HavocNov 16, 2022
Thinking about circular economies and @hydroponictrash 's recent writing on modular repair and construction systems.
It'll be interesting to create a "reverse-LEGO" System, where System parts can be used to repair non-System products. Eventually, Ship-of-Theseus style, products would end up becoming entirely made of System parts as their old ones break and are replaced. To this end, you have to make sure the System is interoperable both with itself and with pre-existing products.
Further, it would be best if the System were not only easy to manufacture, but easy to acquire resources for. This is a big part of the #Junkpunk aesthetic, going out of your way to reuse pre-existing material. In the context of our System, this might involve anything from collecting screws of standard System size off non-System products, or searching for plastics to turn into stock for 3D printing. 3D printable printers and recyclable stock would be a HUGE jump towards making this a reality. #solarpunk
Show threadHydroponicTrashNov 16, 2022

@havoc Hell yeah, interoperability would be the biggest thing. A big gripe I have with most modular designs is that they are modular in their own ecosystem, but having a modular framework gives the guidelines enough to be able to have things work interoperabily, while also not needing to fit a need super strict standard or aesthetic.

Thankfully most stuff like screws are to a standard (for the most part) and can be reused. Plenty of proprietary stuff can't be reused though, especially if it was a planned obsolescence situation. But even then, we can look at it instead of broken, as just feedstock to use and remake into something else. Compared to just saying "eh fuck it it's broken", buying a new one while the old thing sits in a landfill for 500 years.

I've seen some amazing work by people making 3D printer filament recyclers that can turn some plastic bottles into 3D printing filament. Most of the same idea applies to most plastics. So when you print an object, and don't need it or it isn't repairable, chuck it in a shredder, melt it back down into fillament, make something new. No waste, no shipping, less impacts to the ecology. Way better than what we got going right now.

Show threadHavocNov 16, 2022

@hydroponictrash
> "But even then, we can look at it instead of broken, as just feedstock to use and remake into something else."

EXACTLY. The capacity for true recycling (returning an item into original quality feedstock, as opposed to like turning paper into low grade cardboard) is going to be SO important. We need to mentally shift the perception of a broken item from "garbage" to "a pile of usable parts".

I'm reminded of the novel Walkaway, where they have 3D printers capable of using a tremendous range of printing materials. Rather than gathering new resources for printing stock, they just build machines capable of returning rebar/plastic/wiring back into feedstock. There's absolutely no shortage of "garbage" right now, so it's not unreasonable to think we could see this in reality someday.

Show threadgeographyNov 16, 2022
@havoc @hydroponictrash feels like there are physical limits to this. First of all recycling usually produces lower quality outputs (with aluminum maybe being the exception?); second, it still requires energy and materials, so the economy can never be fully circular (circularity gap); third, recycling produces waste, which accumulates somewhere
Show threadgeographyNov 16, 2022
@havoc @hydroponictrash that said, I’m all for #JunkPunk and reusing existing waste, as long as it’s not used as a justification for keeping things as they are in terms of production and consumption
Show threadHavoc
@geography Definitely. For your first response I definitely agree, finding methods of recycling that DON'T lower quality (recycling vs downcycling) is going to be so important.
And not to worry, #junkpunk advocates for the halting of current production methods in favor of just using the crap we've already made under such an overproductive system.
Nov 16, 2022 at 6:30pmWeb