plastic

Jan

2023

Plastics Are Forever

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Is there such a thing as forever? It is said that nothing lasts forever. Happiness ends. Relationships end. And ultimately, even our life will end. That’s why when De Beers, makers of the finest diamonds in the world, conceptualized the tagline “Diamonds are forever”; it became a hit. Since then, no marriage is complete without a diamond ring. A diamond ring became a symbol of forever in relationships. Is diamond the only thing that is forever? Unfortunately, for mankind there is another thing that is forever. Plastics are forever.

Use of Plastics

For decades now, we have relied on the use of plastics in our daily lives. Plastics have many uses from food containers and packaging, clothing, furniture, electronics and many others. It has replaced the use of natural materials such as cotton, glass and paper. It is cheaper to use. And in more ways than one, plastics have made our life a lot easier. However, the convenience that plastics brought us came with severe consequences not just in the environment but also in our health.

According to the United Nations Environment Program, when plastic was first used in the 1950s to 1970’s plastic wastes were still manageable. However, plastic production more than tripled in the 1970s to the 1990s. It became worse in the 2000s. Today, we produce about 400 million tonnes of plastic waste per annum. What’s worse, the production of single-used plastics increases at an alarming rate. Almost everything from bottles, containers, plastic spoons and forks, potato chips bags, food packaging materials are just some examples of the single use plastics that we have today.

Are Plastics Forever?

According to Professor Dan Parsons, a professor of GeoSciences in theUniversity of Hull and founding director of the Energy and Environment Institute (EEI) in the United Kingdom, fossilised plastics preserved in rocks will be around for 10 million years.

Plastic Wastes

World Data indicates that:

Only 9% of plastics are properly recycled
More than a million marine animals die each year because of plastic wastes
There is approximately 269,000 tons of plastic waste in the oceans today
About 2 million plastic bags are being used every minute worldwide
73% of beach litter around the world is plastic

The image below by Our World in Data shows which countries just dumped their plastic wastes outside landfills or in the open leading to waste leakage in the surrounding environment.

What Can You Do?

If you love your children, then it is time to do something about it. Let us give the future generation a chance to live in a beautiful and clean environment. Here are small things that you can do today:

Go straw free. If you really need to use straw, use plastic straws.
Use organic cotton buds and bamboo toothbrushes.
Bring your recyclable mugs each time you buy coffee.
Next time you order take out, say no to disposable utensils and cutleries.
Bring your eco-bag when you go to the groceries.
Stop buying bottled water. Use a built-in filter or carry with your recyclable water container.
Cook more at home. You are not only helping the environment but it is also healthier. You can get to choose fresh and natural ingredients.
Purchase second items.
Buy in bulk or big sizes.
Patronize and support eco-friendly brands.

We only have one planet. Let’s start taking care of it now.

Feature Image by Sergei Tokmakov, Esq. https://Terms.Law from Pixabay

Jan

2023

Sorting Plastics for Recycling

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Sorting plastics for recycling is one of the many ways that we can help lessen the negative impact that it has on our environment. Consumer goods are ever increasing in the market and different kinds of plastics are the go-to containers for them. So, it is important that we know what kind of plastics we are bringing into our homes; to make it easier for us to identify them for recycling. It is one of the easiest way to taking your first step towards environmental wellness.

Common Uses of Plastic

A plastic water bottle is the most common item that comes to mind when we talk about recycling plastic. But there are different types of plastics that we use in our everyday life and a lot of these plastic items can be recycled.

LDPE film (stretch wrap, sheet film, clean plastic bags)
PET pallet banding
Big bags
PP/PE packaging
Kraft Poly-lined bags (the kraft is paper)
Plastic drums and buckets
HDPE belting and tooling
Various PPE gear

Types of Plastic

Plastic producers use a numeric resin identification coding (RIC) system to determine the polymers or resin used in them. Not all plastics have resin in them but this coding system help make them easier to identify for recycling. You will usually see this code at the bottom of bottles or at the bottom corner of other plastic items.

1 PETE – Plyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE): water bottles
2 HDPE – High Density Plyethylene (HDPE): milk bottles, bags
3 PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC): juice bottles, cling wrap
4 LDPE – Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE): squeezable bottles
5 PP – Polypropylene: yogurt cups, plasticware
6 PS – Polystyrene (PS): egg cartoons, packing peanuts
07 O – Other: Often Polycarbonate or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS), bottles, auto body parts

Even though not all plastics contain resin codes; it is important t still sort them because they can still be reused. Sorting plastic by their type also helps to reduce contamination during recycling so that they can be recycled properly. Remember to wash them thoroughly with soap and water and dry them before taking them to a recycling center.

