Good morning, Refusers. My husband wrote this piece for me, after deciding to embark on the daunting task of logging every bit of contact he had with plastic in just one day. Thanks for reading, and thank you, Ernie, for your dedication to Refusing!
"As my Friday came to an end, I laid in bed discussing with my wife the events of our day. Our words during those last moments before I fall asleep are often what motivate me throughout the next day. Megan had spent her day working with the Refuse page to try and bring more awareness to the topic of plastics in our daily lives. As I fell asleep that night, I decided I would find out exactly how much plastic has infiltrated my daily life by keeping a log of everything plastic that I come into contact with. I would log only the items that I personally touched and write them down only once.
I awoke the next morning, and before I could even leave the bed, I realized I had on a watch with a plastic armband. *Sigh* Obviously I needed to immediately get started with my list. After some morning kisses from Megan I began my day and started my log. I quickly found myself touching several items multiple times, over and over it seemed like- such as the keyboard or mouse. Megan suggested I put a tick mark aside these items. It became clear to me that my day would be completely hindered by the constant need to write down items I had touched.
By 9 a.m. I had already touched 51 different plastic items, many of them multiple times. I also became aware that a high percentage of the plastic items were found in the kitchen and amongst our food and drink items.
My day ended with 124 items. As it was Saturday, we went out for dinner. When we arrived home I tried to think of all the plastic items I had touched during our outing, but I am sure there were many things I missed. I didn’t want to disturb our dinner guests with my list, nor was I involved with the production of our meals.
To be sure- I was not ready for this challenge and did not think it would consume as much time as it did. After months of clearing our home/work place of as much plastic as we can, I find that we have not even started.
Should you embark on a similar challenge to find out your personal plastic footprint, I commend you and at the same time do not envy you.
That beautiful First Amendment to the United States Constitution- protecting our precious right to freedom of speech, the same piece of law that permits lobbyists to attempt to influence government officials in their decision-making.
Lobbying has been around for ages- the very least in the United States since the beginning of our nation- and has helped many a group and individual see freedom-protecting legislation come to fruition. But there has always been an ethical and moral question lingering in the air surrounding certain lobbyists and their agendas- especially concerning the environment.
Those individuals and companies that make money off of plastic are fighting their hardest to make sure plastic keeps its stay in our everyday lives, despite the blatant, cold, hard facts that say we should be ridding ourselves of this toxic substance.
Here are some instances for you:
In California, plastic lobbyists have found their way into the textbooks of our young minds, in a section titled, “The Advantages of Plastic Shopping Bags.” Quoted from this section: “Plastic shopping bags are very convenient to use. They take less energy to manufacture than paper bags, cost less to transport, and can be reused.” Are these statements all true? Taken out of context, yes. Did the fact that plastic bags kill more than 100,000 marine animals every year; leech toxic chemicals; and take an estimated 1,000 years to decompose in landfills make it into that section as well?
Of course not. That wouldn’t play to the plastic manufacturers’ agendas.
In 2007, in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, citizens attempted to enact a bill to completely phase out the use of inorganic plastic bags, and to implement the use of reusable cloth bags and compostible bags over a two year span. Plastic lobbyists rallied together saying that consuming plastics isn’t the problem- the lack of recycling is the problem.
We have all learned by now (hopefully) that recycling is not a sustainable solution to our plastic problem. Recycling is a deceiving word when it comes to plastic, as it can truly only be downcycled. After only a few rounds in a recycling center (if it ever even makes it there once) plastics cannot be used any longer. And then where does it go? It doesn’t just disappear- it sits in our landfills, poisioning our land and water.
Besides, haven’t we already established that, of the 380 billion plastic bags produced in the United States every year (more than 1,200 bags per U.S. resident, per year), only 1% of the bags get recycled? And that there is virtually no market for recycled bags, as they are of little use after recycling because of the product being less durable? AND THAT THEY KILL WILDLIFE AND ARE MADE FROM A NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCE THAT TAKES 1,000 YEARS TO BREAK DOWN THAT LEAK CHEMICALS INTO OUR SOIL IN THE MEANTIME?
