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This just in!

The plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean now covers an area twice the size of the continental U.S.

Key excerpts
The UN Environment Programme estimated in 2006 that every square mile of ocean contains 46,000 pieces of floating plastic

"The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the size as continental United States."

"It moves around like a big animal without a leash." When that animal comes close to land, as it does at the Hawaiian archipelago, the results are dramatic. "The garbage patch barfs, and you get a beach covered with this confetti of plastic," he added.

To view the complete Alternet article click below

Continue reading "Plastic Soup" »

Posted by Miriam at 06:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Several months ago I read the most illuminating article in Orion Magazine about the permanence of plastic. This stuff just doesn't go away. We are like the Magician's Apprentice - only without a magician. According to Orion it has been like a plastic nuclear bomb exploding on the world 50 years ago and hasn't stopped. Only a small fraction gets recycled and other than the tiny bit that gets burned (which creates a different set of problems) all the plastic that has been created in the last century is still here, on earth, floating around. Most of it literally is floating around (in the ocean) choking sea animals, messing up boats, refracting sunlight, and being a big stewy mess.

Below is an article by the San Francisco Chronicle about this mess we have created.

Continue reading "Plastic Fantastic" »

Posted by Miriam at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A favorite site of mine is "rustle the leaf", a humorous environmental comic. Every week the authors create a new comic and post a great short essay about an environmental issue. The comics are usually funny - in a deliciously dark way. The essays have a bitter sense of humor as well. This week they talked about plastic grocery sack - I thought the below paragraph was worth excerpting:

Standup Comedian Jim Gaffigan does a bit about our strange relationship with plastic bags. Here's a loose paraphrase: 'It's so weird...I go to the grocery store to pick up some trash bags. At the checkout counter, they put my box of trash bags into a plastic grocery bag. Then, when I get home, I open my box of trash bags, get one out, and use it to throw away the plastic grocery bag I brought it home in. Isn't that weird?'

Posted by Miriam at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Event season is just around the corner and as I do my planning I have found a new enemy.

I hate granola bars and all things related.

This comes easy because I never cared for the taste - even before I was aware of waste issues. However, I as I preach to the environmental crowd I realize that granola bars - and I am talking about anything that is supposed to be a healthy snack for the "granola" crowd - these bars have caught my attention time and time again. To me anything individually wrapped and marketed to environmentally conscious people is an oxymoron. How organic is the plastic these things are wrapped in?

Continue reading "enviro trash" »

Posted by Miriam at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love Grist - environmental news and commentary with a humble sense of humor. This week advice maven Umbra addresses the question about which is better "landfill or incinerator". It is quick summary and easy read.

Posted by Miriam at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Take Three Guesses

Who does the title above refer to? No peeking ahead!

Not a particular recycling firm. I'm talking countries here!

Nope. Wrong! Not the US! Not some European country.

To read the answer check out this blog.

Posted by Miriam at 09:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Quote of the day:

If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled or composted, then it should be restricted, redesigned or removed from production.

The whole article can be found here.

Posted by Miriam at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am forever digging recycling out the garbage cans at home. Granted, we don't have the most obvious recycling system (I really need to put some labels up) but it is still a constant reminder to me of the challenges ahead if I can't even get my roommates, who know me, to recycle consistently (or enforce recycling with their guests).

So I wasn't surprised to read that although plastic bottle recycling is increasing, it isn't keeping up with the increase in plastic bottle sales. My roommates are convinced that aluminum cans are the only material worth recycling (and I still find those in the trash occasionally), despite my explanations to the contrary. I am not surprised that most other people don't make the extra effort to recycle that material. With bottled water sales through the roof these days, use of plastic bottles in public spaces is ever increasing. Until we can get successful recycling cans next to every trash can next to every public vending machine we'll continue to keep trashing plastic. Despite my roommates' apathy this isn't just an environmental issue; it is an economic and energy one as well:

Last year our bottle trashing habit cost the equivalent of dumping 18 million barrels of crude oil down the drain.

Posted by Miriam at 08:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just waded my way through a heavy event recycling season. I also just celebrated six months at my new environmentally friendly job. The amount I have learned over the past half-year is tough to quantify. However, right now as I am deep in the middle of reporting and analyzing my efforts I've noticed one problem again and again - possibly the most common mistake regarding recycling efforts. There is no equality between recycling bins and garbage bins.

