Comments on: Eye Drops http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/ Learn to live life with less plastic... for the health of our bodies, our oceans, our planet. I don't buy new plastic. Join me on my plastic-free journey. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:53:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Chris http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-3477 Chris Wed, 17 Sep 2008 16:39:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-3477 Thought of something better: buy a #4 bottle once in a while and put them in that, probably should put a big #4 on it too.<br/>Yeah, buy plastic to recycle plastic isn't the greatest idea, but when recyclers start seeing these small bits grouped together, they might think it's a good idea and figure out a better way to recycle all the small stuff, then tell everyone, because you got to sweat the small stuff.<br/><br/>I have always thrown my small and tiny plastic stuff (milk covers and their seals, err what else?) in with the big stuff, but now I am going to recycle them in bunches by type so that they don't get lost whizzing by the pickers and end up in the landfill. I will try to use a sturdy container of the same type, because a bag probably is good only for bags, hard plastic will eventually rip it.<br/><br/>Wow, thanks for the site, you've just made me think a little more about recycling and come up with a better way for me to recycle to try and save all those little guys from being buried alive. I was here looking for Brita info, but stuck around to read more.<br/><br/>BTW, I was thinking of composting the carbon inside it and recycling the plastic container. I use the pitcher filters, which I haven't opened yet, but I <i>suspect</i> is <b>not</b> double packaged. But further web research (websearch?) revealed activated charcoal can be "reactivated", I think it's the same process as creating new, but uses less energy, I guess like metals. I am now considering the expense and effort of sending them to that group to get Clorox to devise cradle to cradle lifecycle for them. They are advertising their greenworks line a lot, so they are still trying to go green. Thought of something better: buy a #4 bottle once in a while and put them in that, probably should put a big #4 on it too.
Yeah, buy plastic to recycle plastic isn’t the greatest idea, but when recyclers start seeing these small bits grouped together, they might think it’s a good idea and figure out a better way to recycle all the small stuff, then tell everyone, because you got to sweat the small stuff.

I have always thrown my small and tiny plastic stuff (milk covers and their seals, err what else?) in with the big stuff, but now I am going to recycle them in bunches by type so that they don’t get lost whizzing by the pickers and end up in the landfill. I will try to use a sturdy container of the same type, because a bag probably is good only for bags, hard plastic will eventually rip it.

Wow, thanks for the site, you’ve just made me think a little more about recycling and come up with a better way for me to recycle to try and save all those little guys from being buried alive. I was here looking for Brita info, but stuck around to read more.

BTW, I was thinking of composting the carbon inside it and recycling the plastic container. I use the pitcher filters, which I haven’t opened yet, but I suspect is not double packaged. But further web research (websearch?) revealed activated charcoal can be “reactivated”, I think it’s the same process as creating new, but uses less energy, I guess like metals. I am now considering the expense and effort of sending them to that group to get Clorox to devise cradle to cradle lifecycle for them. They are advertising their greenworks line a lot, so they are still trying to go green.

]]> By: Chris http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-3476 Chris Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:43:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-3476 When I started recycling, I threw everything in my bucket I thought had a chance to be recycled. Then I saw a recycling center inside and started thinking about all those plastic bags: cereal, lunchmeat, cigarette wrappers, anything that wasn't hard plastic. All blowing all over the recycling center. So I put them all in the biggest bag I had, usually a grocery bag. <br/><br/>ding ding ding<br/><br/>Collect a decent amount of your single-use (ugh) plastic eye drop containers and put them in a bag and put a big <b>#4</b> on the bag. When I started recycling, I threw everything in my bucket I thought had a chance to be recycled. Then I saw a recycling center inside and started thinking about all those plastic bags: cereal, lunchmeat, cigarette wrappers, anything that wasn’t hard plastic. All blowing all over the recycling center. So I put them all in the biggest bag I had, usually a grocery bag.

ding ding ding

Collect a decent amount of your single-use (ugh) plastic eye drop containers and put them in a bag and put a big #4 on the bag.