Oh, I forgot, those facts don’t serve their agenda.
What is the real issue here, exactly?
Abba knows the answer.
MONEY!
Maybe this seems too obvious to state, but we’ll do it anyways. The manufacturers need and want to make money. They make money when we buy a product they manufacture. When they get us hooked on a product, it raises the production and the demand, raising the number of figures on their paycheck. More money means more resources to fight to keep their products in our hands.
While it may seem like the lobbyists are in control, it’s actually the opposite. This is important: you and I are in control because we are the consumers- we hold the dollar bill that keeps them in business.
If the First Amendment every did anything for the lobbyists, it does the same thing for us. We have a right to say what we want and what we don’t want- with our voices and with our choices.
We hope you will choose to REFUSE the use of plastics with us and help us tell the lobbyists that we don’t want their toxic waste, or the blood of innocent creatures on our hands.
DOWN WITH PLASTICS, LOBBYMAN!
Thanks for taking the time to read, and as always, THANKS FOR REFUSING!
According to Wikipedia, anon-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate. Once depleted there is no more available for future needs. They include coal, petroleum, natural gas, aquifers, and uranium. Timber and metals are considered a renewable resource because they can be grown and/or infinitely recycled, but we argue they are being consumed at a rate that exceeds its supply.
But that's another story.
All plastics start from the same source: petroleum. Petroleum is a non-renewable resource, which means eventually we will run out- not to mention the damage we are doing to the Earth through drilling and consuming this resource (we'll get to climate change later).
In 2006, about 331 million barrels of liquid petroleum gases (LPG) and natural gas liquids (NGL) were used to make plastic products in the plastic materials and resins industry in the United States, equal to about 4.6% of total U.S. petroleum consumption. Of the total, 329 million barrels were used as feedstock [for plastic production] and 2 million barrels were consumed as fuel.
In addition to petroleum, about 11 billion cubic feet of natural gas were used as feedstock [for plastic production] and 324 billion cubic feet were burned as fuel, equal to about 1.5% of total U.S. natural gas consumption in 2006. Electricity is also used to manufacture plastic materials and resins: in 2006, about 19.2 billion kilowatt-hours, less than 1% of total U.S. electricity consumption. Only about 1.4% of the total U.S. petroleum consumed in 2006 was used to generate electricity.
331 million barrels?!? That's a lot. More accurately, that's too much. To drive it home, 331 million barrels of petroleum can provide electricity to more than 55 million homes, or over 22 million cars.
How wasteful is that?
Several companies have come up with machines to convert plastics back into petroleum, but the process is expensive and the machine is way costly. This guy, reported from Gizmag, found a way to process all types of plastic, which was until recently unheard of. The Japanese created a more affordable machine (still way expensive to own and operate and, not to mention, slooooowwwwwww) that could very well be a household product if you'd like, but it only processes Numbers 2, 3, and 4 type plastics. Here's a video about it:
Several companies have also tried coming up with new ways of creating plastics that will biodegrade. Pepsico announced earlier this year that the beginning of 2012 marks the start of a new bottle, the first totally plant based, petroleum- free, totally bio-degradable plastic bottle, made from switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. As you may have noted, those are all renewable resources. They are one of the first, and we hope more are to follow, but we can't help but point out that even these machines use energy, and that plastics are still produced and used by all those other companies out there today, thousands of them, and the petroleum just keeps getting used up.
What if petroleum was hard cash?
(sometimes it seems to be close, but we know it's not)
What if money were a non-renewable resource? What if you were given the amount of money you would have ever had at the beginning of your life? Would you go spend it all? Would you save it? Would you waste it, or spend it wisely? Would you use it on things you would just throw away, things that would later do damage to your very own property and body?
We know we wouldn't, and we also know that if using non-renewable resources for disposable items- items that will never go away, that are harmful to you and the Earth- if that hurt our wallets, we'd have a different situation on our hands.