Don’t forget that electronic gadgets have plastic parts too but they contain more chemicals than household plastics. There is a proper way to dispose of electronic wastes that we should follow for these items.

In the meantime, there are simple things you can do to help reduce environmental pollution. Of course, it also helps to be aware and to avoid actions that end up further damaging the environment.

Feature Image: Original Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.

Apr

2021

Simple Actions That Damage the Environment

Reading Time: 3 minutes

We only have one earth. If we are not going to take care of it, who else will? Without the environment, how do we expect to live as human beings? Everything needed for our survival all came from nature – from the food that we eat, the air that we breathe and the water that we drink. Yet, despite knowing all these things, humans abused the environment by polluting its water and air. Whether intended or not, be aware that there are simple actions that damage the environment.

1.Buying Fast Fashion

Defining your personal style does not not necessarily mean that you have to follow and buy all the trend. Being stylish should not be at the expense of the environment. According to the UN Environment Program, the fast fashion industry is responsible for 20% of the world’s wastewater. It is also responsible for the release of half a million tons of synthetic microfibers in the ocean each year.In addition, it is also responsible for almost 10% of global carbon emissions, which is more than maritime shipping and flights combined. Fast fashion pertains to cheap clothing produced by mass-retailers rapidly to cope up with trends.

2.Drinking From Bottled Water

According to The World Counts, more than 100 million bottles of water are used everyday. And out of this number, only one in 5 gets recycled. The rest ends up as waste in landfills or thrown in the ocean. This is huge problem because it will take about 700 to 1000 years for a single bottle to decompose. That’s not counting the energy used to manufacture the bottles.

3.Driving

Emissions from driving is one of the main contributors of global warming. Vehicles emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases absorb and trap heat and energy producing the greenhouse effect. This results in the warming of the planet surface thus, increasing the temperature on earth. This causes extreme weather causing increased wildfires and disruption of the food supply.

4.Leaving the Lights On

The use of too much light increases energy consumption. Just like driving, the use of energy causes greenhouse emissions. This in turn contributes to global warming. So, the simple act of leaving the lights on when not in use is damaging the environment.

5.Leaving the Tap Running While Brushing Teeth

Running tap water while brushing teeth wastes over six liters of water per minute. If you do it twice a day for an average of two minutes per session, that’s more than 24 liters of water a day wasted.

6. Owning Several Pairs of Jeans

A study indicates that in order to produce a pair of jeans, about 2,500 gallons of water are needed from cotton growing, dyeing to manufacturing. That amount of water is equivalent to taking 104 showers.

7.Using Aerosols

Aerosols are a collection of solid or liquid droplets dispersed or suspended in the air. Factory smoke, hair spray, spray paint, insect sprays and room deodorizers are just some examples of harmful aerosols. When used excessively, they can be very harmful.

8.Using Plastic Straws

Single-use plastic straws (or any other plastic for that matter) are non-bio-degradable. Non-biodegradable materials remain as wastes in the earth for thousands of years because they cannot be dissolved by natural organisms. According to a report from the Trash Free Seas Alliance, the straw consumption of the United States alone is enough to circle the equator twice. In addition, plastic spotting are in 90% of seabirds and 100% of sea turtles.

9. Using Wet Wipes

Wet wipes are small fabrics of moist paper used for cleaning and disinfecting. It is so convenient to use especially now in the new normal where it becomes a substitute for the hand soap. However, did you know that wet wipes create fatbergs? A fatberg is a mass of waste matter that looks like a rock. It is a formation of flushed non-biodegradable materials such as wet wipes, cooking fat, condoms, sanitary napkins and other similar items. They cause blockage in the sewage system. The problem on Fatberg is now a huge environmental issue.

10.Wasting Paper

The process to create a paper is wasteful to the environment. For one, papers are made of trees. So to make a paper, you need to cut trees.As the global consumption of paper increases, this leads to one of the major environmental problems today which is deforestation. In fact, statistics reveal that about 42% of the global wood harvest is used to make paper. Second, paper requires twice the amount of energy to produce compared to making plastics. As stated above, energy consumption releases greenhouse gases which in turn leads to global warming.

Once paper is disposed of, it also leads to another problem which is paper pollution, which accounts for about 26% of total landfill wastes.