" The fact that plastics do not break down, and therefore accumulate in our ecosystems, is one of our major environmental problems."
Not really. Landfills are safe and clean and plentiful. Ocean plastic is a problem, but comes almost entirely from intentional dumping. Litter is a problem, but it seems silly to assume that someone who cannot be bothered to put plastic in a trash can will put it in a recycle bin.
The real issue is the carbon footprint of making/transporting items, plastic or otherwise. I'd like to see how this compares in that regard. If this uses more energy than just making new plastics it will probably exacerbate a real problem (global warming) in order to help with a fake problem (landfills) which, unfortunately, is pretty consistent with modern environmentalism.
Not really. Landfills are safe and clean and plentiful. Ocean plastic is a problem, but comes almost entirely from intentional dumping. Litter is a problem, but it seems silly to assume that someone who cannot be bothered to put plastic in a trash can will put it in a recycle bin.
The real issue is the carbon footprint of making/transporting items, plastic or otherwise. I'd like to see how this compares in that regard. If this uses more energy than just making new plastics it will probably exacerbate a real problem (global warming) in order to help with a fake problem (landfills) which, unfortunately, is pretty consistent with modern environmentalism.