[DEAD] Rubber Disposal Act

[Dolor Mortis]

Category: Environment

The World Assembly,

Notes that rubber, specifically vulcanized rubber, is used in many areas of industry.

Specifically wishes to address the increasing amount of old, broken, and otherwise space-wasting automobile tires piling up in landfills.

Includes non-biodegradable rubber used in other areas of industry.

Hereby

Defines vulcanized rubber as once natural rubber, and through man-made processes via sulfur bridges between hydrocarbon chains, is made wholly synthetic.

Defines devulcanization as a process that forcibly removes sulfur cross bonds between hydrocarbon chains.

Encourages member states to appropriately dispose of, or reuse products containing vulcanized rubber in a way that cause minimal damage to the environment.

Mandates that disposal of the rubber is met within health parameters and environmental protection criterion

Vulcanized rubber products are to either be incinerated, devulcanized, or reused at the end of their lifespan.

1. Byproducts of incineration, including sulfur compounds, CO₂ and other harmful gases are to be collected and appropriately disposed of in a way that causes little damage to the environment.
   Appropriate ways to dispose of incinerated byproducts are:
   1. Gas ventilation, either to storage or agricultural use
   2. Steel processing
   3. Rubber Added Mixture asphalt and Portland cement
   4. Sludge for metalwork
2. Byproducts from devulcanization are to be contained and appropriately disposed of in a way that causes little damage to the environment. Disposal of byproducts include:
   1. Sulfur extraction
   2. Hydrocarbon plastics
3. Reuse is constituted as rubber products being used for non wasteful purposes.
   1. Shredded rubber for landfill covers, lechate systems, and as a replacement for coal and/or coke.

Mandates that national rubber recycling statistics are shared with the World Assembly Environmental Protection Authority, and that said records are used to give improvement tips and suggestions.

Encourages member states to reuse as much rubber as economically sustainable, to decrease the current impact unused rubber has on the environment.

Urges member states to increase production of bio-degradable rubber products for industrial, civil, and automotive usage.

[The First German Order]

This act seems kind of pointless if you ask me.

[Dolor Mortis]

This act seems kind of pointless if you ask me.

Why is that? Is there a GA Resolution addressing tires or rubber.

[Imperial Polk County]

"Apparently I know very little about this subject matter, but can you explain to me a couple things, like, how does one collect and dispose of carbon dioxide, and exactly how can one safely devulcanize millions of rubber tires?"

[Araraukar]

This act seems kind of pointless if you ask me.

Why is that? Is there a GA Resolution addressing tires or rubber.

OOC: Well, then the subject's been addressed already. EDIT: Misread the reply.

[Gig em Aggies]

"Apparently I know very little about this subject matter, but can you explain to me a couple things, like, how does one collect and dispose of carbon dioxide, and exactly how can one safely devulcanize millions of rubber tires?"

Rubber can't be devulcanized but it can be incinerated and collecting co2 is easy with scrubbers and filters to capture the particles in IRL but here in NS nations will have far more magically and technological advanced methods unknown to Earth.

[Araraukar]

but here in NS nations will have far more magically and technological advanced methods unknown to Earth.

OOC: Some nations do. Others are less advanced and thus can't do "scrubbers" of any kind. And while most nations may be more or less on par with RL, not all RL nations can afford to have cleantech solutions either.

[Dolor Mortis]

"Apparently I know very little about this subject matter, but can you explain to me a couple things, like, how does one collect and dispose of carbon dioxide, and exactly how can one safely devulcanize millions of rubber tires?"

While it is not an instant process, devulcanization would be used on tires already in landfills, it would also be a gradual process to allow for environmentally friendly tires. Since most old tires are burned for fuel, just ship them to power plants or somewhere, just not in a landfill waiting to be buried

[Dolor Mortis]

The simplest solution is to funnel it someplace else, like an adjacent greenhouse for the CO2.

[Imperial Polk County]

"Apparently I know very little about this subject matter, but can you explain to me a couple things, like, how does one collect and dispose of carbon dioxide, and exactly how can one safely devulcanize millions of rubber tires?"

