The Inconvenient Plastic Bag

It’s not true, everybody isn’t doing it. I walk up and down the checkout lanes at Wal-Mart for over an hour to see if anyone would use a reusable bag instead of the plastic ones. Not a single person did. Even though it seems that everyone is talking about how “going green,” is the cool new thing to do, it’s still not as popular as it should be. I was surprised to see how many people still use plastic bags. Even to carry one little item out of the store, like a toothbrush, customers used a bag! I watched someone use a different bag for every single item she bought, which ended up being 26 bags.

Wal-Mart’s reusable bags only cost a $1. Not only are the much larger than a plastic bag, they are much more sturdy. I recently tested the Wal-Mart reusable bags by placing multiple items in the bag until in weight 30 pounds. I hung the bag up with the weight for 2 days. It’s still there and holding strong. A plastic bag wouldn’t have been so durable. We’ve all experienced a plastic bag failing us as and it’s usually a messy ordeal. Maybe that is why the woman in Wal-Mart used individual bags. A few reusable bags would have solved her problem.

You can’t use the excuse that you’ll always forget the reusable bag. I mean seriously, you don’t forget your wallet when you go to the store. Haha, okay so many once or twice but the majority of the time you don’t.

Place the reusable bags in your trunk and return them as soon as the groceries are unloaded. This way the bag is always handy, even when you’re going home after work and realize you need to make a quick stop at the store. If for some reason you don’t have your reusable bag, punish yourself. I’m sure that if you have to carry you groceries without any bags at all, you’ll remember your reusable bag next time.

Maybe you use your plastic bags in trash cans or other ways. Okay, well that’s fine because you are reusing the bag which is great. However that woman didn’t need 26 trash bags all at once. Until recently my parents wadded up every single plastic bag and placed them in a drawer. The drawer was packed and could barely open and shut. Whenever they needed a new bathroom trash bag they’d just get one out of the drawer, however the bags were multiplying more than they were being used. After a while they had no more space for bags and started a new drawer. I finally convinced them that they didn’t need that many bags unless they were planning on creating a plastic bag parachute. Now they use their reusable bag for most of their groceries and occasionally use a plastic bag when they start to run low in the drawer.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. The estimated cost spent on bags is $4 billion. If everyone bought a reusable bag (keep in mind it’s only a $1) and stopped using plastic bags, imagine how much money we could save! I think in our economic situation saving money is a prime concern to everyone. So next time you’re at the store, pick up your reusable bag usually found in the checkout isle. It’s time to get everyone involved in “going green.”

A Plastic Picnic

The weather is warming up and that means more outside activities such as picnics, baseball games, barbeques, the beach, Labor Day and the 4th of July. More beverages packaged in aluminum and plastic are sold during this time of year because of these types of event in which people need to be hydrated. Face it, aluminum cans and plastic bottles are much more convenient that carrying around a bowl of punch and cups. Even though I can only imagine that we just stop using plastics, I know that isn’t a practical request. If we must use plastic we need to make sure that we recycle these products. Recycling saves energy, natural resources and decreases pollution. Here are some quick tips for staying on top of recycling this summer:

Don’t Trash It — For your large gatherings this summer, be sure to bring an extra bag with you to collect bottles and cans. Place the bag next to your trash can and mark it so that people know you are recycling all those cans and bottles. Throw the bag in the back of your car and empty it at the recycling center on your way home.

Keep it Clean — Rinse bottles and cans before you put them in the bin. This helps prevent any unwanted bugs and odors during summertime heat! It also keeps the process of recycling sanitary for the people who sort and handle plastics at the recycling center.

Reduce Waste — Replace your large kitchen trash can with two smaller ones. Use one for trash and the other for recycling. This is a quick way to make sure you consistently recycle! Keep in mind that the recycle bin should be close to the actual trash can so that you see it. You’ll be surprised how much less goes into your actual trash can and how light your trash will be without all the plastic in it.

Set a date — By setting a date in which you visit your local recycling center every week you will keep your recycling bin organized and sanitary. No one wants to see overflowing plastic into the floor which only pollutes your house.

When in Doubt, Leave it Out! — If you don’t know if a material can be recycled, check your local recycling center or click here. You need to be positive your product can be recycled, or leave it out of the bin. Materials that can’t be recycled can actually harm the entire recycling process, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Spread the Word — Talk to your family and friends about recycling at home. Make a fun game for kids to collect recyclable products. Competition between neighbors or families to recycle the most can make recycling fun and gives insinuative to recycle; everyone wants to be a winner.

"There must be a reason why some people can afford to live well. They must have worked for it. I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use."
-Mother Teresa (1910-1997), A Gift for God, 1975

Recycling Activist

On a pier in California, British environmentalist David de Rothschild, author of Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, is building a 60-foot catamaran made from recycled plastic. This boat will sail from San Francisco to Australia. According to CNN de Rothschild cleverly named the boat, “Plastiki.” Plastiki is being created in an effort to raise awareness of the recycling of plastic bottles, which he says are a symbol of global waste.

Thousands of two-liter soda bottles are being stripped of their labels, washed, filled with dry-ice powder and then resealed. The dry ice sublimates into carbon dioxide gas and pressurizes the bottle, making it rigid. Skin-like panels made from recycled PET, a woven plastic fabric, will cover the hulls and a watertight cabin, which sleeps four.

