Dan Andrews Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Some of the reasons the world is covered in plastic is it is cheap to produce, comes from a readily available resource (oil) and it when it comes to food it gives us a reassuring feeling that the food is as contaminant free as it was when it left the farm. People are getting more aware of packaging and its consequences on the environment though. http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...EDIA02/80505016 Perhaps the answer is to deal with our plastic waste like we do any household cleaner, paint or used automotive oil and fluids. There is allot of hypocracy out there both by big corporates and consumers though. Here's an article on got on my news feeds and I think it is worth the read. It looks at the issue from both sides. For instance, without plastic we would waste much more food therefore offsetting the benefit gained by banning plastic and oh the irony of wrapping organic food in plastic! http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30352841/ This is something that needs more than however. Give it some thought, buy some cloth bags and recycle your plastic making sure that it makes it through that windstorm on recycle day it works its way into the recycle truck. Another irony of us trying. Our plastic used to go straight to the dump before we tried to recycle. Now allot simply gets blown out of our blue bins or spilled by restless youth and ends up in our ditches and ravines. I'd love to hear some new ideas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Are you talking about plastic bags, or all plastics. This world could not function in a world without plastics. Even from our very near sighted perspective of NFN. No more mono, co-polymer or floro lines. Get rid of the hard and soft plastic lures, and don't forget all those plastic resins that are used in the production of fishing rods. While we are at it, lets kiss that computer goodbye with all it's plastic bits and pieces Don't forget all those clothes in the closet. Very few items of clothing are without plastic/synthetic fibres like nylon, rayon, polyester, etc..... In short, one has to be willing to do with a lot less and be willing to roll the clock back 60-70 years. The world is so much smaller, and the population so much larger than what a natural world can sustain. On this point Chronzey is dead right. Things can never be as good as they were 40 and 50 years ago because there are far too many people making insatiable demands on finite resources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Simple but effective answer......ban the bags . Sell cloth bags made from hemp and don't sell them too cheaply or they will end up all over the place like the plastic ones. Ban all plastic water bottles also , use refillable bottles . Put BIG deposits on all glass bottles including beer bottles ( like 25 cents) so it will cost the nimrods some cash to smash them . There's a small start , and that probably addressing less than .0000000001 % of the plastics out there.......like this keyboard ......... How about packaging.....everything is plastic.......too much $$$ & jobs involved......I don't expect to see any changes made in that market .......... 100% recycling of plastic is a good start ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 Have you noticed how all these reusable bags they are selling in the supermarkets are made in China? Have you noticed what they are made from? Polypropylene, polyester, and cotton/polyester blends. There are very few cotton cloth bags out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Joe Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 I'm beggining to wonder how much recycling is actually done I had to make a trip to the landfill yesterday to get rid of some wood, cement, clay plant pots, and some plastic conduit. Well when I got there I was told to throw it all in the garbage bin There was another gentleman there that was tossing some glass panels away, and we started talking. It's a shame the price we pay for these things only to see them go into a dumpster he said, why can't they start keeping the glass and other recycleable items in a seperate container. I looked at him and told him I had no clue maybe it costs to much I always put my glass in with ALL the plastics and cans for recycle anyways I've noticed that too Bruce, their still made out of plastic in one form or another Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 10, 2009 Report Share Posted May 10, 2009 I returned a wooden (glue & sawdust) tea wagon to C.Tire because there were a few small holes missing to hold a tray . They gave me a new one & I asked what they will do with the returned one.........He said they just toss it in the garbage bin ......it's the cheaper to do that than ship it back .I could have fixed it in minutes .So the bottom line for recycling plastics is cost ......the environment is secondary......My guess is we may see a "footprint tax" on many items that will pay for burning plastic products to produce electricity etc.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunder Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Threads like yours chili, contribute to awareness of this issue. That is significant, just like everyone chipping in and doing thier part slowly but surely ( big or small). A positive attitude will further the cause and if it becomes trendy to be green, all the better. There were no recycling boxes 20 years ago and now they are dotting the sidewalk everywhere. I think the ball is rolling. Maybe slow? but it is . I use re-usable bags. I use garbage cans. I recycle. I even turn lights out behind me. I am not perfect at it and if I overlook it from time to time I'm not gonna sweat it.Instead, I'll just be happy I am doing something. Even if it's a small action. Good thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik.T. Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 If we ban all plastic think of how heavy things would be and the dollar stores would go out of business but plasctic BAGS yes I think that that is possible and is probably going to happen soon. Many jobs are generated by the production of plastic but not too many by the production of plastic bags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishyWishy Posted May 11, 2009 Report Share Posted May 11, 2009 Fellas, There are many plastics out there, some are recyclable, some are not. Everywhere you look there is plastic and this has been growing since the '40s or so. look how 70 years has changed everything. Cups in your cupboard, the vinyl chairs that were in every house in the 50's, 60's & 70's, food packaging, packing tape (has anyone opened a barbie for their daughter?), the pens we write with, the appliances we use, food packaging. I agree that the use of plastics should be reduced, reuseable (cloth) bags for your groceries or use boxes (I shop at food basics and use the boxes when available), I would like to see more use of glass again, get rid of small bottles of water (what is wrong with the tap?), go to a butcher for