And despite my very best efforts, some of it ends up in the garbage. Every piece of plastic I have ever used is on Earth (or in our oceans) to stay. This is not okay with me.
Neither are pictures like the one above. The pile of plastic is from one bird. One dead bird, who ate all of what we threw away.
Researchers and developers are searching for a "greener plastic" options. With the environmental impacts of plastic, and the environmental health consequences of using plastic, this should be a priority. Not only do we ingest these chemicals in our bodies, but they accumulate in our air, water and soil.
Here's a statistic from canada.com thatstopped me in my tracks:
"We are recycling less than five per cent of all our plastics, and this year 260 million tons of plastic will be manufactured worldwide."
Where is it all going? Our landfills, oceans, and forests. This kind of number is devastating. Way too much plastic is being made and thoughtlessly consumed. I fall pray to this blind consumption at times, too. Just today I forgot my water bottle, and bought a drink in a plastic bottle.
The article details differnt types of green plastics, which all come with their own problems.
The best option, is backyard compostable plastic, "The most promising - and greenest - option is compostable plastic. Made from plant materials such as grasses, corn, soy and sugar - basically anything with cellulose content - these plastics break down at the same rate as paper, leaving nothing but compost."
We need to wake up to the realities of plastic. It poisions our bodies, our oceans, our forests and our landfills. Our blind consumption is far from sustainable. I will think before buying any plastic, and work hard to find products that contain less plastic packaging. Parents and environmental advocates should push for greener packaging from our grocers. We need a sea change, here, for any of these efforts to amount to anything.
Katy can be found at Non-Toxic Kids sharing helpful information about how to raise kids as naturally as possible. She is a teacher, freelance writer, and mama from the mountains of Vermont.
Beth Terry says:
Hi Katy. Your right that the various green plastics come with their own problems. To me, the best solution is to give up the disposables altogether. Bringing our own bottles, bags, and containers does away with the need for any alternative disposable material. And for those of us who live in areas where bulk bins and bringing your own is not so easy, we need to just keep asking for what we want.
Thanks for writing this article. Check out my post about meeting Captain Charles Moore last week. It was one of the best days of my life!
http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2009/06/captain-moore-has-one-word-for-you-on.html
Ken O. says:
Plastic is the main lubricant of present day globalization. Obviously it's made from petroleum.
What is the best possible use of petroleum?
Plastics for clean medical care?
Fertilizer for growing food?
Pharmaceutical products?
Moving ourselves around urban areas?
Travelling to fun destinations?
Powering mining equipment to source uranium for nuclear plants, silicon for computers, lithium and cobalt and other metals for our solar panels, wind turbines and electric cars?
I'd like to see a poll or survey on this. "What's the best possible use of the petro we have left."