles, you can see little bits of faded green plastic. These are biodegradable plastic bags. Reported by Clark Adomaitis, music by Clark Adomaitis.
PHOTO_Adomaitis_Clark_sequence1.jpg (3517 kB)
Glass Bottle Beach in Brooklyn - a beach built on top of an eroding landfill by Robert Moses in the 1950s. Photo by Clark Adomaitis, October 2020, Brooklyn, NY.
PHOTO_Adomaitis_Clark_sequence2.jpg (2370 kB)
Inside Sims Municipal Recycling Facility. This is where ALL of NYC’s residential “blue bin” recycling goes – that’s plastic, metal, and glass. The conveyor belts separate the waste stream based on size, weight, color, and magnetism. Photos by Clark Adomaitis, November 2021, Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY.
PHOTO_Adomaitis_Clark_sequence3.jpg (2205 kB)
At the Salt Lot Community Compost Facility, Xander Shaw is the Director of Operations. He often finds biodegradable plastic bags amongst the food scrap bins he receives from around the city. He will include them in his compost piles, but as long as they are mixed in with plenty of other compostable goods. Too many biodegradable bags won’t break down. Photos by Clark Adomaitis, November 2021, Gowanus, Brooklyn, NY.
Included in
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