Let’s say that someone hands you two water bottles. One of the bottles is made with biodegradable plastics and the other is not. Which one do you feel is the more environmentally friendly product? You’re probably thinking the biodegradable plastic bottle, right? A majority of people would agree with you including myself. Now, because [...]
Last week, we weighed in on the Paper vs. Plastic Debate, and examined the pros and cons of each where waste, energy, and resources are concerned. This week, we’ll take a look at how the contenders fare when it comes to pollution and recycling. Pondering Pollution Myth #3: Plastic is man-made and chemical-based, so it’s [...]
Standing at the grocery store checkout, realizing you forgot your reusable shopping bags, or if you did remember them, you don’t have enough, you’re faced with the decision: paper or plastic? First, you’re momentarily overcome with pangs of guilt; second, the inner dialogue commences. You’re a deer in the headlights, frozen, afraid to make a [...]
Corn-based and other plant-derived plastics are all the rage these days, and are marketed as the ideal way to treat our plastic addiction. They’re made from a renewable resource, lessening our dependency on fossil fuels, and they are compostable, reducing the amount of plastic waste lingering in our landfills—what could be bad about that? Not [...]
Closed-loop, bottle-to-bottle recycling is taking a big leap forward in a Canadian town called Shelburne, some 60 miles north of Toronto. That’s where Ice River Springs, a bottled water company headquartered in Feversham, Ontario, is converting an industrial building into a PET recycling plant. This makes Ice River Springs the first bottled water company in [...]
If asked, most of us would agree that recycling is the right thing to do. From a logical point of view it makes perfect sense to reuse the earth’s precious limited resources as many times as possible before disposing them into the abyss of our landfills. I grew up during the 70’s and remember quite [...]
Wondering what to do with your old batteries or extra cans of unused paint taking up space in the garage? Resist the temptation to toss them in the trash. The reason: They (and everything on the list below) contain toxic chemicals capable of contaminating the environment if not disposed of properly. Share this:
WHERE TO START: The materials that recycling centers accept vary from region to region, so check your municipality’s website or phone book for details. Earth 911 is the best place to find local recyclers, plus recycling news and advice. General recycling tips can be researched online. For unusual items, check out How Can I Recycle [...]
This is a question that I’ve been mulling over for the past couple of weeks. Recently I’ve been reading books and articles that suggest that recycling is more of a business than an environmental solution. The articles claim that the majority of the recycling industry is not based on “helping the environment” but is about picking the easiest and largest money [...]
Learn how plastic gets recycled with this RecycleBank video. View the entire series here. Share this:
