What I mean is that I personally REFUSE plastic, if I forget my cloth bag I just carry all my items up my arm like a a waiter and look like an idiot, but it’s worth it to me, I would rather go thirsty than take a water bottle when I forget my reusable bottle, etc.

But it is a drip in the ocean, an important one, but a single drip none the less, then I see big companies who yes are making plastic but also trying to reclaim it and reuse it.

It seems almost counter-intuitive but they can have the biggest impact especially in areas where butting trash in a trash can is not even thought of let alone recycling.

Those big battle ships moving even one degree in the direction of the good makes a huge difference, much more than the difference I am making. My difference is important and important as an example to the people I touch in my life or see me carrying my groceries up my arm like a dork, I am making a difference, but I am happy that those with bigger arms than I are coming around to seeing that even if just for PR as stated they are able to make a dent, a bigger dent than I can on my own.

I wonder if it might be productive to even think and talk about how to help companies in their recycling efforts, I am sure if they see they get a lot of people cheering they are only going to do it more, which would be a good thing for everyone.

Shortly after learning about plastic a couple of years ago I was visiting my home town (Chelmsford, Essex, UK) & had a bit of time so I went to the recycling centre. Wow. To see all that stuff piled SO high was an eye opener. What I also learnt was how glass travelled 10 miles to be recycled, plastic on the other hand travels to Blackpool (the other end of the country) to be down-cycled. I also learnt there may be 10,000 plastic bottles, then if one top sneaked in, that´s it, batch ruined.

Chelmsford make this process easier & hopefully more successful by only asking for bottles, so the public do most the sorting. I wish they had done this in Newcastle when I lived there, putting all that plastic in the bin would of made me think more in the first place….

It took a clean on a Portuguese beach & a Surf Magazine to teach me. But my, am I glad I learnt. & I keep on learning! Thank you!

When will the chasing arrows be coming off plastic????

Also I’m always amazed at how puzzled cashiers are when I don’t want a plastic sack for the one small item I just purchased. Makes me feel sad – like not too many people refuse a sack. Why do so many people feel the need to have an item or two swinging from their hand in a sack? Are they afraid that others might see what they just bought? Is it habit? Do they feel like the trip isn’t complete without a sack? Are they afraid store security will think they stole an item carried out without a sack? Are they afraid of non-conformity?

These are questions that puzzle me because I see it whenever I go to the store – someone buys a few batteries and needs a bag to carry them out of the store. Funny – because I bet they don’t walk around their house carrying their batteries in a bag.

In Germany, things like plastic Coke and water bottles are made of a sturdier, thicker plastic than here (not sure what). You pay a deposit on them when you buy them, and you return them to a grocery store when you’re done and get your deposit back. The companies that own the bottles (Coke, etc.; or maybe they contract this out) wash and sterilize the bottles, then refill them. It’s much less energy intensive than melting down the plastic and reforming plastic bottles.

The system in Germany arose because they do have laws there that make the manufacturers responsible for their products and packaging from cradle to grave. I wonder if something similar would arise here if we could pass laws like that? Tide bottles would be washed and refilled with Tide, and likewise for other brands. Beth is right; tax money is going towards finding solutions for manufacturers’ waste — they aren’t held accountable.