Thomas BaekdalA Reuters journalist put 11 airtags in shoes destined to be recycled, but found they were being sold in used clothes markets instead ... okay, smart journalism ... but... isn't selling them just as good... or even better? I mean, if you have a used pair of shoes, the best thing for the environment is the prolong their use before they are cut up and recycled. So, I don't see what the problem is here. It might not be what was intended, but the outcome is surely better?!? https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/global-plastic-dow-shoes/
Mike Masnick ✅@baekdal also, isn't reselling the shoes... a form of recycling? One that has little to no waste involved?
Michelle R. Smith@baekdal @mmasnick You should read the article. The program is part of a PR effort to make consuming more plastics seem more palatable to the public. The report finds the program does not appear to be doing what it promises. Instead, it’s exporting the waste problem. Some shoes might get reused, but the article notes a lot end up in landfills in a completely different country. The article also notes a track record of problems with similar programs.
@baekdal @mmasnick What evidence do you have that the shoes are wanted and will be worn in Indonesia? This paragraph is from the article: "The donated shoes that ended up in Indonesia have added to a flood of illegal second-hand clothing pouring into that developing country, according to a senior government official there, who said such cast-offs pose a public health risk, undercut its local textile industry and often pile more waste into its already bulging landfills."
@baekdal @mmasnick There's no game. The premise of the story is that the program they have is making it seem like there's a solution to manufacturing huge amounts of plastics by recycling it into something else. Reuters found that in practice, shoes were being shipped elsewhere, where they have a big problem with second-hand clothing being dumped and ending up in landfills. It's nice to think the shoes could be worn again, but is there any evidence that's happening?
@mrsmith @mmasnick I don't know. That is problem with the Reuters story. They did not find the shoes at landfills, they found them at varies used-clothes markets (places of sale). Would then eventually end up in landfills? Maybe. But at the point where the story was written, the intention of those shops was to extend their product life. But this is besides the point.
The problem I have is that I don't think we are focusing on the right problems here.