Okay, a few things-
First, the fiberglass wasn’t in perfect condition , Between residues from the burnt resin that were left and the surface treatments on the fibers and the cloth that were lost, it’s not by any means perfect nor reusable.
Next- look, plastics can be divided a lot of ways into a lot of categories. And for this purpose, there are thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics.
What are they? Well, both will burn, one telltale of which a particular plastic is is that thermosets burn with a sooty flame.
Now, thermoplastics are often used with molding processes. They are shipped as pellets or similar, the pellets are melted with heat and pressure and molded into shapes. Exaples include the various polyethylenes which are Injection molded, roto-molded, what have you. Many thermoplastics can be melted down, made into pellets and reused/recycled. The structure of the molecules isn’t changed.
On the other hand you have the thermosetting plastics. The way those are shipped is in two or more parts which are then combined before use, new molecules are made and used a number of ways. Polyester and epoxy resins, are two examples particularly on point here, as are polystyrene and polyurethane foams. You can break them down and reuse them to a certain extent, but it takes relatively complex methods like treatment with acids or other strong solvents and what results is a nasty glop that has to be completely reprocessed. Oh, and they don’t just melt down and drip off.
Thermosets, well, typically they are not recycled. They are either buried in landfills ( bad, it takes a real long time to break them down) or burned. Preferably burned in controlled conditions, like power generation, where really high temperatures are used ( fluidised bed furnaces, for instance) to really break them down and produce no more than water vapor and CO2. Backyard bonfires, the combustion is often incomplete nad what comes off your fire is nasty.
Look, surfing may give you a warm fuzzy feeling. And I’m glad it does. But between boards, travelling to the water, wetsuits, wax and more, it’s not the kindest thing for the planet.
Something to think about
doc…