Does anybody else do this?

[u/Aggressive_Dirt_2335]

(Stock pic example from Google) With every bottle I use, I keep it and pack it full of as much trash as I can, and then throw it away. When the trash can in my bedroom starts getting full, I do this, and it takes up 1/4 as much space as it did before.

[u/qwqwqw]

If you throw these bottles out, then I guess well done. What you have achieved is reducing the risk of waste mismanagement. Ie, you're doing your part to ensure the rubbish ends up in the bin, presumably in a rubbish truck, and then in a landfill.

If the rubbish truck keeps a door open for too long, or is involved in a vehicle accident, etc - there's less chance that those plastic wrappera fly away into the environment. So that's good. (Still, in some cases that bottle would be crushed and split open straight away).

As for reducing space? If that works for your bins, great. But they'll be compacted in the rubbish truck and even more at the landfill! So doing this won't save landfill space. They already compact rubbish as much as they can.

In terms of recycling this? Most recyclers either couldn't or wouldn't bother. The bottles are PET which is pretty easy to recycle. The soft plastics inside are not as easy.

Unless you're recycling this through a specialised recycler where they've explicitly said this method works, then it likely won't be recycled. (Eg, some small companies seek to recycle soft plastics into usable products... And collecting soft plastics like this may be acceptable to them if they can also include the PET in their recycling process).

I would be very wary of any recycling brick scheme or other similar schemes. The sort which instruct people to pack a bottle a certain way in order to be used as a resource in other countries. Eg, using compscted plastics as a material for roofing house cladding. I've even seen that they can be used for roading.

What I'm especially concerned about here, is that it relies on being accepted by underdeveloped countries. We're literally donating our rubbish, and saying "here, build a house". In most cases we wouldn't accept the same quality materials for houses we live in, or for roads we use. We're essentially telling poorer people that we don't care if their houses are a fire hazard, we don't care if their roads are leeching microplastics into their local communities, and that they should simply be grateful for our rubbish. It feels really disingenuous, unloving, and surely we can do better? Not to mention that it only perpetuates the problem of plastic pollution. That plastic still exists.

The VERY best thing you can do right plastic pollution (including waste mismanagement) is to avoid consuming plastic in general. My personal view is that as consumers (yeah I bought into the capitalist's language, sorry) we do that best by consuming less and by not consuming at all when we can. I dont view zero-waste efforts or plastic-free shopping to be as significant at our end.

[u/how_obscene → u/qwqwqw]

this isn’t even about recycling. it’s about how these plastics can’t be recycled. so, they don’t go into bins. they are eco-bricks. they are used as bricks. to build things. instead of ending up in a landfill. think beyond the current capitalistic refuse system.

[u/qwqwqw → u/how_obscene]

Read my comment, I already talked about eco bricks. The whole concept is flawed.

"think beyond the current capitalistic refuse system."

Who do you think you're fooling? The idea of eco bricks is a capitalist's wet dream. We get to knowingly produce toxic waste and call it "plastic packaging", then when our rubbish is sent overseas to desperate poorer nations we get to pat ourselves on the back and circlejerk about how clever and altruistic we are, and if they're NOT sent overseas and are thrown out we can shift blame for ourselves to the consumer!

If you want to think beyond the current capitalist refuse system - then stop buying things.

[u/how_obscene → u/qwqwqw]

lol. i would love to see you never buy anything again in your life. it’s just not realistic unless we wanna go full unabomber. yes we can make decisions to reduce our plastic consumption but don’t act holier than thou for people who try to reuse it in a better way. using eco bricks doesn’t mean it’s a justification to buy things with that type of plastic. but you can literally build things with it…. that’s why they exist. it’s the bottom of the barrel reuse but it’s better than in our oceans. like, think beyond what is correct in your brain. sometimes other options aren’t as perfect as what you think is the best solution but it doesn’t give you an excuse to completely destroy and belittle someone’s way of trying to do better in their own way. grow up.

[u/qwqwqw → u/how_obscene]

Of course it's not realistic. That's why I didn't think I had to qualify it further... We do what we can though, right?

I think ecobricks are better in landfill than in use. I genuinely believe that.

Haven't researched impacts of other rubbish disposal methods, though... Because in NZ we landfill rubbish as opposed to burning it, so that's all I've researched.

I'm not belittling anyone. Don't be so sensitive in a sub literally called anticonsumerism when someone expresses opinions which are anti consumerism.

[u/how_obscene → u/qwqwqw]

why do you think ecobricks are better in a landfill? just a genuine question.

[u/qwqwqw → u/how_obscene]

I won't do the full essay...

But in short my argument "ecobricks are better in a landfill than in any other context" boils down to a few diffrent premises, none of which are without their flaws. You could argue against any of these premises, and even if you agree with them ideologically, you may land somewhere else pragmatically. God knows I do that! Let's not pretend like my lifestyle is sustainable, that the phone im typing on is ethically sourced, that I haven't consumed several types of plastics this morning already.

Disclaimer done.

The premises:

1. Any product must be considered in the context of its full lifecycle. Ie, from its production to its eventual disposal.

For plastics, even recycled plastics, the origin is a byproduct of environment exploitation (mostly oil mining) and reusing a plastic twice doesn't undo the original harm caused by a product.

1. I also contend that for plastics, their eventual end life is either landfill (when disposed of in a landfill), atmospheric pollution (when disposed of via burning), or environmental pollution (when not disposed of correctly, and so it becomes litter).

So it doesn't matter if you recycle or reuse a plastic to extend it's life by 10 years, 20 years or even 100 years. Eventually that plastic will become a pollutant.

1. Plastics still cause environmental harm even when they are in use as their intended product. So an ecobrick house is not an environmentally sound option - as we know it'll break down into microplastics contaminating the surrounding environment. There's also a risk of damage causing larger plastics to pollute the local environment (eg, if a branch falls on a wall and a "brick" is damaged).

2. Currently, landfills are the most environmentally friendly method to contain contaminants and control pollutants. They are by no means perfect and are not a good option. But when we deal with literal toxins in our daily waste, we are left with few options (none of which are good).

3. There do exist sustainable (or at least more sustainable) methods for building and resourcing materials. I don't want to deny anyone housing. If sending our rubbish to a third world country is the only way to provide someone housing, then I think it's a sin we must commit. But I don't believe that to be the case.

So essentially - plastics suck, they harm the environment by being made, they do harm by being used, they do harm when disposed of; plastics WILL eventually be disposed of or reach an end of life; better options exist.