Logical Reasoning

PT114 · S4 · Q9 Consumers are deeply concerned about

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Consumers are deeply concerned about the quantity of plastic packaging on the market and have spurred manufacturers to find ways to recycle plastic materials.

Background

Consumers are worried about how much plastic packing is out there and have urged companies to find ways to recycle plastics.

Surprising claim

However, only 6.5 % of plastic is being recycled, whereas 33 % of glass is.

Evaluate

Given that ... consumers are worried about plastic and urging companies to recycle more of it, Why is it that ... plastic has a lower rate of recycling that glass does?

Maybe consumers are even more concerned about glass. Maybe glass is much more feasible to recycle than plastic. Maybe glass recycling has been around for longer so it is already common, whereas plastic recycling is on the rise from a % that was even lower than 6.5

Goal

We need to find four ways to explain why the % of plastic recycling is comparably low, given the consumer urge to see it be recycled more.

Each of the following, if true, helps to explain the relatively low rate of plastic recycling EXCEPT:

Many factories are set up
Helps Explain
The reason glass is recycled more than plastic is that there is more infrastructure already set up for glass recycling.
3% picked this
Many plastic products are incompatible
Helps Explain
The reason glass is recycled more than plastic is that it's less complicated to recycle glass (you can throw most different types of glass together, whereas plastic would have to be carefully sorted since many types can't be recycled together.)
3% picked this
Correct
The manufacture of new plastic
Why this is right
The reason glass is recycled more than plastic is that making new glass is more environmentally friendly than making new plastic? If new plastic depletes oil reserves, whereas new glass uses renewable resources, then we have even more reason to recycle plastic. So this answer either does nothing to explain why plastic is recycled less often than glass (since it deals with manufacturing new plastic/glass, not recycling them), or we could say this answer actually deepens the paradox by adding to the background (not only do consumers want more plastic recycling, the environment also wants more plastic recycling).
Skill tested: Paradox · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.
79% picked this
Unlike glass, which can be
Helps Explain
The reason glass is recycled more than plastic is that it's easier to decontaminate used glass than it is to decontaminate used plastic.
6% picked this
Plastic polymers tend to break
Helps Explain
The reason glass is recycled more than plastic is that stuff made from recycled glass is still just as strong as new glass, whereas stuff made from recycled plastic is structurally weaker than new plastic.
9% picked this

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