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Keep up the redicule there Paul!
Cali - yeppers... I am in the exact same place as you I think. It is hard. If everyone would be aware and make small changes it would help so much. I am not sure what the solution is for fixing it entirely. I read if we eliminated plastics all together we would still be dealing with this problem for thousands of years. Depressing!
My grocery store has switched to packaging for prepared foods that looks plastic but can be tossed in the compost pile. I believe it is corn based. I'd love to see more of this happening.
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/
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We are very conservative in our purchases & still have plastic waste... We have been using plastic bags & wraps for our garbage
When we first looked at not accepting stores offers of plastic shopping bags, I was one that though:what will I do for garbage bags.... certainly do not want to BUY plastic bags... Then we realized the amount of our waste that was plastic packaging... & using things like cereal bags & bread bags & cat food bags & toilet paper wraps and everything else, to bag up our garbage... 2 advantages, far less plastic waste when it is the receptacle and small waste containers, makes you think of decreasing your waste when you only have a cereal bag in the kitchen waste can.
One of our big things is to bring along reusable washable ware when we know we will be eating out at a potluck or a fast food place. Many food places in Hilo will take your plate & fill it with food, rather than issue you a foam container IF YOU ASK FIRST, and have clean ware. We are now getting to the point where we are not going to the places that only will serve on their foam...
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A lot of people were outraged last year when the county council considered banning disposable plastic bags.
People like their trash.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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This is such an important and scary topic...the thought of all of that swill out there in the ocean where it should be pristine is nauseating. And I know we helped.
We bought many reusable bags now and we always have them...we take 'em to Maku'u Market and to Safeway and got one from a friend (who happens to live in the Chico area) which I keep clipped to my little purse. We've only just started, but it's so important to insist on this as part of our lives.
Rob, I was disappointed that plastic bag issue got shot down...just didn't make sense to me. How can we in good conscience allow this to continue??[xx(]
Carrie Rojo
http://www.carrierojo.etsy.com
"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." Barack Obama
Carrie Rojo
"Even the smallest person can change the course of the future..." Galadriel LOTR
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I have read many posts in the past on the order of "when I move to Hawaii I will help do something about this"
This is one issue that EVERYONE can & should be doing something about, no matter where you live. We all live upstream of the ocean.
Just one foam cup, plate, cigarette butt or bag a year that is not recycled or is disposed of improperly from each person is nearly 7 BILLION pieces added each year, millions of pounds. I think that each of us can see where we have added to this waste stream.
It is also important to realize that not everyone is on the same page. Although some of us have been active in this issue for more than 3 decades, others are just learning about plastics, recycling & such, and some have yet to. Even those of us that have been active in plastics reduction and reclamation for decades have lapses of convenience...
In my years (I am getting long of tooth) I have found that it is probably not the most positive thing to ridicule someone else's habits unless you are ready for the looking glass to be pointed at your habits & lapses (after all, that is what most people see, our lapses...)
For those that want to get involved, there are many cleanups close by to pretty much where ever you live. If you cannot find one, organize one. Although a single cleanup may seem like an effort of futility, if everyone was involved in cleanups, there would be far less of a problem today & tomorrow.
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We use a trash can by Brabantia and utilize their biodegradable bin liners. Just a small step but something we feel strongly about. They are not cheap but we buy in bulk less than once a year.
https://www.brabantia.com/Index.php?page_id=42&base_group=0&product=219
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/
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I was at the grocery store earlier today and ran across biodegradable "paper plates" made from sugarcane fibers and biodegradable "plastic" cutlery made from cornstarch. I did a bit of research later and was impressed with the number of providers of this type of product. Anyway if interested I provided links and company descriptions at the link below.
http://protecttheland.blogspot.com/2009/...tlery.html
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/
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We need to keep up the pressure for stores to use these biodegradable plastic alternatives. For those of you who have lived in Europe recently, please expand on thisif you have first hand knowledge: I've heard from Germans and others that the stores not only use minimal packaging of products, but also have recycle bins clearly marked as you exit the store so you can unwrap and recycle the packaging. Also, Europe - as a small place that could easily get overwhelmed with trash (like HI) - has recycle containers everywhere you go, plus, I think, fines for litterers.
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I wonder... could we get some people here to commit to contacting a local store in whatever way they are most comfortable with and reporting back on results? I will be happy to commit to touching base with several local stores about recycling bins and use of biodegradable packaging. Anyone else?
-Blake
http://www.theboysgreatescape.blogspot.com/
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In Germany, manufacturers and distributors MUST take back and recycle their packaging. Can you imagine America doing such a thing?
