We really owe it to future generations to figure out effective, energy efficient plastic recycling.
Why do we owe it to the future? We can just stick the plastics in a land fill and deal with them later. They don't degrade (much) after all.
Perhaps oil will become expensive enough, and recycling good enough, that it will makes sense to mine landfills in the future.
(I agree that putting plastics in the ocean or so is probably not a good idea. But that doesn't mean recycling is the only alternative, especially when it doesn't make economic sense.
Btw, most plastics also burn well. So waste-to-energy plants might also make sense.)
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Why do we owe it to the future? We can just stick the plastics in a land fill and deal with them later. They don't degrade (much) after all.
Perhaps oil will become expensive enough, and recycling good enough, that it will makes sense to mine landfills in the future.
(I agree that putting plastics in the ocean or so is probably not a good idea. But that doesn't mean recycling is the only alternative, especially when it doesn't make economic sense.
Btw, most plastics also burn well. So waste-to-energy plants might also make sense.)