your meat and bring it home wrapped in butcher paper not poly styrene and plastic wrap. Find the plastics that are most littered, and start with those. It seems as though more people have allergies these days and other newly occuring ailments. These have been on the rise since the industrial revolution. from cancers to asthma to birth defects etc. Some is from the polluted air (maybe) some from water contaminents (maybe), some from eating food that is in plastic from the time it is processed until it is consumed (maybe), and some may be from filling our homes with the cheap, accessible, readily available platic products around, from building materials to furnishings. Maybe this is my perception but it seems as though there is an awakenng to this in society (in some aspects) people are buying organic food, meats raised without anitbiotics etc, natural materials for their homes (back to real hardwood, granite counters, slate tiles, ceramics, natural fibre rugs etc.) but at the same time more and more products are being packaged with plastics and synthetics. even look ate the nano tex/ dupont teflon coated pants and shirts we all wear. The gortex coats. There are also a lot of other things plastic does that we as lay people may not notice, or no one notices from the complete commonality of plastic. I'm thinking, blood bags, salleen packs, and other IV drugs. how would that be handled in a world with out plastic? What about the sterile packaged one-use medical instruments that are used to treat diseases everyday? Plastic does have a place in this world we live in...we as a society should just choose more carefully where that place should be, and choose what applications are acceptible. FW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Andrews Posted June 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 http://niagarafallsreview.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1618137 From blue box ... to new box Posted By CANADIAN PLASTICS INDUSTRY, WISEGEEK, EHOW AND EARTH911 Posted 1 day ago 1. Plastic is collected at the curbside and brought to a recycling centre 2. Plastics must be sorted into seven different groups before they can be recycled (sorted according to the PIC). Different types of plastics cannot be melted together. 3. Once sorted, the plastics are shredded. 4. The shredded chips go through a washing process. Contaminates (such as glue from labels, dirt, grease from food) must be removed. 5. Chips are then dried. Any moisture or humidity left can affect the final product. 6. Plastic chips are fed into a machine that uses pressure and heat to form fine strands of plastic. 7. The strands are chopped into pellets, which are then sold to companies to mould into new products ... TO NEW BOX 'New' products Some items plastic can be recycled into: - decking/fences Continued After Advertisement Below Advertisement - outdoor furniture - playground equipment - shoes - carpet - fibrefill for sleeping bags, coats - bean bag chairs - rope - sails for boats - piping - buckets, storage containers Did you know? Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60-watt light bulb for up to six hours. Did you know? Producing new plastic products from recycled materials uses two-thirds less energy than is required to make products from raw (virgin) materials. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions. No Plastic Challenge In an environmentally friendly challenge, Sun Media reporter Thane Burnett has challenged himself to go without buying anything plastic for the next six weeks. Not all of us can be as strong and motivated to succeed at this, but trying to be more aware of the products we buy -- such as disposable dishes, cutlery, saying "no" to buying products that are excessively packaged -- can go a long way in helping our environment. PET - Properties: Clarity, strength, barrier to gas and moisture Common applications: Soft drink, water and salad dressing bottles; peanut butter and jam jars PE-HD - Properties: Stiffness, resistance to moisture Common applications: Milk, juice and water bottles; trash and retail bags PVC - Properties: Ease of blending, strength, toughness Common applications: Juice bottles, cling films, PVC piping PE-LD - Properties: Ease of processing, flexibility, ease of sealing Common applications: Frozen food bags, squeezable bottles, cling films PP - Properties: Resistance to heat, chemicals, grease and oil Common applications: Reusable microwaveable ware, yogurt containers, margarine tubs, plastic disposable cups and plates; straws PS - Properties: Easily formed Common applications: Packing 'peanuts', disposable take-away containers, Styrofoam plates and cups 0 - Common applications: Beverage bottles, baby milk bottles, electronic casing Article ID# 1618137 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Chopin Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 On a similar topic, I asked the girl at Sobey's where the 5 cents that you pay for a plastic bag goes. She said it goes to help the environment but had no clue how? Anyone know who and where the money you pay for bags go? Toronto is adopting a policy that all stores must charge for bags not just grocery stores or those that want to. Clothing stores, book stores, tackle stores, etc..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 It's a tax grab , just like any other increase we have been hit with lately .They have found many cute ways to present these increases without saying it's a tax . This plastic bag thing will seem trivial when we get our utility bills with the HST added .Compare the plastic bag with the packaging of our products that need to be sealed with rigid plastic & padded with styrofoam ( keeps China working) ..........Look at the amount of plastic in cars , from bumpers to dashboards........The plastic bag is nothing in comparison to thousands of products out there .....it's just an eye sore ,like Timmies cups & lids & water bottles scattered everywhere. We should worry more about the huge waste of energy shipping goods half way around the world & then tranporting those goods with thousands of trucks 24/7 .Plastic is here to stay ....recycle it . Lets go back to steel fishing rods ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Lets go back to steel fishing rods ? I'm still using a 40 year old glass rod for some of my fishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted June 20, 2009 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 I'm still using a 40 year old glass rod for some of my fishing. My first fishing rod was a steel baitcasting rod made by " True Temper " the same people that make excellent quality hand gardening tools. First reel was a Shakespeare/Inglis Wonder Reel made by " Inglis " the same people who made washing machines. Reel was made in Canada, Toronto I believe. Don't think there was any plastic involved was more likely Bakelite. EDIT : Mine was the lightweight one with the round green endcaps http://www.ontariolures.com/reels/inglisreel.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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