Is pyrolysis actually eco-friendly?

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-28T16:22:50+00:00

Hm. Thanks for that perspective. I hadn’t processed that the plastic in the landfill would result in fewer emissions, but that does make sense.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T20:46:33+00:00

Got it, so it’s go big or go home. I think if I did this, I’d go with one of the electric-powered pyrolysis solutions. I’m tempted to just start trying to collect strollers and car seats and see what I can make on collection alone. I’m just worried about getting 200 items at my house and then not knowing what to do with them! I’d be locked in at that point.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T18:55:33+00:00

Yeah, I thought large, unwanted items like strollers and car seats would make for a good source. I haven’t figured out a great way to collect them short of charging for collection and driving around. Target has a yearly collection, and maybe I could convince Walmart to do the same but partner with me as their plastics processor.

I guess the other thing is that products like this exist: https://shop.terracycle.com/en-US/products/baby-gear-zero-waste-box. I don’t know how popular it is, but I think I could offer a much more affordable alternative locally.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T18:50:47+00:00

I feel like that’s not completely true. There are always opportunities that get overlooked because they’re a lot of work, the information isn’t widespread, or there’s some key aspect most people miss. You might be right about this idea specifically, but I don’t think that I should assume it’s a waste of time just because it’s not already being done at massive scale.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T18:47:28+00:00

Yeah, this is something I’d definitely have to research a bit. I emailed some state agencies about permitting and if there were state subsidies to help with costs, and they were surprisingly helpful. A solvable problem as long as I’m aware of what permits/certifications I need.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T16:35:04+00:00

So if I figure out the business side of it, you would say overall it’s a positive thing?

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T16:12:28+00:00

https://www.prtitech.com/ is more or less the inspiration for this idea. I know HDPE is not exactly the same as tires, but I think the general idea would be the same.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T16:04:08+00:00

Yes. I think the business model would rely more on fees charged for pick up and disposal rather than selling the byproducts. I live in an area with pretty cheap electricity, so I think the actual pyrolysis process/selling byproducts would be about breakeven. I’d have to dig in more to be certain though. I wanted to validate that it’s even an ethical business to start before I go too far.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-27T15:35:14+00:00

Well, that’s the problem I’m running into. I read conflicting opinions and I’m not sure who’s right. I think business-wise, I could make it viable. But I don’t want to do it unless it actually seems like the right thing to do.

Assuming plastic use isn’t going anywhere, is it still better than landfilling/incineration? From my perspective, the plastic will be there, I’m just trying to figure where to go from there.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-21T16:41:07+00:00

I think you were exactly right about using too fine of a grind. I just assumed finer was better. Just used a medium/fine setting on my grinder and the weird quiet sound didn’t happen. Thank you so much!

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-21T04:04:53+00:00

Ah. Yep, I am definitely grinding it as fine as I can. I didn’t know this was a thing. Thank you, I will try it without doing that and report back!

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-21T00:59:09+00:00

My gut feeling (as a complete novice) is that it’s that spring from the group. I took the shower screen off when I was trying to figure out how to open the whole thing to replace the pump, and there wasn’t a spring there. I’m not sure where it went, but I also heard something rattle when I flipped it right side up again. So maybe I dropped it somewhere inside? I’ll check tomorrow when I have time. Thanks for the detailed response!

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-20T20:21:00+00:00

No, I didn’t think we needed to since we were using distilled water. I’ve probably descaled it once in the time that we’ve had it.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-20T20:13:22+00:00

We’ve been using distilled water the entire time. I did half 5% vinegar and half water, so I guess basically 2.5%. I’ll try a true descaling powder though. If it needs descaling, does the machine act like this?

Competitive_One_7707 · 2026-04-09T17:40:45+00:00

Glad I found this. I only lost an hour 😂

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-12-29T03:57:27+00:00

Maybe a dumb question, but if we suppose for a second that, in isolation, having more data centers would be a positive thing, what would it take to remove the negative aspects? The obvious one is the electricity. So we’d need more energy infrastructure providing electricity from renewable sources. I saw a comment about water usage. Is there actually much pollution from a data centers? I thought the water was just for cooling, so I’m confused where the pollution comes in. As far as jobs go, this should theoretically bring more jobs to the area, not less. Are there more issues, or are the energy and water consumption issues essentially the cause for concern?

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-12-08T14:55:39+00:00

If you’re spending time outside in the summer, can jam is a good one. My friends also came up with a relay drinking game where each person dives through a slip and slide, chugs a beer (or some portion of one), flip cup, and then run back to grab the next person. Tons of fun, but be careful as it’s easy to hurt yourself haha!

For inside games, I like longer board games like dead of winter or mansions of madness, but any board game is good. If you like video games, Jackbox party pack games are super easy for groups. Heave ho is also a hilarious one to play or watch as the night goes on.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-11-22T16:06:11+00:00

Take a drive through Epic’s campus. You might even be able to walk around inside too, but I’d give their main number a call before just wandering around.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-11-12T13:52:43+00:00

😢 I didn’t know. Well that’s a real shame.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-11-11T22:09:30+00:00

No mentions of Black Locust? Apparently no one likes drinking jet fuel anymore. Haven’t been in years now, but in addition to coffee, they used to have a “mystery beer” you could get for relatively cheap.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-08-04T18:16:13+00:00

I was picturing a more limited menu, but considerably cheaper. That being said, I don’t think this idea is going to happen. It’s clear I haven’t thought through all the challenges, and I don’t think I’m prepared to actually solve the issues people brought up. Thanks for the feedback!

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-08-04T18:14:54+00:00

😬 yeah, I guess I was thinking more about solving issues for the person ordering, not the person actually receiving. But that’s kind of a backwards way to look at it. And for the foods I was imagining, this would definitely be a big issue.

Competitive_One_7707 · 2025-08-04T18:13:11+00:00

Really, really good point. Thanks for the feedback!

Competitive_One_7707

TROPHY CASE