• bluGill@fedia.io
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    3 months ago

    You still need a lot of energy to recycle steel. Less than mining by far but still a lot.

    • AllNewTypeFace
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      In a sustainable world, energy can and should be cheaper than raw materials. We are only harvesting a tiny fraction of the solar energy hitting the earth, to say nothing of wind and geothermal power. Rolling out more renewables and energy storage and using some of the surplus power to switch from extracting new resources to recycling our waste would greatly lower our footprint.

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      edit-2
      3 months ago

      But compared to plastic from virgin fossil fuels?

      We as a society are going to need memory cards.

      What do you think they should be made out of?

      • bluGill@fedia.io
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        3 months ago

        Need to be examined on e case by case basis but plastic often comes out aheadi

        • Deceptichum@quokk.au
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          3 months ago

          If you penny pinch and don’t want to pay the environmental cost, sure plastic might come out cheaper.

          But when you take into account the triple bottom line, plastic comes out behind.

          • bluGill@fedia.io
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            3 months ago

            Plastic in a landfill is a lot less harmful than co2 in the atmosphere.

              • bluGill@fedia.io
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                3 months ago

                Sure but do you have any proof they are doing that? some places are really good and others really bad. Overall my guess is iron is still worse than plastic but there are exceptions.