While it is not an instant process, devulcanization would be used on tires already in landfills, it would also be a gradual process to allow for environmentally friendly tires. Since most old tires are burned for fuel, just ship them to power plants or somewhere, just not in a landfill waiting to be buried

"Okay, but that doesn't explain to me how to safely devulcanize tires. Does the process involve a lot of hazardous chemicals and produce noxious by-products? And, no, we don't burn old tires, we don't have the resources in our tiny little nation to build such incinerators, nor is it worth converting our power generation plants to accept rubber as fuel, so we export used tires to nearby nations, basically for free, provided that they reuse or re-purpose them."

The simplest solution is to funnel it someplace else, like an adjacent greenhouse for the CO2.

"That doesn't sound like 'disposal' to me."

[Dolor Mortis]

The tires could be used in asphalt mixes, shredded to pieces and used in liner for playgrounds and gardens, or processed for concrete aggregate.

For the tiny nations, however; exportation is allowed, as long as the tires are being disposed of properly.

Moving CO2 to a greenhouse for reuse is disposing it, or I should add that as an addendum.

Devulcanization breaks the S-C bond by heat and some additives, and pyrolysis takes the tire, incinerates it, and condenses the vapours as fuel.

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

The tires could be used in asphalt mixes, shredded to pieces and used in liner for playgrounds and gardens, or processed for concrete aggregate.

Teran Saber: "To be fair, using rubber chunks instead of gravel in concrete would result in a lighter concrete mix, meaning that tall buildings would require somewhat less floor support and bridges could be built longer. We wouldn't benefit since we've moved away from concrete entirely, but nations that still use it would greatly benefit from this."

"Although wouldn't it be more effective to use an even lighter material in such a way, such as ABS plastic or styrofoam?"

For the tiny nations, however; exportation is allowed, as long as the tires are being disposed of properly.

Teran Saber: "How can you be sure of that? WA resolutions only affect WA members - how would you stop a WA member from simply exporting their tires to a non-member that would then incinerate them in a non-compliant manner, or just let them sit in landfills?"

Moving CO2 to a greenhouse for reuse is disposing it.

Teran Saber: "That's... not as simple as you'd think. Sure, plants utilize CO₂ and produce diatomic oxygen. Problem is, they can only handle so much CO₂, and only during photosynthesis. You'd need a VERY large greenhouse to handle the output of an incinerator."

"And on a general note, what if a spacefaring nation were to simply deposit their garbage on an airless rock designated as a dumping ground? While it's crude, and the Greater Siriusian Domain wouldn't just waste planets and moons like that, it's not out of the realm of possibility. It's efficient and localizes the resulting pollution to a planet that wouldn't be affected by it in the first place."

[Dolor Mortis]

Teran Saber: "To be fair, using rubber chunks instead of gravel in concrete would result in a lighter concrete mix, meaning that tall buildings would require somewhat less floor support and bridges could be built longer. We wouldn't benefit since we've moved away from concrete entirely, but nations that still use it would greatly benefit from this."

"Although wouldn't it be more effective to use an even lighter material in such a way, such as ABS plastic or styrofoam?"

No because styrofoam and ABS have too low of a melting point to be viable in cement mixtures. And as for the asphalt, melted rubber.

Teran Saber: "How can you be sure of that? WA resolutions only affect WA members - how would you stop a WA member from simply exporting their tires to a non-member that would then incinerate them in a non-compliant manner, or just let them sit in landfills?"

Either rework the clause pertaining to disposal, or come up with something different.

Teran Saber: "That's... not as simple as you'd think. Sure, plants utilize CO₂ and produce diatomic oxygen. Problem is, they can only handle so much CO₂, and only during photosynthesis. You'd need a VERY large greenhouse to handle the output of an incinerator."

True, I concede to the better point. There's always storage for using it somewhere else.

"And on a general note what if a spacefaring nation were to simply deposit their garbage on an airless rock designated as a dumping ground? While it's crude, and the Greater Siriusian Domain wouldn't just waste planets and moons like that, it's not out of the realm of possibility. It's efficient and localizes the resulting pollution to a planet that wouldn't be affected by it in the first place."

Since this legislation is primarily pertaining to the environs of living ecosystems, an airless rock in the middle of nowhere is not affecting the local environment of your people.