“This actually is the same material that is made out of bottles,” said de Rothschild to CNN. “We actually wrap the PET fabric over the PET foam and then basically put it under a vacuum, heat it, press it and create these long PET panels. So that means the boat is, technically, one giant bottle.”

Other parts of the boat include two wind turbines and solar panels to charge on-board laptop computers, a GPS and SAT phone. Only 10 percent of the boat is being created with new materials, including the masts.

“The idea is to take Plastiki, break it down [after the voyage], and put it back into the system. So, it may come out being a jacket, a bag, more bottles. It’s infinitely recyclable,” de Rothschild said to CNN.

Plastiki is set to sail from San Fransisco in April, with De Rothschild and a few others. They anticipate stops in Hawaii, Tuvalu, Fiji and then plan to arrive in Sydney. The voyage will take about 100 days.

This trip is going to be over 11,000 miles and dangerous. I’m mean seriously, it’s a boat made out of plastic bottles…how reliable can that be? Out of respect for de Rothschilds efforts at recycling awareness, we should all be making those extra few steps to place our bottles into the recycling bins.

Make Your Plastic Fantastic

Recycling materials uses far less energy than creating brand new ones. Recycled plastic is used to make many different types of products. According to MSNBC, by recycling only one plastic bottle, enough energy is saved to power a 60-watt light bulb for six hours. Instead, many people choose to throw the bottle away. What a waste.

There is a bridge in New Baltimore, New York that was created from recycled plastic and is strong enough to hold cars. The bridge is 3o-feet long and contains 68,000 milk jugs that are mixed with fiberglass.

Coca-Cola began making and selling shirts made from recycled plastic. The shirts, called "Drink 2 Wear" apparel, are made from a blend of about half recycled polyethylene terephthalate, commonly marked as PET, and half cotton. Three to five plastic bottles are used to make each shirt, depending on the size. The shirts come with catchy phrases such as “Make Your Plastic Fantastic.”

The type of product that is made out of recycled plastic depends on the type of plastic.
HDPE or high density polyethylene, is very tough and is used to make rigid plastic containers such as milk jugs and beverage bottles. Once recycled it is made into pipes, pails, motor oil bottles and detergent containers.

LDPE or low density polyethylene, is used to make flexible plastics, such as garment bags, grocery and garbage bags, some lids and bottles, typewriter ribbon, squeezable bottles and toys. It is tough, yet flexible, and somewhat transparent. When recycled, it can be made into pallets or new trash bags.

PET or polyethylene tephthalate, is semi-rigid to rigid, depending on thickness. It makes a good barrier method, especially for use in soft drink bottles. PET is also used for flexible food packaging. When recycled, it is made into fiberfill, carpeting, and non-food containers.

A high-quality polyester fiber called Eco-Fi, or EcoSpun, was developed out of plastic bottles, and is used to make fabrics such as cotton, wool, and fleece. Clothing is now available that have been made from plastic. This type of plastic can also be used for home furnishings, blanket throws, and carpet.

As you can see, all kinds of fun things come out of recycled plastic. Throw your plastic in the recycle bin and that bottle you were sipping out of might become socks for a kid.

Trash Talking Plastics: The Need for Recycling

At the naive age of six I first accompanied my father to the dump. I was fascinated with the mountains of treasure, noisy tractors with Monster Truck wheels and funky smell. For years, once a month I would return to the dump. Each time I was shocked to see what people threw away: televisions, tires, clothing, toys, etc. Back then I thought it was cool, but as I return to this scene in my memory I can still clearly see the amount of plastic piling up which has still probably not decomposed, 15 years later.
I remember not being allowed to get out of the vehicle as my father removed the black bags from the bed of our truck.

“You don’t want to drown in all this plastic,” he said.

And yet that is exactly what our earth is doing, drowning from plastic which will too soon result in its suffocation. However, you can do your part to help save our earth by using less plastic. I’m not asking you to eliminate plastic out of your life completely. I’m mean c’mon, can you even find a shampoo or conditioner that isn’t packaged in plastic? What I am asking is that you pay attention to the plastics you buy and use, consciously use less, then recycle it.

28 billion bottles of water were bought in 2007. According to the Container Recycling Institute, more than eighty percent of those 28 billion containers end up in a landfill, lake or side of the road. Basically they were everywhere except in the recycling bin. Keep in mind that those 28 billion, not recycled, were just water bottles; can you imagine all the other plastics that were thrown away?

The manufacturing of plastic began in 1862. Plastic was a result of the experiments conducted by petrochemical industries. The term plastic is derived from the Greek term "plastikos" meaning "fit for molding". Plastic is popular because it’s cheap, strong, lightweight and functional. Even though it is one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, it is responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up the precious resources of the earth. Here are a few examples:

Plastic kill animals. About 100,000 animals such as dolphins, turtles whales, penguins are killed every year due to plastic bags. Many animals ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for food, and therefore die.

Plastic is non-biodegradable. Since plastics does not degrade, it is broken down using a process called photo degradation. During this process plastic becomes brittle and then breaks downs into bits.

Petroleum is required to produce plastic bags. Petroleum products are diminishing and getting more expensive. Petroleum is vital for our modern way of life. It is necessary for our energy requirements such as our factories, transporting, heating, lighting, etc. Surely, this precious resource should not be wasted on producing plastic bags and water bottles, should it?

Now if we could just use less plastic and recycle what we do use we could give our earth CPR which will help breath life into it before it dies.