Earth friendly

 

Plastic!  Even the name frustrates me.  Why we continue to use it everyday is beyond me.  It seems I have no other choice, though.

Every day I grab for plastic, whether I choose to, or not.  I jump in the shower by moving my plastic shower curtain.  I then grab my facial soap, body wash applied with a plastic "scrubbie," and shampoo/conditioner, all conveniently packaged in plastic. After all, who wants to use a glass bottle in the shower or tub?  

It's time to brush my teeth.  Not sure how much plastic is used in the making of my tube of toothpaste, but I know my mouthwash comes in plastic, as does my deodorant and after shower spray.

Next, I make my coffee.  I clean the pot using dish soap I squeeze from a plastic bottle.  I also clean the basket in which my freshly ground coffee and filter sits. 

While I wait for my coffee to perk in my plastic coffee maker, I turn on the tv using a plastic remote, then leave comments to my friends on my computer.  My mouse is old and plastic, but my keyboard, which also came with a mouse, is composite and not plastic.  Do I really need to go on? 

I found some early April garden and flower bed shots I will include along the way, so my rant isn't quite so wordy.

Raise your hand if you bought plastic baskets, plastic Easter eggs, or plastic grass this year.  At the risk of repeating myself, I've said this before: for being so green, Easter isn't really green at all.  Easter celebrates a rebirth, time for renewal, time for spring.  So why is it, you ask, that it’s one of the most UN-green holidays ever? Plastic, plastic, plastic.

 

Plastic is a petroleum product. It lives simply forever in the landfill. On a larger scale, it’s the material that wars have been fought over.

For T Stands For Tuesday, we have been talking about designer napkins.  Besides using them on our journal pages, I also covered some of those very difficult to recycle plastic eggs with these napkins.

 

Surprise Lilies/Naked Ladies just started to show in early April.  Oh look!  Something plastic has caught on one bunch of these leaves.  Plastic is not just running rampant in the landfill, it's doing the same in my flower bed.

There are seven plastic numbers.  Three of the numbers are safe, three should be used with caution, and two should never be used.  Let me explain.  Look closely at any piece of plastic and you will find a recycling symbol at the bottom, top, or side of each plastic object. 

This recycle sign looks like a triangle of arrows with the plastic number inside.  It’s the number inside the triangle that counts, because each number corresponds to a different type of plastic.

 

#1 Plastic is PET or PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate).  It's one of the most commonly used.  If you used plastic today, chances are it would be PET.  It is used in water and beverages bottles, food jars, mouthwash, peanut butter jars, and other food containers. It is clear, mostly food safe for one time use, and is recyclable.  It can never be heated, but can be shredded for reuse. 

 

#2 Plastic is HDPE (high-density polyethylene).  It has a high strength-to-density ratio, thus the name.  This plastic will withstand heating and freezing so it can be used in various weather conditions.  It can also be used over and over.  You will find it in cosmetic containers, plastic envelopes, cleaning supply containers, stools, chairs, outdoor furniture, rope, and milk and juice bottles/jugs.  Since it can be used over and over, it is one of the safest plastics.  It can be recycled up to 10 times.

 

#3 Plastic is PVC (polyvinyl chloride).  It is one of the most dangerous plastics and one of the least recyclable.  This item is strong and elastic due to softening chemicals, which is phthalates. This plastic causes problems to the human hormonal system. It affects children’s development, including their immune and endocrine system. These harmful chemicals also cause cancer.  It is found in shower curtains, cleaner bottles, pipes, cooking oil bottles, window and door frames, floors, children's toys, and clear food wrap.  It is toxic when heated.  It cannot be recycled. 

#4 Plastic is LDPE (Low density polyethylene).  It is a thermoplastic and one of the oldest grades of polyethylene. It is food safe because it is used to make grocery bags and the bags that hold newspapers, sliced bread loaves, squeezable bottles, and fresh produce.  Reuse this plastic at least a few times before moving it to a garbage bin.  Most recycling facilities do not accept it.

#5 Plastic is PP (Polypropylene).  It is used to make the food containers, rope, carpets, bottle caps, disposable plates, cups, and cutlery, disposable diapers, and cereal box liners.  It is also considered microwave safe, but that only means the heated product will not be deformed in the microwave.  It should be reused, because most recycling plants will not accept it.  

#6 Plastic is PS (Polystyrene) or Styrofoam.  It is used to make disposable coffee cups, packing peanuts, coolers, to-go food containers, CD, DVD cases, egg cartons, and building and home insulation.  It is cheap to produce, lightweight, and can be easily formed.  It can take the form of rigid polystyrene or formed Styrofoam.  One of its many drawbacks is it breaks up easily and ends up on beaches and in the ocean.  Some facilities will recycle it, but most still will not.

#7 Plastic is Other.  Any type of plastic that doesn’t fit into one of the first six categories falls under this heading.  This recycling logo also stands for polycarbonate (PC), which is very dangerous to humans and animals.  It is found in baby bottles, car parts, medical and dental equipment, electrical wiring, and sports bottles and equipment.  This plastic is often made out of multiple plastic types or out of other types of plastic that can’t easily be recycled.  Most recycling facilities will not accept it.

 

To recap, #2, #4, and #5 are relatively safe to use.  However, even if a product is listed as microwave safe, it should not be used in the microwave.  Please use plastic products with great caution.  You will be safer by doing so, and so will the planet. 

My flower bed looks good in early spring, but look at the blue plastic that is in the forefront of the photo.  This is my shame.  When I first moved here, I built a fish pond.  I lined it with very heavy plastic.  I was told this was what I needed for my pond, so I purchased it.  What the experts at the pond store didn't tell me, and I didn't realize was, I have a huge, old tree in my front yard whose roots are drawn to water.  The tree roots are much stronger than the strongest plastic.  My pond was soon leaking and my goldfish were screaming for help.  I thought I had removed all the plastic when I put a wash tub in where the pond had been, but it seems every year, more and more of that plastic makes its way to the surface, probably thanks to my tree's limbs.

My hyacinths were in bloom

and my tulips were just peeking out of the ground in early April.

 

Then we had snow.

 

My pink hyacinths didn't make it, but my blue and white ones did.  Somehow I got a smudge on my lens and didn't notice until after I removed the photos from my camera.

These tulips were just starting to bud when the snow arrived.  They made it, only to be cut down by someone who thought they needed them.

Thanks for visiting today and thanks for my bEARTHday wishes yesterday.  Thanks, too, for putting up with my rant.  Please consider finding alternative ways to deal with plastic in order to save our planet.