It's very tempting to throw things away or even drop them in a recycling bin when we are done with them. Is there a better way?
Share your ideas for extending the “lives” of the items that we buy and use, and their packaging as well!
Reuse & Repurpose >
Plastic pollution
According to Eco watch.com it says that Virtually every piece of plastic that was ever made still exists in some shape or form. So that means the plastic that we produce does not leave this planet. I think that people should use reusable bottles and the city or most of the schools should put water refill stations on campus to help reduce plastic pollution. I also think that restaurants or grocery stores should cut down on plastic containers and packaging and instead use compostable containers and packaging.
I agree 100%. I learned that straws never decompose. We can all help reduce plastic waste by throwing away straws we see lying around. Also we can ask restaurants for no straw or if they give you a straw still in the wrapper, just leave it on the table so they could maybe reuse it.
I agree with you Layla! At school we have those water fountains to refill your water bottle that helps promote bringing your own water bottle to school. Today I filled my water bottle up and I noticed that it said the number of plastic water bottles that it had saved. I don't remember the exact number, but I was pretty amazed. I think that this ties into what your saying that plastic water bottles will be there forever. I also like what Mia said about the straws. That is a quick and easy tip that I never thought of.
There are forms of plastic that are biodegradable. By adding prodegradant concentrates, or PCDs, normal plastics are able to decompose. PCDs are normally metal compounds, so they promote oxidation, which breaks plastic down into smaller pieces that microorganisms can digest. Post-digestion, no harmful materials are left behind. Furthermore, they don't cost too much more, making them a viable solution for companies. Unfortunately, accidentally recycling them could be catastrophic; the leftover materials don't react well with recycled polyethylene, which is often used for important objects such as irrigation pumps. However, I do think that this is on track to a good solution, at least until we find a conducive replacement for plastic.
Sources:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/enviro … tutes3.htm
http://www.europeanplasticfilms.eu/docs … astics.pdf