]]> By: Fake Plastic Fish http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-1127 Fake Plastic Fish Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:09:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-1127 Hi Might I Add. Yes, this post was written in the very beginning before I had visited any recycling centers and seen for myself how the process works. I no longer include these in the recyclable category. Without a number, recyclers wouldn't know what type of plastic they are. But even WITH a number, they wouldn't be able to pick these tiny things out of the sort line and properly categorize them. The line goes fairly fast, and the sorters are looking for specific shapes. So even putting these in the recycling bin, they're not going to get recycled.<br/><br/>Beth Hi Might I Add. Yes, this post was written in the very beginning before I had visited any recycling centers and seen for myself how the process works. I no longer include these in the recyclable category. Without a number, recyclers wouldn’t know what type of plastic they are. But even WITH a number, they wouldn’t be able to pick these tiny things out of the sort line and properly categorize them. The line goes fairly fast, and the sorters are looking for specific shapes. So even putting these in the recycling bin, they’re not going to get recycled.

Beth

]]> By: might I add...? http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-1126 might I add...? Sun, 20 Jan 2008 16:53:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-1126 Hi Beth,<br/><br/>Sorry, I'm a bit confused about this post/comment.<br/><br/>My understanding was that if there is no number on the item, it can't be recycled. The response from Allergan seems to say that they CAN be recycled, and your comment here seems to contradict that and say that again, with no number, they CAN'T be recycled. <br/><br/>What can we do about this type of problem? Are these things automatically garbage? Do you think that Allergan (and other companies) would start putting numbers on the packaging if we start pressuring them to do so?<br/><br/>This whole thing is very discouraging.<br/><br/>Thanks for all the work you put into your website. I'm finding it hard to navigate through all the material, but I have definitely been finding some eye-opening stuff here. Hi Beth,

Sorry, I’m a bit confused about this post/comment.

My understanding was that if there is no number on the item, it can’t be recycled. The response from Allergan seems to say that they CAN be recycled, and your comment here seems to contradict that and say that again, with no number, they CAN’T be recycled.

What can we do about this type of problem? Are these things automatically garbage? Do you think that Allergan (and other companies) would start putting numbers on the packaging if we start pressuring them to do so?

This whole thing is very discouraging.

Thanks for all the work you put into your website. I’m finding it hard to navigate through all the material, but I have definitely been finding some eye-opening stuff here.

]]> By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-760 Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank Sun, 02 Dec 2007 02:09:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-760 Hi Hillary. Since I wrote this post, I've done a lot of research into recycling and seen the way the recycling centers operate. These tiny eye drop containers would never be identified on the sorting line by the people separating the different types of plastics. They are just too small and they don't actually have a number imprinted on them.<br/><br/>I encourage you to read my posts about visiting recycling centers for some eye-opening information and photos. Just click on the link, "Issues - Recycling" on the sidebar and scroll to the bottom.<br/><br/>The main thing to consider is that just because your area accepts certain items in your recycling bin doesn't necessarily mean that they get recycled. It depends on many factors.<br/><br/>Thanks for reading!<br/><br/>Beth Hi Hillary. Since I wrote this post, I’ve done a lot of research into recycling and seen the way the recycling centers operate. These tiny eye drop containers would never be identified on the sorting line by the people separating the different types of plastics. They are just too small and they don’t actually have a number imprinted on them.

I encourage you to read my posts about visiting recycling centers for some eye-opening information and photos. Just click on the link, “Issues – Recycling” on the sidebar and scroll to the bottom.

The main thing to consider is that just because your area accepts certain items in your recycling bin doesn’t necessarily mean that they get recycled. It depends on many factors.

Thanks for reading!

Beth

]]> By: Hillary http://myplasticfreelife.com/2007/07/eye-drops/comment-page-1/#comment-759 Hillary Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:42:00 +0000 http://fakeplasticfish.com/2007/07/eye-drops/#comment-759 I'm surprised that SF is so restrictive regarding what it recycles, considering the plastic-bag bans and general "liberalness" that's perceived as characerizing SF. I live in Boston and we can recycle pretty much everything paper and plastic. I used to live across the river in Cambridge, which was even more permissive -- we could even recycle clothing and textiles curbside. On the other hand, my mother lives in Orlando, Florida, and they don't allow any curbside paper recycling at all. Lame! I’m surprised that SF is so restrictive regarding what it recycles, considering the plastic-bag bans and general “liberalness” that’s perceived as characerizing SF. I live in Boston and we can recycle pretty much everything paper and plastic. I used to live across the river in Cambridge, which was even more permissive — we could even recycle clothing and textiles curbside. On the other hand, my mother lives in Orlando, Florida, and they don’t allow any curbside paper recycling at all. Lame!

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