But, again, that's another story.
The problem with non-renewable resources (aside from the obvious that it has a limit and will eventually run out) is that we have to use some of it, especially in our day and age. Is there a responsible amount to use? We believe so. And so far, we have far exceeded any sort of fair, mindful quantity.
Refusing plastics and choosing glass and aluminum packaging, which are infinitely recyclable- unlike plastics- contributes to a 40% reduction in energy consumption. Besides, glass is recycled at a rate of 80% and aluminum at a rate of 58%. Plastics suck at 7% total (Pfffft).
We refuse the use of plastics because they are contributing to a depletion in a non-renewable resource, and we hope sharing our knowledge with you will help you make a similar choice.
Thanks for taking the time to read, and thanks for REFUSING!
A lot of people have noticed that Refuse's posts come from Honduras, a relatively undeveloped country, often considered a third-world country. My mom pointed out to me a few days ago that maybe people living in more developed countries don't believe plastics are a problem for them, or that their plastic consumption is responsible because they attempt to recycle or properly dispose of their trash, or maybe even that their trash is properly disposed of and therefore doesn't reach the Ocean like the trash of other less-developed countries.
Let me see if I can remember how it worked when I lived in the city and suburbs of the United States:
You drive to the grocery store (or whatever store), buy your items, tote them home, and store them (food goes in your refrigerators and pantries, obviously). You use your products one by one and either throw them in a trashcan or a recycling bin. One day a week (rarely two) someone in a garbage truck comes around and picks up the trash and/or recyclables you wheeled 20 steps out to the edge of your driveway or street. Sometimes you do other things like put your garbage down a shoot or drive your recyclables off to a recycling center. After this, you will never have to think about your trash ever again, and someone correctly deals with the trash. The Earth smiles at your responsible efforts.
Down here in Honduras, living on the Ocean, we see something different.
We collect our trash and put it at the end of the dock, where a few times a week some local individual loads the trash into their personal truck and take it to the trash dump. This is the most advanced form of trash gathering, as our vessel happens to be docked in a marina. Everyone else is responsible for their own trash. One garbage truck goes around once a week to designated trash dump areas. It is the responsibility of the individual to carry their trash to these designated areas. Because it can be quite a task (finding someone with a truck, etc.) they only carry their trash once a month. Even when the trash does make it to the dump, it does not ensure that it stays in the dump. If it happens to rain in the middle of a trash pile-up, tons of that trash gets washed out to sea.
Where people in developed countries believe the journey of their trash has ended, we have become acutely aware that it is far from over (in fact, the journey of plastics last over 1,000 years, but that's another story).
After a heavy rain or wind (weekly events here), there is so much trash that washes to our shores from the mainland, it actually takes over entire coves and bights. Most of this trash is plastic, as plastic floats.
This plastic either washes up to shore in some other location (a small percentage), or it continues out to sea. The winds and currents guide it toward eddies or gyres, where plastic collects and builds up, trapped in the swirling currents. These gyres, five of them total, range from 270,000 square miles to more than 5,800,000 square miles in size. That's twice the size of the United States.
The plastic bakes in the sun and breaks down through photodegradation, leaching chemicals into the water and breaking the plastics into small pieces. In fact, for every square mile of Ocean, there are an average of 46,000 pieces of plastic litter. Once the pieces have become small enough, the fish and other creatures start to eat them. Sometimes the plastic kills the fish, but not always. Bigger fish eat smaller fish until the toxins from the plastic have worked their way up the food chain, all the way to your dinner plate and now into your body.
This is just one way plastic poisons the Ocean via humanity, and vice versa. Birds and other land creatures eat the small plastic pieces and die of digestion failure and chemical poisoning. Sea animals become entangled and drown. Every year over 100,000 sea creature deaths are from plastics that we, humans, have put in the Ocean through our carelessness.