I have dug through more garbage than I care to count - including my home trash - after tons (literally) of exploration I realized if you put recycling and garbage together then separate them accurately close to half of what people throw away is recyclable. Yet - count the amount of garbage and recycling cans in your office, home, favorite store, park, daycare, school, or where ever else you find your self - chances are the garbage out numbers recycling two to one (or more). We expect people to litter if they don't have a garbage can every ten feet yet we expect them to hunt down the one recycling station on the entire floor! No wonder Americans throw out so many recyclables! The fact is we can recycle more than ever before from every room in the house - boxboard, cans, and bottles from the kitchen and bathroom, almost everything that comes in the mail, most paper generated in the office and in my house there are plenty of beer and pop bottles generated all over the place. Despite this we only have three recycling containers in the entire house - compared to six garbage cans. I think I need to get some container parity.

All I am saying is give recycling a chance - equal space for all waste!

Posted by Miriam at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We've all heard about how fantastic those Germans and Japanese are at recycling. Here is a fun fact about Canada's recovery rates:

Ninety-two percent of Canadians reuse their plastic bags. Fifty percent of the time they are reused as garbage bags, thirty percent of all bags get recycled and the rest are reused as shopping bags, lunch bags, and to clean up after pets, among other things. Way to go Canadians! Yet, some want to push things even further with a proposed 25 cents-per-bag tax in British Columbia.

Source: Plastics Recycling Update by Resource Recycling

Posted by Miriam at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just celebrated/worked several events. At least one was public where I coordinated recycling and composting and at least one wasn't where I didn't.

At the private event an old friend, upon discovering that I am now a recycler in the environmental movement, asked if it bothered me to be at an event like this that generated waste. "Just think!" she commented, "there are hundreds or thousands of events like this going on every day all the time - that creates SO much garbage!" I replied that I would rather not and changed the subject.

Continue reading "event" »

Posted by Miriam at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

How many times do you think paper can be recycled?

Continue reading "Paper - recycling 202" »

Posted by Miriam at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I love my job. Lately I have chosen it over relationships and certainly free time. If anyone wants to keep me yakking all they need to do is ask me how it is going and listen attentively.

However, I have recently found my first stumbling block: I hate design.

As a "manager" I am supposed to make at least some-what executive decisions regarding projects under my watch. This makes perfect sense and I enjoy the responsibility and the freedom it brings - for the most part.

One of my projects though, is creating a self-explanatory waste-free office. At first I was really excited because I love creating systems and refining them to work well. Then I learned that I am supposed to come up with detailed descriptions of all the signs that explain this new type of office. This means I need to think about color, size, wording, and placement. In struggling to complete the assignment, I discovered I am a lot less creative than I suspected. When it comes to words brevity is not my strong point. This is bad if you are trying to create a sign. To top it off, we don't just want signs we want entertaining ones - that engage and humor people. I definitely am not witty and brief in my language. I can occasionally be one or the other but both seems like a tall order. The final cringe factor relates to deciding the look of the signs - what material should they be? Paper? Wood? Metal? What about canvas? How will they hang on the wall? What size is best?

In struggling with this project I have come to understand that while I am efficient and practical - and even creative and resourceful when it comes to accomplishing those two ends - it is at the expense of wit and style. Sad but true. Now I just need to figure out how to work around this handicap I have discovered. I am sure whatever happens I'll end up learning a lot being a better person for it all - I am too efficient and practical to waste a good educational opportunity.

Posted by Miriam at 01:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The most frequent question asked is:

Why can't I recycle plastic containers? Why only number one and two bottles?

Continue reading "Recycling 101 - Plastic Bottles" »

Posted by Miriam at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last week there was an event where vendors and service providers get together to brag about how green their products and processes are. As the recycler and a sponsor for the event we had our first post-event meeting today I fell in love our mission all over again - realizing how radical it is.

Continue reading "Living Green" »

Posted by Miriam at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Quaking at the knees, I am leaving my comfortable well-known world of natural food for garbage - scratch that - not garbage, but rather recycling. This weekend began the transition into a new position at a recycling company aimed at showing waste is preventable, not inevitable.

I have always had a bit of the environmental fanatic in me. It will be super difficult to rein it in now. To ease my transition have been absorbing "Paper or Plastic: Searching for solutions to an overpackaged world." Between this book and all my coworkers fill my head with, I hope to have an outlet here so as not to chase away the few remaining friends I have. Thus with pride, I start a recycling subject line, in which to pour my enthusiastic learning.

This need not be a solitary journey - already friends are asking me waste related questions and the answers I don't know I will be happy to look up - please post any questions or thoughts you have on this subject as they come up.

No info tonight though. After a jam-packed weekend I have to catch up on some sleep.

Posted by Miriam at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)