Plastic packaging is a serious global problem. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) says that 300 millions tons of plastic are produced annually—"nearly equivalent to the weight of the entire human population"—and half of that is for single-use items. A vast majority (91%) does not get recycled (because recycling is largely a myth), but rather ends up in landfills or the natural environment.
Lindwall, Courtney. "Single-Use Plastics 101." National Resources Defense Council.
So I'm among those wanting to see a movement in my town to limit single-use plastics. We're calling it Zero Plastic Black Mountain.
I may have mentioned this before, when my friend Linda Tatspaugh shared about this new movement, in conjunction with Asheville's Zero Plastic aim, and our county, Buncombe County's efforts. The three civic organizations have yet to make any progress at this time, These are efforts to follow in the footsteps of San Francisco and New York City which recently banned the use of plastic shopping bags.
In another community they have to pay ten cents to purchase a plastic bag at the grocery store. One grocery here will sell reusable cloth tote bags, and others offer paper bags.
Many of us voluntarily have stopped bringing home plastic grocery bags...carrying our own tote bags back and forth. I still use the plastic bags I already have as trash can liners. And I unfortunately have a rule at my apartment complex to use a plastic garbage bag for all my garbage, and a blue garbage bag for my recyclable items, which are only collected every 2 weeks.
But the Zero Plastic Black Mountain movement told me the believable sad truth. We all are suffering from the micro plastics in the air and water and food we eat...to the extent that we consume a credit card's worth of plastic each week of our lives.
Let's see if we can't do something about this.
Hubby and I are trying the tote bags for our food shop. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteGood news! Have a good day today and all week long!
Delete...recycling is largely a myth, has been sold to the public for years.
ReplyDeleteJust as I dutifully put out my blue plastic bag every other week for recycling, I'm told that all bottle tops can't recycle...so I have to go through the bag and remove them. And no pizza boxes because they're dirty with food! Really now! I need to up my game, because I've been putting plastic clam-shells (that croissants come in from bakery) in recycling, and someone said, nope. HELP!
DeleteI do bring tote bags for shopping, and take a reusable water bottle, but could definitely do more.
ReplyDeleteYes for those who use reusable water bottles rather than the nefarious awful plastic water bottles. I'd forgotten about them, since they never come in my house!
DeleteHowever, I can't seem to get around gallon jugs of different things...I wonder if anyone bottles water/milk/juice in glass jugs any more.
DeleteThey started charging 5p for a plastic bag here and it's made an enormous difference. It's amazing how people are unwilling to pay such an insignificant sum, but if it cuts our plastic use it can only do good.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good thing to hear about! Yay UK!
DeleteSince years those bags cost money here. Yet it´s the students who really pay - again and again!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd what nonesense. Single cucumbers in plastic is the dumbest I´ve seen so far.
Students really pay? Is that because they never have reusable bags, or they aren't savy enough? Not sure. Oh yes, wrap one thing in plastic...or maybe 2 tomatoes. Ugh!
DeleteBarbara, We do what we can...almost always using our square cloth tote bags with a reinforced cardboard bottom for groceries. Still, we do have to use some plastic...especially in produce and occasionally with meat if the packaging is bloody. We do recycle any plastic bags at the store as well as anything that the trash/recycling operation will take...even if much of the effort really is or may be a myth. They've stopped taking glass as they admit that there isn't any market for used glass. Juice is an issue for sure...plastic! Milk we can find in coated paper containers...that will eventually break down in the trash mountains. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteI use tote bags and my backpack for groceries.
ReplyDeleteLike yourself, we also live in an apt and there are “green” room with large receptacles for recyclables. You would think that this indoor convenience would convince people to recycle as much as possible, but not so. Our apt is directly opposite the trash room and we can hear when glass bottles are being tossed out. Thanks, Barbara, for the info that caps should be removed from plastic bottles, now I will check my recycling bucket as I have been remiss in doing so.
ReplyDeleteHere in NH, grocery stores still use plastic bags which have been outlawed in our native NJ so shoppers must bring their own totes. We did use our own for many years, until the grocery stores wouldn’t allow due to covid, so we started using the plastic ones and we recycle them as trash bags now.