burning plastic, no, wait a moment!

[LondonNeil]

This is not a whitespider argument starter, honest!

I read something the other day, and have since tried to research a real answer one way or another to no avail. I also started this same thread elsewhere and just got argument and name calling from people claiming to be expert. I'll try again.

I would never burn plastics. its very polluting. At their worst they produce chlorine containing dioxins which are highly poisonous, very long lasting and build up in things like us. don't bun pvc, just don't.

however some plastics are basically just carbon and hydrogen, in long chains of various shapes, cross linked here and there and maybe with bit of oxygen tagged in. For example Poly ethylene, is just ethylene/ethene with few cross links to make veeeeery long chains/networks. poly propylene is similarly long chains. its kind of ...solid oil....or wax. Burn it and you don't get dioxins, there is no chlorine. like burning any liquid or wax, you'll get some sooty particles if its not burnt hot and cleanly, these aren't nice but if we are careful to burn hot and clean as much as possible we don't cause trouble...just the same as burning wood creates sooty particulates (smoke/creosote) of we don't do it well. So, here's the question. ...

If you burn PP or PE, how bad is it really? the reason I'm asking is, PP and PE are common and easy identifiable as clear or cloudy white plastic bottles and common in household waste, and I'm thinking would few strips work as a good firelighter? Or would they soot my flue or pollute the neighbourhood?

Now if course there are the modifiers and the dyes....but the clear/cloudy white bottles are dye free. Modifiers? not sure what they are though.

So, does anybody have a link to a solid bit of research on what is produced (and how nasty it is or isn't) when you burn PP or PE? and would a few strips cut from a bottle work as a decent firelighter without sooting my flue?

discuss (or degenerate into argument...but I'd prefer not!)

 

[motorhead99999]

Idk what’s good or not to burn as far as plastic. All I know is if I don’t want it and if it isn’t worth anything I burn it. but have never burnt plastic in my wood stove.

 

[U&A]

First impression of this thread.

strange topic


IMO, though it may be a hassle i think we should ALL try to recycle plastics.

I am not educated at all in this topic of plastics. But I do know plastics will darn near last indefinitely in the soil so try and recycle them.


Sent while firmly grasping my redline lubed RAM [emoji231]

 

[LondonNeil]

Yes I recycle them and would continue, I'm just thinking if the occasional bottle would make good and safe/clean firelighting material and reduce my kindling consumption then I would be likely to do it, but only if clean.

I use 2 small stoves, I'm often lighting them both each day, so I use quite a lot of kindling.

 

[uniballer]

IIRC burning polyethylene does not release any inherently toxic chemicals, but unless you provide plenty of oxygen to the flame you are likely to generate a lot of carbon monoxide. Not sure if too-low-temperature burning could also result in coating surfaces in contact with exhaust fumes with plastic particles.

 

[LondonNeil]

I suspect it might.

 

[Marley5]

I burn all the Amazon boxes after plastic is removed, it's being responsible.

 

[SuperDuty04]

With my power washing business, I go through hundreds of 1 gal plastic bottles every week. They all go to a recycling center at the end of the week. Problem solved.

 

[cantoo]

Recycling is great but have you ever checked into where your recycling actually goes? For years our office had been using recycling blue bins for pop cans and bottles. Every day they would get put into a black plastic bag and be set outside the office door to the factory floor. We found out years later that the guy that worked in that spot every morning when he got to work he would take the bag and dump it in a big "general" garbage bin that was 15' away. He thought he was doing a good thing. We did a rundown on all of our products that we were "recycling" and it was crazy where some of it actually ended up. Our drywall waste is made into kitty litter so it actually ends up in landfill at some point but at least it gets another use out of it.

 

[agvg]

Yes I recycle them and would continue, I'm just thinking if the occasional bottle would make good and safe/clean firelighting material and reduce my kindling consumption then I would be likely to do it, but only if clean.

I use 2 small stoves, I'm often lighting them both each day, so I use quite a lot of kindling.

Does not burn well as a firestarter, if you want cheap firestarter use diesel and wood chips, but you must be the kind of people that likes the smell of diesel usually not wife approved...

Sent fra min Nokia 7.1 via Tapatalk

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

If it burns and makes heat and can fit through the door, in the stove it goes.

 

[sb47]

I could be wrong but I heard one time that some plastics that food products are packaged in have to be a specific type that can be incinerated since many people burn the house hold refuse.
Plastics have come a long way and there are many types designed for specific uses. Many new food grade plastics are now made from plants making them bio degradable.

 

[Mustang71]

I usually only burn wood or wood based stuff in the stove. Whatever gets burned in the burn barrel or fire pit is a different story. In the non EPA furnace I had I would throw in a lot more stuff but not usually garbage. I know one guy who told us that he would throw tires in his OWB at night. I often wonder if the black smoke I'm making is worse or better than stuff sitting in a land fill for a million years.

 

[sb47]

I throw paper trash in my stove and those Styrofoam meat container's in as well. Particularly raw chicken rappers that start stinking 30 min after you throw them in the trash. Sometimes a paper plate with plastic fork or spoon. And all my junk mail and sail papers go strait into the stove.

 

[unclemoustache]

https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/18/18271470/us-cities-stop-recycling-china-ban-on-recycles


Recycling is not what it's cracked up to be. It seems like a simple process to us average joes, but what does the recycling company do with it? How expensive is it to turn recycled things into useful things? The outcome is not all that great.

