Plastic problem
Plastic is found in virtually everything these days. Your food and hygiene products are packaged in it. Your car, phone and computer are made from it. And you might even chew on it daily in the form of gum. While most plastics are touted as recyclable, the reality is that they're “downcycled.” A plastic milk carton can never be recycled into another carton — it can be made into a lower-quality item like plastic lumber, which can’t be recycled.
How big is our plastic problem? Of the 30 million tons of plastic waste generated in the U.S. in 2009, only 7 percent was recovered for recycling. This plastic waste ends up in landfills, beaches, rivers and oceans and contributes to such devastating problems as the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch, a swirling vortex of garbage the size of a continent where plastic outnumbers plankton. Plus, most plastic is made from oil.
Luckily, there are simple steps you can take that will dramatically decrease the amount of plastic waste you generate. (Text: Laura Moss)
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Comments
We recycle all paper, cardboard, glass and metal. I recycle all the plastic I can, but some plastic items like #5 they do not accept. I need to find a place to recycle those items. Any ideas?
the picture shows that this is happening in africa its a pity we can't just manage plastic waste we are rather becoming more dependent of plastic use both young and old the awareness must be strongly raised and carried on
how do i share on my facebook accthis is a must read by all especially those in my country
hey MNN... why am I not given the option to post this on facebook? I'm only getting pinterest and twitter options...
Adding some new features unexpectedly caused a glitch in some of our features like share to Facebook. Our team is addressing it and will have it fixed soon.
In the meantime, sharing needs to be done manually, by copying the link http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/photos/16-simple-ways-to... and then pasting it in your status box. Sorry for the.... More
How about transforming empty plastic containers into useful items that can be used to replace items that otherwise have to be made for a purpose.
For example, all you need do to create a very useful capture container for material you wish to add to your compost mix is to simply cut the area of a gallon milk container in front of the handle free of the rest of the jug and you have created a partially open top container that will allow you to collect all of the trimmings from food.... More
Please either physically or mentally remove the 'it' and 'in' from this section of the second from the last paragraph:
"it deposited in"
Sorry about that and thank-you for correcting a mistake I should have caught before it was posted
Only 7% of 30 M. tons of plastic waste generated in America in 2009 was recovered for recycling .it means that only 2.1 M.tons recycled.27.9 M tons found the way to landfill,oceans,beaches .what about Developing countries? if you know that a plastic bag takes 20.000 years to vanish .so very soon people will find nowhere on the earth to be.stop using a plastic Bags for your Grocers,clothes,appliances .separate glass,plastic,carton bottles .do not forget to plant a tree.
El problema no es el plástico ya que cumple con su funciĂłn básica de servir la mayorĂa de los casos como contenedor.... El problema es el ciclo de vida y la responsabilidad de cada fabricante para con su empaque:.. Por un lado es necesario considerar como responsables reales a los fabricantes de todo el ciclo de vida de sus productos.... Y por otro, crear un modelo en donde el propio consumidor pueda coparticipar como corresponsable del empaque....Si vamos a cualquier tiradero y tomamos una.... More
And this is why I love this site so much <3
Ed, plastic is made from petroleum. Glass is made from silicon and oxygen--sand--the two most abundant elements in the earth's crust.
If it's true that plastic bits in the global ocean actually outnumber plankton, then a major source of our oxygenated breathing air is under attack. That Pacific Ocean garbage patch is now the size of Africa and growing with the growing human population, so the problem can only get worse until only those who can breathe methane will witness its global ignition. But of course "a growing economy is a healthy economy" even as it kills the biosphere we cannot live without (!)
The solution is to safely recycle 100% of all garbage, sludge and junk, and peacefully reduce the human population with family planning education. If not, ecocide will send us humans into extinction.
Glass is forever. Plastic, on the other hand, is based on organic molecules and eventually degrades in the environment, particularly if exposed to the sun.
Time was that motor oil came in bulk 50 gallon reusable drums and it was dispensed a quart at a time in a transfer can or a reusable glass bottle. Time marched on. Motor oil finally hit the shelves in aluminum foil-lined cardboard cans (not reusable or even recyclable, but at least produced from a renewable (trees) resource. Time marched on. Now motor oil is stocked in PLASTIC bottles and due to the residual oil in the bottle, nearly un-recyclable (cleaning costs too high for.... More
As long as cost is the number one consideration, the growing mass of all kinds of trash and toxic waste will continue to grow until our life-supporting planet is no longer able to do so. Then the true brilliance of human ingenuity will be obvious to all who choose to think about it, which given the ecocidal circumstances, could be no one at all, so given over to fantasy as most of us are.
Thank goodness for http://www.earthswag.com/
for offering the world a way to address part of this plastic problem.
This is a comprehensive and user friendly list - love it! I'm a pretty die-hard reuse person - for me farmer's markets and bulk bins have been a blessing, but the truth is you can't realistically do it all. I also have 2 little kids and have just started my own small biz promoting this same subject: www.grassrootzcafe.com, and I buy frozen food. Not tons, but I feel it's important to make decisions that.... More
Why is it always up to the consumer to change our ways when it comes to issues like this?
Hasn't anybody ever heard the saying where if you want to really, actually eliminate a problem, take it out at the source?
Shouldn't the manufacturers be the ones to stop using these plastics? Heaven forbid they lose a little profit in the process... although that's the reason it will never be put on them.
I know that these issues can be solved, and I guarantee it's not by addressing.... More
I heard on the Canadian news today (Apr 26/12) that annual profits increased by 30% to a BILLION dollars for just ONE of the 5 main Oil/Gas companies. How much more unjust & sickening could this be? Yet, the lowly taxpayer continues to get gouged & hosed at the pumps thru its collusion, sealife, birds, plantlife & whole ecosystems around the world are being destroyed, species are threatened, going extinct due to oceans, rivers and drinking water being recklessly polluted, Guilty.... More
If consumers stop buying products (decreased demand), companies won't make the products (decreased supply). As long as we unthinkingly consume products, the companies will continue to make the products. Why would they willingly give up profits?
...then the companies will stop carrying it.
this was a very interesting presentation. this is why we reblog your posts so much on our tumblr. keep it green.
I can agree with these ways to decrease plastic wastes as waste. In addition to them, I think social system will be necessary. For example, if customers return the plastic packages to shops, the grocers can't confirm that those are reusable and safe because they can't know what are in it before those are returned. In order to wash those plastic packages to reuse, a lot of water is wasted instead of decreasing plastic wastes. Therefore not only individual effort but also social system is.... More
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