Comments on: What Will It Take To Solve the Plastic Pollution Problem?

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 04:56:46 +0000

Our first changes should be in one time item packaging. Things like car dashboards, bumpers, plane interiors, etc. may not be alterable.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 04:52:59 +0000

Much of it has to come from manufacturers, they create the stuff. It doesnt have to be dealt with if never made to begin with. At Whole Foods Market, I can buy milk in returnable glass bottles, meat in butcher paper. We need to write manufacturers and tell them our concerns. i am going to write General Mills and suggest they find a substitute for their inner bag in cereal boxes, Wax paper perhaps. The question to ask is what did they wrap it in before plastic became available? In the kitchen, dont use plastic wrap. Use wax paper. you can seal it with cellophane tape. Real cellophane tape(shiny stuff not dull stuff) is an organic product. For food storage use the glass containers with a sealable lid. Its better anyway as glass doesnt absorb food odors like plastic does. Stay away from bottled water, rip off and a scam. We dont need our water privatized by soda industries who want to make a killing at our expense.

By: Noemidlp

Noemidlp — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:23:57 +0000

If we can link “plastic avoidance” to weight loss or hair loss, we will recruit most Americans to the plastic free lifestyle. Check out recent articles in New York Times “Eat like a Mennonite” (Florence Williams) and “Warning From a Flabby Mouse” (Nicholas Kristof) that actually do link plastics in our environment and food chain to obesity. That would definitely reduce future plastic consumption.

By: BethTerry

BethTerry — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 09:10:19 +0000

@rlross49 Hi Catherine. Do you shop the bulk bins? You can bring your own bags and containers and avoid plastic packaging for nuts, snacks, coffee, etc. Dairy is a tricky one. You can buy milk in returnable glass bottles, but they do have a plastic cap. Where do you live? Out here in the Bay Area, there is even yogurt in returnable glass. But it’s also easy to make yogurt.

By: Catherine N

Catherine N — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:30:36 +0000

@rlross49 I went into Whole Paycheck the other day and was aghast. Almost EVERYTHING was encased in plastic. Grains, dairy, cheese, bread. Beauty products, feminine products…. If someone could create some lightweight paper/compostable product to contain at least the grains/snacks/coffee… I’m not sure what you’d do for dairy…

By: Catherine N

Catherine N — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:18:23 +0000

I shop at Costco much of the time, in the winter, and so have *some* less waste. However, all fruits and veggies seem to come encased in plastic, meats in plastic, cheese in plastic. Even at the Farmer’s Markets, all the meat comes frozen in plastic. I suspect a huge amount of plastic is created by/for the meat industry.

By: Diana Choksey

Diana Choksey — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 03:55:31 +0000

Thanks for getting the word out regarding this competition Beth. You’re absolutely right, we do need innovation and it’s great to get the word out about competitions like these that encourage innovation. I recently saw a really great Ted Talk about how people are using mycellium (mushrooms) to create materials that can substitute for styrofoam and was so inspired by the innovation. While I am not an entrepreneur, I have requested the information about the competition to be posted on my alma mater College of the Atlantic’s Facebook page. COA is an environmental liberal arts college in Bar Harbor Maine that is doing much work in area and I think students, faculty and alum would be thrilled to know about the competition. Thanks again for your post!

By: BethTerry

BethTerry — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 04:26:10 +0000

@sabeelsacramento Hi. Thank you for letting me know about this issue. I have sent Primo Waters a bunch of questions about their alternative soda maker, since it is similar to Soda Stream. I am not interested in promoting the other soda makers on the list, as they come with single-use disposable cartridges. I have also emailed Global Exchange for more information and will write a blog post about this issue as soon as I feel comfortable that I understand it and the alternatives well enough my self. For now, I will remove the Soda Stream badge from the sidebar. I admit I don’t know a whole lot about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, although there is a regular reader of this blog, Clif, who is as interested in that as I am in plastic. I’ll email him about it too and get his response. Once again, thank you for bringing this to my attention.

By: BethTerry

BethTerry — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 03:45:00 +0000

In the Bay Area and other places, there are still local dairies that bottle in returnable glass, which gets refilled instead of recycled. Very few of them still deliver, but I do believe there are a handful of dairies and possibly soda makers in the country that deliver glass bottles. I linked to some resources in my book, but I’m not at home in front of my computer and can’t look it up right now. But Google “glass milk bottle delivery” or “glass soda bottle delivery” and see what you find.

By: EcoCatLady

EcoCatLady — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 01:10:40 +0000

@Catladytoo @EcoCatLady @BethTerry I have nothing but the deepest appreciation for our military. My father, my boyfriend and both of my grandfathers are veterans. It’s the military industrial complex that I have a problem with.