Please bear with me. This will be my last post on this issue...for now.
I fear the only way to prevent more plastic from getting into the oceans is for each of us to take responsibility for the plastic we buy; to recycle and/or dispose of it properly. But when I hear responses to the issue like, "And this is a problem why?" I don't hold out much hope. There seem to be a lot of people out there who don't get it.
The only way to really solve the problem is to slow it down at the source; to cut the manufacturing of it. It wasn't all that long ago we used glass, tin, and aluminum almost exclusively. Granted it may be heavier, shipping it may cost more, but all of it is completely recyclable. For some glass containers there were rebates for returning them so they could be reused/recycled. I don't understand why that couldn't be done now.
And why this isn't all over the "news" instead of things like the Octomom and what celebs are doing is beyond me.
Take the pledge. Somehow I got myself on there TWICE!
Bottled Water A Disaster?
Another great post on this issue. One of the things that is on Rotary's list of things to do, in addition to eliminating polio from the face of the Earth, is helping people to get clean drinking water (NO PLASTIC BOTTLES) and good sanitation. More groups and organizations need to join this cause.
ReplyDeleteBut, as before, it means mass education focusing on the plastic garbage disaster to promote a willingness to forget "convenience" and let the producers' greed go hang! Just using our grocery "green bags" has kept a huge number of plastic bags from entering the house.
What you must buy pre-packaged at the grocery store should be in glass or other containers that can be recycled.
Another little hint - DON'T use paper towels. Use old towels or other cloth rags. Then wash them and reuse them! Amazing how much you save and how many trees remain to continue producing life giving oxygen!
You mention aluminum - it's so important to recycle it. Producing aluminum from ore uses vast amounts of electricity, but remelting it uses only a small fraction of that amount.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
It makes me ill how the media chooses their topics. Even the news has become more like a tabloid magazine and life threatening issues are swept under the rug. Sad.
ReplyDeleteBish, I think it's great that you're bringing up this issue. I remember when I was a kid that us children would look for and pick up discarded soda bottles and aluminum cans (in Oregon) because if we took them into the local grocery store we could get 5c-10 cents each for them. We got a lot of ice cream sandwiches that way in the summer. I am often sad that most state don't do that anymore. Perhaps retailers could restart it.
ReplyDelete- Janelle
Thanks Erva.
ReplyDeleteAdrienne, It also uses less oil to reuse glass/tin/aluminum than it does to make all those plastic bottles.
You are so right Christy! One has to watch Link TV or Free Speech (which can been over the edge in the other direction) to get any kind of idea about what's going on in the rest of the world.
Janelle, I think if plastic bottles were taxed like tobacco is and people got a portion of the money back by returning them that would be a help. The tax that's not returned could go towards cleaning up rivers and streams (to prevent more from getting into the ocean) and for educating people on the importance of recycling and the dangers of plastics in the environment, particularly that it's poisonous.
We've made the family decision to stop buying bottled water. The whirlpools of garbage out in the oceans are enough to turn the stomach. I think people think that just because bottles have a deposit, they'll be recycled. One only has to look around and see how few bins for recyclying bottles/cans there are in public places to find out the truth.
ReplyDeleteI too, remember saving glass soda bottles and tin cans and cashing them in. I think most people can't be bothered by recycling their plastics because it's not worth the effort. People do it more with soda cans than they do anything else because they get something back. Great post, Bish.
ReplyDelete