I’ve only just begun reading Susan Freinkel’s timely book, Plastic—A Toxic Love Story, and I’m already enthralled.
For instance, did you know we’ve produced as much plastic in the past decade as we did in the ENTIRE twentieth century?
But what’s most disturbing is that unlike metal, glass and paper, which can truly be recycled without adding new materials, plastic can’t.
Melting plastic for recycling damages plastic’s polymer bonds. This means new virgin plastic is always added to the mix when recycled plastic is turned into a new product.
Currently, for example, only 30% recycled plastic can be used to make new plastic bags.
So…when you recycle 3 old plastic bags you end up with 10 new plastic bags.
Recycle those 10 plastic bags and you end up with 30 new plastic bags.
And so on. And so on.
So, as Lisa Kaas Boyle points out in her HuffPo article on this issue, recycling plastic goods produces MORE plastic in the world not less!
This isn’t an issue with a quick or easy solution, of course, but it’s one that could really benefit from a big ol’ heap of awareness.
So today, just take note of how many plastic items you use throughout your day and especially note how many get disposed.
Ask yourself if there’s a greener alternative or if you can eliminate the use of that item entirely.
For instance, do you use disposable plastic pens when you could be using a pen that accepts refills? And can you buy those refills eight to a pack instead of in the single size so you can throw away less plastic packaging?
Or can you opt to grab your glass covered casserole to house tonight’s leftovers instead of reaching for a plastic container?
Look, I realize that trying to live a more eco-friendly life can be confusing and sometimes, inconvenient.
I also realize there are big issues at play that the average consumer can’t affect and that will need to be handled by larger organizations, non-profits and governments.
But if each of us would just live our days with a bit more awareness and if each of us could make even one eco-friendly adjustment in our lives every year — yet alone every month or every week — our world would change for the better.
Because I believe that just as plastic begets more plastic, small efforts like these beget more small efforts on our part. And small efforts always seem to beget bigger efforts.
And don’t think for one second that all of this begetting won’t make our planet greener, cleaner and healthier!
Fortunately, someone somewhere made one of those small efforts and held on to today’s VPOD instead of tossing it into the trash, because this vintage lucite necklace has plenty of fashion life left to go.
It’s a colorful fun find for a vintage fashionista!
Available at Old Luxe. | Discovered at TheFind.com.
(To receive the VPOD free via email with detailed size and price information, sign up for the growing email mailing list here. Your information will never be sold or shared and you can easily unsubscribe at any time.)