[Herby]

Wait wait wait what? D’awww c’mon man! How’d ya like it if I went an’ proposed a resolution to regulate your toenail clippings? You know how hazardous those are to our soft tire compounds? This is spec...ist..... specie...ism..... spe... ehhhh this ain’t right! Okay okay ya know what I’m just gonna let it go for now but I swear one more anti-car proposal and I’m gonna write a proposal to outlaw tennis shoes!

Hmph.

Silly slaver-driver humans, ooooh I just wanna MMMPH!!! No no no no ehhhh nope, promised I wouldn’t make another human roadkill joke.......

[Dolor Mortis]

Wait wait wait what? D’awww c’mon man! How’d ya like it if I went an’ proposed a resolution to regulate your toenail clippings? You know how hazardous those are to our soft tire compounds? This is spec...ist..... specie...ism..... spe... ehhhh this ain’t right! Okay okay ya know what I’m just gonna let it go for now but I swear one more anti-car proposal and I’m gonna write a proposal to outlaw tennis shoes!

Hmph.

Silly slaver-driver humans, ooooh I just wanna MMMPH!!! No no no no ehhhh nope, promised I wouldn’t make another human roadkill joke.......

Haha haha. That is funny. Its not an anti car proposal, just regulating the existing problem.

[Dolor Mortis]

Are there any serious problems with the Act?

[The Greater Siriusian Domain]

Since this legislation is primarily pertaining to the environs of living ecosystems, an airless rock in the middle of nowhere is not affecting the local environment of your people.

Teran Saber: "I don't think you understand how WA legislation works. Even if your intent is to only protect living ecosystems, this proposal would have an effect on the entirety of a nation, including any airless rocks that may be used as dumping grounds under the control of said nation (OOC: to note, the Outer Space Treaty doesn't exist on NationStates, and even if it did I doubt a spacefaring nation originating from a planet other than Earth would even know of or be affected by it anyway), unless otherwise stated."

[Araraukar]

Are there any serious problems with the Act?

OOC: Yes. Pretty much all of it.

There's no such category as "Industry", and the one you're likely to want (hint: the anti-industry one, most likely), doesn't have strengths.

Proposal rules: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=159348
Second post of the thread deals with categories. Please educate yourself.

Your preamble should contain arguments that you use to make your case on this being an international issue and of why it needs to be legislated upon. Move the definitions to after the "Hereby" (which doesn't need to be capitalized), as they're active clause language ("defines" rather than "defining"), and same for the "Includes" clause.

Currently your preamble consists of these:

Notes that rubber, specifically vulcanized rubber, is used in many areas of industry.

Specifically wishes to address the increasing amount of old, broken, and otherwise space-wasting automobile tires piling up in landfills.

Neither of which is anywhere close to a viable reason why it should be taken as an international issue. Also, that latter assumes that tyres are not already recycled, which sounds stupid, considering that they have dozens of very viable applications even in Real Life.

Now, as for the active clauses, either your special wish in preamble lies or you just forgot it exists, since the active clauses never mention rubber tyres. If you aren't focusing on tyres, then remember that everything you mandate should also apply on used latex condoms. (And latex gloves from hospitals and chemical and biological labs, where they may have been in contact with deadly pathogens.)

As for devulcanization, I'm not convinced it's a viable method even in Real Life.

As for incineration and gas collection - do you have any idea of the sheer volume of gases we're talking about? You can't just slap a plastic bag on the end of the pipe and collect the gas. In addition to which, directly dumping air pollution on argicultural plants, especially ones meant for consumption, is a fucking bad idea. Sulphur + burning process + water vapour (either from the same burning process or normal atmospheric one) = sulphuric acid, which is no healthier for plants than it is for you.

Also, your subclause 1.A.iii. currently makes this whole thing illegal for RL Reference.

Additionally, tyres can be reused whole or partially whole as well, not just in shredded form, so 1.C.i. (actually, why do you have a number if you only have one numbered clause?) is a bit misleading.

The rest of the clauses do next to nothing, though I urge you to remember "used condoms" for every part of this that doesn't specifically mention tyres.

[Dolor Mortis]

The first try is a no go, I can accept the criticism. I shall think of another draft of needed legislation.

[Araraukar]

I shall think of another draft of needed legislation.

OOC: I would suggest partaking the drafting process on other people's threads first. Asking questions and making comments. Get the feel of it before trying your very own proposal (again).