A blog about Kern County, Neighborhoods, News, and Personal Journals.
Real Name: Bake Town Member Since: March 17, 2006 Last Signed In: October 09, 2009 Profile Views: 1658 Blog Views: 3935 Tortoise Theft Creeped Out To Flush, or Not To Flush Puppy Looking For a Good HomeA friend of mine asked me to put the word out about a puppy she found t I Confess Walk The Highway HerSpray What Wisdom? One From The Archives My One And Only June 06 July 06 August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 November 08 December 08 January 09 February 09 March 09 April 09 May 09 June 09 July 09 August 09 September 09 October 09 November 09 
RSS 2.0    Share!
|
|
|
Nothing Nerdy about Nurdles
Y’all already know how agro I am about my battle with the plastic bags. I’ve written about it here, here, and here. Well, things are about to get much worse with me now that I’ve read this article. It’s a long read but worth the time.
“No matter how virtuously you toss your chip bags and shampoo bottles into your blue bin, few of them will escape the landfill—only 3 to 5 percent of plastics are recycled in any way.” “There’s no legal way to recycle a milk container into another milk container without adding a new virgin layer of plastic,”
“That’s a concern as plastic proliferates worldwide, and people run out of room for trash and start burning plastic—you’re producing some of the most toxic gases known.” “Except for the small amount that’s been incinerated—and it’s a very small amount—every bit of plastic ever made still exists,” “Plastic crumbles into ever-tinier fragments as it’s exposed to sunlight and the elements. And none of these untold gazillions of fragments is disappearing anytime soon: Even when plastic is broken down to a single molecule, it remains too tough for biodegradation.” “Meanwhile, every year, we churn out about 60 billion tons of it, much of which becomes disposable products meant only for a single use. Set aside the question of why we’re creating ketchup bottles and six-pack rings that last for half a millennium, and consider the implications of it: Plastic never really goes away.” 34 comments from 11 users
1
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 12:52 PM
It is inconvenient,hard to travel with ,breaks,cuts but nothing beats glass,I quit using plastic a while ago in the kitchen(except things I already own),use very little plastic(saran wrap) and those bags the vegies come in get reused a gillion or so times~rewash and wash again.Every plastic ring is cut so no animal suffers,poor tortise!,but we a sinking in eveything plastic~even most booze comes in plastic..the bottom line they say..how about realizing this is our bottom line? Thanks for this wake up call.
posted by
baketown
on Jun 28, 2007 at 01:16 PM
How do you get around it all the time? I mean, stuff like dishing washing detergent, dish soap, etc are always going to be in plastic. We really need to start pushing for alternatvies to plastic.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 01:22 PM
Buy in bulk when applicable with your own containers.,start with Hanson of our city council who says "we" won't be banning plastic bags and ban him..write. write and write some more.write companies,write your represenatives.do what you can where you can.That is all we can do.
posted by
redkernhero
on Jun 28, 2007 at 01:57 PM
Maybe shopping bags should be made out of hemp, when the shopper get through with them, don't throw them away smoke them.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:13 PM
educating red~you do not smoke hemp ,it gives you a headache,or so I am "told"..the smoking kind is a different genius and speci from hemp
posted by
baketown
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:20 PM
It is nearly impossible for me to buy in bulk very often. It's just me and my kid and I don't have a lot of space. I am really going to start looking into options here.
posted by
Hardliner4freedom
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:31 PM
Some of the wisest ideas were practiced long before the age of throwaway convenience. I'd like to see the return of the Suds-Saver and the returnable bottle.
posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:35 PM
I wish more cities would do like San Fran and outlaw those damn plastic bags. The pic of the tortoise just makes me ill and very sad. I have seen seagulls and other ocean species with those damn plastic rings around their necks and other body parts.
posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:42 PM
As for hemp..the CA legislature just shot down Assembly Bill 684 that would allow for growing industrialized hemp. Asshats.
posted by
baketown
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:43 PM
I've always hated the waste plastic creates, and the damage to sea animals, but I had no idea it was so damaging to us! It's outrageous.
posted by
mattloch
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:48 PM
 I like to take cut-up six-pack rings and glue them back together. posted by
mattloch
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:52 PM
posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 28, 2007 at 02:55 PM
Christ, thats a depressing read Mattloch. But thanks for putting it up.
posted by
mattloch
on Jun 28, 2007 at 03:07 PM
A floating island of plastic the size of Texas. And not many people know about it. Of course, short of nuking the damn thing from orbit there's not a lot that can be done about it./That happens to be my solution for many of Earth's problems posted by
dusty1215
on Jun 28, 2007 at 03:24 PM
It was something that might give me nightmares and no, I had no idea. Nuking is forever...
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 03:53 PM
At win co they have bulk items~you can but a cup or 4lbs of a lot of things~and you can reuse your plastic bags..and having just followed mattlochs link feel just plain silly..who knew> depressing,nightmarish and (heavy sarcasm here)not any of mans fault! But as the ant said I be moving the damm plant! cut your rings,slap Steven if he nears your trash cans and make friends with smart people...
posted by
on Jun 28, 2007 at 07:08 PM
It is interesting to me that no one else here, after at least 50 ‘views,' has anything to say in opposition. (Besides the already self proclaimed "liberals" that is.) Why is that do you think? Go ahead, research the data. I did. I found nothing except affirmation. Of course, I did just find this article today. So...arguments against? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? This an universal issue here people.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 07:14 PM
no opposition here..what do you mean? it is a universal issue,and not a political one as you seem to imply ..it's not about politics,except where they strengthen the environment,am i misunderstanding you?
