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this post was submitted on 28 Jul 2023
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Environment
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The claim is medical supplies may need to be made from virgin plastic.
I haven't tried to verify that claim because I don't believe it matters. It's not an impediment to doing better immediately.
Maybe they do, but a great many mass-produced plastic objects are not medical supplies.
Yep, we're all in agreement that we should replace what we can and then work on finding the solutions to what's left.
I do wonder if there is some other material that medical supplies can be made from. It's a really hard problem: it has to be not only mostly but completely impenetrable to bacteria, not break down at all while in storage, yet somehow lose those properties once it's been used and disposed of.
Isn't that what metal is for?
Metal is heavy. Transporting it requires more energy and therefore generates more CO2 pollution.
Aluminium?
I'm lazy and so asked Bard, it said:
It is possible to replace some current plastic with plastic made from hemp and bamboo, but it is not possible to replace all current plastic. Hemp and bamboo plastics are still in their early stages of development, and they are not yet as widely available or as affordable as traditional plastics. Additionally, some applications for plastic, such as medical devices and food packaging, require very specific properties that hemp and bamboo plastics may not be able to meet.
However, there is a lot of potential for hemp and bamboo plastics to replace traditional plastics in a variety of applications. They are both strong, durable, and biodegradable, and they can be used to make a wide range of products, including food packaging, clothing, and building materials. As the technology for making hemp and bamboo plastics continues to develop, they are likely to become more widely used and more affordable.
Here are some of the advantages of using hemp and bamboo plastics:
However, there are also some challenges to using hemp and bamboo plastics:
Overall, hemp and bamboo plastics offer a number of advantages over traditional plastics. As the technology for making these plastics continues to develop, they are likely to become more widely used and more affordable. This could help to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and plastic pollution.