Natural Environment Blog

Have you ever thought about making a green change in your lifestyle? We have all heard of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Well, we are going to show you some quick ways to use these three in your daily routine. With these few changes, you are sure to be on the green track!

1) Shop with reusable bags

Nowadays, it’s routine for a grocery store clerk to put your groceries into a thin bag or two as you’re on your way out. However, have you ever thought about how much of a negative effect those plastic bags make on earth? Plastic bags are not biodegradable, and cause harm to animals. If you are someone who has been using plastic bags for all of your life, do not fret! With one simple change, you can be on your way towards a greener life –swap those plastics out for canvas or cloth tote bags. Such bags are reasonably priced, stylish, and can be reused again and again. The use of tote bags can save you, and our environment, approximately 20,000 plastic bags a lifetime.

2) Light up your home!

Ever get tired of those increasing energy bills? Well, there is good news. Switching to fluorescent light bulbs (known as CFLs) not only lowers your light bills, but CFLs are also more efficient than regular light bulbs (known as incandescent light bulbs) that many people use in their homes currently. Fluorescent light bulbs also have 10 times the lifespan than incandescent light bulbs. This means that instead of purchasing ten regular light bulbs, you will one fluorescent bulb. Now that is a cheap way to get your life on a greener track!

3) Keep those switches off.

Sunlight is not useful for plants, but it is also a great way to become more planet-friendly. If you are at home and it is very bright outside, then turn off that light switch and open up some blinds. Letting the natural sunlight illuminate your home during the morning and afternoon is a great way to cut down on the amount of electricity you use. