• LowtierComputer@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      Do you know what happens to your tires when they go from new with full tread to smooth with no tread? Adding some plastic to the road will add very little and may actually reduce some pollution since road-tire interactions can convert some of those plastics/rubbers.

    • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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      21 hours ago

      The plastic is already here and unfortunately we haven’t figured out a good way to get rid of it. So instead of polluting our oceans and landfills, why not use it for better roads? At least until we figure out a better solution.

      • hector@lemmy.today
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        51 minutes ago

        Because then it spreads everywhere, instead of being seuquestered into landfills. There are thousands of unregulated additives in plastics too, that get freed, into the air, water. Your opinion is astoundingly ignorant with all due respect.

        • dudleyflippendoodle@lemmy.zip
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          21 hours ago

          It’s already shredding naturally. At least this process contains it for longer than it otherwise would, potentially reduces more shedding from tires, and gives it some purposeful existence while we come up with better ideas.

          Better than just letting it rot somewhere, right? At least, that’s my take. Maybe it’s wrong, but it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever heard.

          • MyTurtleSwimsUpsideDown@fedia.io
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            20 hours ago

            Mixing it with a binder, effectively embedding it into a semi buried rock a seems like a slightly safer option than letting it sit out in the sun to be broken down by UV.

            • hector@lemmy.today
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              50 minutes ago

              Who is leaving it in the sun? It’s supposed to be capped off at a landfill. Where it is sequestered to some degree. Any other use liberates the thousands of virtually unregulated additives, and the microplastics themselves.

            • dudleyflippendoodle@lemmy.zip
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              20 hours ago

              Not sure there are any “safe” options tbh but I’d rather it serve some purpose if it’s just going to break down either way, for sure.

          • brendansimms@lemmy.world
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            20 hours ago

            and what are the odds that whatever company that is contracted to do the work does not use recycled plastic and instead shreds new plastic, because it is cheaper.

            • dudleyflippendoodle@lemmy.zip
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              19 hours ago

              I guess that’s up to whatever process is used by municipalities to decide between vendors, and would encourage you to persuade your local government not to do this should they consider this strategy.

              I dunno man. There are no perfect solutions for dealing with plastic waste at the moment. Until we have one, there are worse ways to go about handling it.