We've explained this process before, but wanted to drive home that just because someone takes away your trash from your street doesn't mean the trash has somehow been saved from entering this journey to the Ocean. 80% of the trash floating in the gyres (90% of which is plastic) came from a landmass.
What was once just one trash gyre (or a swirling mass of trash), has now developed into five gyers- two of which are directly off the coast of the United States. Here's a pictures of the Five Gyres below.
Notice the two most northerly gyres, off the East and West coasts of The United States,
one of which is named the North Pacific Gyre.
Captain Charles Moore, who first helped us become acquainted with the North Pacific Trash Gyre, estimates that the North Pacific Gyre alone contains 100 million tons of plastic. The South Pacific Gyre (located directly below the North Pacific Gyre) has grown to be slightly larger than the original North Pacific Gyre!
The United States has directly contributed to the two gyres off its East and West shores- with Asia's help, 80% of each gyre's mass, to be precise. That would be 80 million tons of trash, 72 million tons, or 90%, of which is plastic.
We need to stop believing that we are not the problem!
Your trash and plastics are not necessarily safely contained in a landfill!
Your trash contributes to the problem, too!
Until we admit to these facts and stop the denial, we will only continue contributing to more and more irreversible damage.
Captain Charles Moore helps us understand this further. Watch this great video. He explains everything much better than us.
This is just one of many problems with plastic, albeit one of the largest problems.
Thanks for taking the time to read about how plastics affect our big, beautiful Ocean. Be looking for our next update on The Problem With Plastics.
Plastic beverage bottles… Invented in the late ‘60’s/early 70’s by Nathaniel Wyeth, it is labeled by the Number 1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE). It is the safest plastic for food storage as it does not leak any chemicals (that we know of so far), and is 100% recyclable. Even so, only an average of 27% of PET plastic bottles are recycled every year, which logically means that 73% is either sitting in a landfill, sitting on land somewhere, or floating in the Ocean. It takes 17 million barrels of oil to manufacture the amount of bottles that Americans demand every year.
When doing an internet search, we found hundred of instances of people asking, “Why can’t I recycle my plastic bottles?” and the answer is: money. Many states actually have to send collected plastic bottles to neighboring states because they don’t have any kind of facility to do the job. REFUSE is not ok with using more fossil fuels to recycle processed fossil fuels. And besides, at the rate we’re recycling, we could never keep up with the demand for more plastic.
The people, government officials, and even manufacturers often try to bring about an increase in the recycling rate of this particular type of plastic, but the fact remains that, because it is meant to be a disposable product, there exists no value in the bottle. Couple that with absolutely no accountability- not for the people, not for government officials, and not for manufacturers- and we are left with the sad fact that it is not a top priority to recycle PET plastics.
As always, REFUSE believes that Recycling is a good option, but REFUSING is a better one.
Sodas are bad for you! Did you know that? I’m sure you’ve heard that a million times, but we’re here to help you STOP using plastic bottles, and we believe the health of the body is just as important as the health of our Earth.
The ingredients in soda rack up to a whole-lotta good-for nothin’: sugar (bad for your teeth and heart; tends to lead to diabetes; no nutritional value; causes you to gain weight), carbonated water (bad for your teeth), artificial coloring (bad for your teeth and some organs), and caffeine on many occasions (bad for your heart, a diuretic and stimulant, addictive). In general, soda can lead to weight problems, heart problems, diabetes, rotting teeth, osteoporosis, hyper activity (especially in kids) which can lead to behavior problems, and a whole-lot-longer dirty laundry list.
Diet soda is actually worse for you, despite what we've been led to believe in the past. Author of The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry Is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children, Carol Simontacchi, states, “One liter of an aspartame-sweetened beverage can produce about fifty-six milligrams of methanol. When several of these beverages are consumed in a short period of time (one day, perhaps), as much as two hundred fifty milligrams of methanol are dumped into the bloodstream, or thirty-two times the EPA limit.”
Basically, with diet soda, you’ve traded calories for cancer-causing chemicals.