 

[Erik B]

Our township had a single stream recycling system in place that would take almost all plastics. That has changed. We are only supposed to recycle #1 and #2 plastics since there is no market for the other plastics. If it is not number 1 or 2, it goes in the trash.

 

[Cowboy254]

Burn it and you don't get dioxins, there is no chlorine. like burning any liquid or wax, you'll get some sooty particles if its not burnt hot and cleanly

This might be an issue if you are using it as firelighter, it won't be burning hot. TBH, I don't know that it would really make any difference. I do know that burning plastic stinks and I would rather burn kindling but then, I have an endless supply of kindling that I would otherwise push into a pile and torch.

 

[greenskeeper]

plastics only when waiting for another supply of used tires

 

[Mustang71]

I tried this water bottle thing and it didnt do anything but melt into a blob and smell..? I'll keep the garbage burning outside I guess.

 

[Wow]

This is not a whitespider argument starter, honest!

I read something the other day, and have since tried to research a real answer one way or another to no avail. I also started this same thread elsewhere and just got argument and name calling from people claiming to be expert. I'll try again.

I would never burn plastics. its very polluting. At their worst they produce chlorine containing dioxins which are highly poisonous, very long lasting and build up in things like us. don't bun pvc, just don't.

however some plastics are basically just carbon and hydrogen, in long chains of various shapes, cross linked here and there and maybe with bit of oxygen tagged in. For example Poly ethylene, is just ethylene/ethene with few cross links to make veeeeery long chains/networks. poly propylene is similarly long chains. its kind of ...solid oil....or wax. Burn it and you don't get dioxins, there is no chlorine. like burning any liquid or wax, you'll get some sooty particles if its not burnt hot and cleanly, these aren't nice but if we are careful to burn hot and clean as much as possible we don't cause trouble...just the same as burning wood creates sooty particulates (smoke/creosote) of we don't do it well. So, here's the question. ...

If you burn PP or PE, how bad is it really? the reason I'm asking is, PP and PE are common and easy identifiable as clear or cloudy white plastic bottles and common in household waste, and I'm thinking would few strips work as a good firelighter? Or would they soot my flue or pollute the neighbourhood?

Now if course there are the modifiers and the dyes....but the clear/cloudy white bottles are dye free. Modifiers? not sure what they are though.

So, does anybody have a link to a solid bit of research on what is produced (and how nasty it is or isn't) when you burn PP or PE? and would a few strips cut from a bottle work as a decent firelighter without sooting my flue?

discuss (or degenerate into argument...but I'd prefer not!)

I've used ONLY wood heater to warm my house for 27 or more years.
Sometimes I burn brush piles as needed to clear land. I start lots of fires.

There are some good tricks for starting fires.
First, Kitchen used Grease or oil.

You can heat old cooking oil in a frying pan if you have a stove top.
Pour that right onto the wood. DON'T USE over 1 or 2 ounces.
Take a paper towel put visaline or something like that on it wad up. Light one corner toss onto wood making sure to light the oil.

Diesel.

I use a small metal can and an ounce of Diesel in the can. Then stuff paper towels or old cotton cloth into the can while forming a wick at the top.

Then I put that beneath some dry small sticks then just light the wick.
Add sticks as needed the diesel burns while. That works great for brush fires and might could be used in a wood heater.
When burning outdoors a bigger can and a few more ounces of Diesel works and burns longer.

Warning!! NEVER NEVER use Gasoline or ANYTHING with a high flash point to start fires.

Thirdly.

Napkins and paper.

Rub Vaseline onto napkin or paper. Wad up the paper to evenly spread Vaseline on it.

Light that with a match and add kindling.

In my wood heater I use small SPLIT firewood (dry oak) to start fires.

I saw Straight grained cured wood into 6 inch blocks.

I recommend never ALWAYS Use SAFETY GLASSES AND LEATHER GLOVES.

The I use a hatchet to quarter the wood blocks.

Take those quarters and split them a few times to reduce size.

Make some then the size of lead pencils.

Lay kindling Criss cross. We call it North and South logs.

Put paper towel with Vaseline between the first 4 pieces then criss cross several layers above that.
Set paper towel afire. When the fire starts burning wait until the kindling is fully engulfed and slowly start adding some bigger wood.

I use about 4 different sizes of wood.

The put I my regular firewood ontop of thr burning kindling.

I start with two or three pieces spaced an inch or so apart so air can flow and catch them afire.

Once I get hot coals I can add more wood as needed.

I also keep on hand a hollow metal tube 36 inches long.

Thats used to wake up hot coals when I blow air on them using the tube.

When im cooking I burn my egg shells, paper towels, coffees grounds even onion skins in the wood heater.

The ashes are put on the land. Makes good soil.

Your Question! Was!!!

My answer is no.
No plastic in my wood heater BUT foam egg crates are, at times used to start fires. They burn up and leave a big crumbly lump of ash which Simply dissapears when put on the ground and stepped on.

You probably know a lot more than me about Plastic.

I just know how to get by, thats all.

I moved here in the middle of a forest and built a 20 foot across Tepee. My first wooden Structure was a shed for tools and my Honda 3 wheeler.
My second building was an 8 by 12 building of my own design with a Gambrel roof and bedroom up stairs.

Later built my house and bought land all around me.

I still use the Wood heatet that I started out with.

Bought a new one several years ago but its stored in the barn. Just wasn't as good as the old one. Good luck. Sorry I ramble.