posted by
on Jun 28, 2007 at 07:17 PM
That was a comment posted accidentally as anon - it was me. Bake Town
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 08:39 PM
oh..okay.. I get it now
posted by
stickbugs
on Jun 28, 2007 at 08:56 PM
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 28, 2007 at 10:30 PM
Cool ! that shows that not everyone is all evil ;-) but I heard Gore buys a offset carbon to compensate for his useage.This goes to show we all need to work harder on this completly non political isssue~but thanks for the link stickbugs
posted by
NancyII
on Jun 28, 2007 at 10:59 PM
He needs to buy plenty to offset HIS usage. I can't see that there would be any opposition to people not using so much plastic. Every time I go to the store, no matter how small the item, the clerk wants to put it in a bag. I very often tell them "no bag please, I'll just drop it in my purse." (If it will fit) Or just carry it out. My grocery bags get used over and over for lunches, trash can liners for bath and bedroom, packing for shipping, picking up dog doo and other things.
posted by
gsisola
on Jun 29, 2007 at 09:44 AM
I hear you NancyII, just yesterday my Wife and I were at Wal-Mart on White Lane and Hughes. I noticed the checker putting one or two small items in one bag when I said to her "Could you please load those bags up. When we get home I don't want thirty empty bags to deal with". She complied, at least she said she would. So I proceeded to re bag just about everything there on the little bagging carousel, as she watched me she continued to put two or three small items in each bag. When we got done I noticed I had cut our amount of bags by about 30%. The bagging area was a little messy, from all of my re bagging. What does one do with all of these bags once home? Oh, I know, they have some stores with the bag recycling stations, at least they did, I haven't really noticed one in a while. But what an inconvenience. Costco years past, no bags, which meant you ended up making about twenty trips to your car and back or getting home with three or four huge cardboard boxes you then had to deal with. I know the folks in San Fransico recently reverted back to all paper and no plastic, how is that going? Seems to me we switched to these plastic bags from the paper ones years ago because we were killing all of the trees manufacturing our shopping bags, Whats the answer to the bagism? I am not sure, but until then I will show my vigilance at the Wally-World bagging carousel.
posted by
sagefever
on Jun 29, 2007 at 11:07 AM
Paper can be recycled into more paper.I have made paper at home(all those inserts in magazines that drop out and iritate you?~makes the finest paper) with a blender,a cookie sheet and a rolling pin~pressed some for some 3~D art,did some H20 paintings on them,and all my Christmas cards on them one year(a list of 10 folks)...and paper will decopmpose where as plastic will not.All good ideas Nancy, the EPA has a cool calculator that shows you where your carbon useage is compared to the rest of the US..I got to it from PG&E but it should not be too hard to find~we all can only do what we can do~one thing ata a time ,one human at a time.Maybe I will put up my paper art sometime
posted by
baketown
on Jun 29, 2007 at 11:24 AM
Another idea is to take the plastic bags you already have to the store with you and reuse them over and over. I also have several canvas bags I keep in my car so when I shop I can avoid the plastic bags. There are a lot of alternatives.
posted by
gsisola
on Jun 29, 2007 at 11:53 AM
Sagefever - I applaud you on your resourcefulness, but I don't know if I would actually put forth the energy and time of your recycling commitment. Yes I am a spoiled, fat, lazy American like most of us, I hate to admit it, but I am. Baketown - Have you seen some of these bags when you get them home (meat blood and other various sticky goo) not to mention the holes they develop. So am I supposed to wash these little buggers out and then line dry them after that? I know I sound really defeatist (and honest) here, but there has to be a better way ! posted by
sagefever
on Jun 29, 2007 at 12:07 PM
gsisola~me too! but whatever you can do i is a start and your a clever spoiled fat lazy American~ the greatest nation on Earth and we can figure this out
posted by
baketown
on Jun 29, 2007 at 12:25 PM
gsisola - are ALL of your bags covered in meat blood and sticky goo? What the heck are you buying? No, obviously you would not reuse those bags. I'm talking about the clean bags. Most people have mountain of them at home. Some are better than others for reuse. The bags at Youngs suck. The bags at Target rock. I use those over and over. And they can be smashed into a pocket or purse. posted by
sagefever
on Jun 30, 2007 at 11:37 AM
bakotown~I am going to do a article for SirenChromicles from what you have written,and the article from Best Life..wow the full reading of that article has lit a fire under my butt~maelstrom indeed! The fact that there are 5 gyres on the Earth is devastating,40% of the ocean...Thanks fro this soooo much and if any bright ideas surface I'll report back.
posted by
baketown
on Jun 30, 2007 at 02:43 PM
I'm happy to hear it sagefever. The article had the same effect on me. Again - for those of you who skimmed it or just part of it, trust me, you need to read it in its entirety. Take the time. The information is remarkable. I will never look at plastic the same way.posted by
woofwoof
on Jun 30, 2007 at 02:56 PM
Dog doo and cat poo are tops for those pesky plastic bags in our house.
posted by
randomfactor
on Jun 30, 2007 at 04:06 PM
Woof, you're doing it wrong. There's nothing wrong with using biodegradable *PAPER* bags for such substances. . Then, you light the bag on fire, set it on a neighbor's doorstep, ring the bell and run... posted by
baketown
on Jun 30, 2007 at 04:38 PM
hahahahahaha... love it!woof woof - I used to use my plastic bags for that too. No more!
1
 Loading Stories
Advertisement |