Here’s a scary study: this year, 2011, The American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles presented findings on a study that followed 2,500 New Yorkers for 9+ years, who drank diet soda every day. They found a 61% higher risk of vascular events, including stroke and heart attack, than those who completely eschewed the diet drinks, according to the study.
If it weren’t for its deliciousness, people would be rallying to ban this foul substance.
Ok, stepping off the anti-soda soapbox. We know that more than just soda comes in plastic bottles- juices, water, teas, and other beverages also come to us packaged in PET plastic bottles.
What can you do to REFUSE the use of plastic bottles?
Despite all those nasty facts listed above, we know that most people will continue to drink sodas. A more environmentally responsible option than the plastic bottles is aluminum cans. It is a sustainable metal that can infinitely be recycled. Purchasing and recycling aluminum cans contributes to a 95% reduction in the energy used from raw ore deposits, and aluminum cans distinguish themselves as the most recycled and most recyclable beverage container in the world. 105,784 cans are recycled every minute nationwide, and can be returned for usage in just 60 days, which means you could very well be drinking from the “same” can 6 times a year!
Here are some more really astounding facts about recycling aluminum cans:
Another option is to stop drinking sodas altogether (your doctor will love you, especially your dentist) and drink more water. No, not bottled water. FILTERED water. An in-home filtration system can range anywhere from $20 to $2,000 depending on your needs. And get this: bottled water costs on average 0.79¢ per gallon, whereas water filtered in your home costs on average 0.02¢ per gallon. That’s a whopping 0.77¢ SAVINGS per gallon.
If that doesn’t convert ya, I don’t know what will!
If you're wondering how you can tote your awesome filtered water along with you, outside the doors of your home, we like Nalgene, who offeres a Number 7 plastic bottle made from recycled materials, as well as a metal bottle option. They even have ways to further filter your beautiful, clear agua. We've linked the word "Nalgene" with the page about environmental responsibility, which we really liked.
There are lots of other companies out there concerned with the number of disposable plastic bottles we're using every year, who offer better alternatives. Remember, if you're going to go with a plastic reusable water bottle, check that is is BPA free.
As a side note, here's a pretty cool video of someone Reusing plastic bottles to help less fortunate people see in their homes. We like helping others.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you will REFUSE the use of PET plastic bottles with us!!!
An idea is only as good as the people who believe in it.
Today we have for all you REFUSERS a very cut-and-dry way of contacting your local Congressman- good, old-fashioned letter writing- about the plastic epidemic we are all facing.
The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right of all citizens to communicate with their elected representatives:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, andto petition the Government for a redress of grievances.(emphasis added)
Beautiful, isn't it?
I wrote this letter myself and give you full permission to copy it for the purpose of sending it with your personal information to your congressman and other government officials.
Your address
Your city/state/zip code
Your email address
Date
Recipient’s address
Recipient’s city/state/zip code
Dear ________________,
I am writing to you today because of my concern for the plastic pollution epidemic that is plaguing our Earth.
Here are some quick facts about plastic:
-Americans use 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
-A milk jug will take at least one million years to decompose.
-Plastic garbage that is thrown into the Ocean, especially plastic bags, contribute to the deaths of over one million sea creatures every year.
-Today, Americans generate over 10.5 million tons of plastic waste every year. Only 1-2% of this plastic is recycled.
Basically, almost all of the plastic we’ve ever created since it was first invented in 1862 still exists today. We continue to make and use more and more plastic every day. We need to stop using plastic and switch to a more environmentally responsible solution.
In the state of Hawaii, in the counties of Maui and Kaua’i, plastic bag bans were implemented as of the first of 2011. In 2009, the state of New York required that businesses provide a recycling bin for all their shopping bags, with instructions written on the bag to “return to the original store for recycling.” All the time, states are looking for ways to refuse the use of plastic, and I applaud them.
The use of plastics in our everyday lives needs to be greatly reduced, if not altogether stopped. I believe that searching for and implementing environmentally responsible options should be a top priority for our government officials. I hope this letter helps convince you of this need. Please feel free to contact me at (Your phone number) or (Your email address) if you have any questions.
Good afternoon, REFUSERS! Did all of you enjoy some coffee like we did this morning? How do you take your coffee? With sugar? With honey? With creamer? My favorite coffee beverage is a Honduran blend (found in abundance down here) with one of those deeeelicious flavored creamers, preferably French Vanilla.
Two problems here: plastic and fat. We'll start with the plastic.
Flavored coffee creamers come in a Number 5 Polypropylene (PP) plastic container. This plastic is thick and durable, used most often because of its resistance to heat. Businesses prefer to use thicker plastics because of durability, especially for the shipping and handling process getting these bottles to your local grocery store. Thicker plastic means more plastic, logically speaking, and we don't like more plastic. Their high melting point also makes them difficult to recycle, and therefore there are fewer recycling centers available for this Number 5 PP. Less than 24% of this type of plastic gets recycled. Some recycling centers actually reject this type of plastic and instead send it right over to the landfill where it will do absolutely nothing but become brittle in the sun and leak chemicals into the soil.
And here's an article from 2008 about Number 5 plastics leaking chemicals.
Moving on to the body portion of this conversation...
Did you know... In every Tablespoon (TBSP) of flavored coffee creamer you put into your coffee, you're consuming between 29-35 calories, 1.5-2.9 grams of fat, and .55-1.35 grams of carbohydrates. Seems somewhat insignificant, huh? We haven't even mentioned the sugar- 10 grams per TBSP- or how it adds up over your week. People generally put 3-4 TBSP of flavored coffee creamer into each cup of coffee. I know I generally drink 2-4 cups of coffee a day, which we'll call 15 cups per week (sometimes it's a 2-cup day, sometimes it's a 4-cup day). That equals an extra 1300-1500 calories, 450 grams of sugar, per week. Oh, did I mention this is for a light or diet flavored creamer? It only gets worse. And not to mention, there is not an ounce of good stuff in there for you- no vitamins, no minerals, no protein... All sugar, oils, and chemicals.
Bad, coffee creamer!
If you love coffee as much as I love coffee, I know how you're feeling- shocked and disappointed. "How will I ever be able to enjoy my steaming cup of joe ever again?" Don't you worry your pretty little head. Here's where REFUSING can be good for your health AND your Earth!
Half-and-half containers contribute to a 92% reduction in waste because of their extremely low levels of plastic. Some companies choose to coat the inside of the paper container with wax, completely eliminating the use of plastics!
WE LIKE TO HEAR THAT!
As for the health aspect, half-and-half has only 9 calories per TBSP, .21 grams of fat, and 1.35 grams of carbohydrates. It contains only .75 grams of sugar (all naturally occurring, mind you), and you actually get some good stuff- calcium and protein. Feeling bored with JUST half-and-half? I even have some recipes for you so you're not missing out on anything.
For the base recipe:
Buy your favorite brand half-and-half in the half-pint size. For a full pint size, double the recipe. I buy fat free. Add in your favorite sweetener to taste. 4 packets of that yellow sweetener does it for me.
Here are some different flavors:
Vanilla
to the base recipe, add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract
Cinnamon Vanilla
to the base recipe, add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Chocolate
to the base recipe, add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
Chocolate Mint
to the base recipe, add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon mint extract
Dulce de Leche
to the base recipe, add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons caramel sauce or canned dulce de leche Note: consider decreasing the amount of sweetener in the base recipe to keep your creamer from being too sweet.
Amaretto
to the base recipe, add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract
Chocolate Orange
to the base recipe, add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 T. cocoa powder
1 teaspoon orange extract
Chocolate Cinnamon
to the base recipe, add 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
Unbelievable to me how easy this is. When I decided to give up coffee creamers because of the amount of plastic they used, I had no idea I was going to be able to help my body out, too.
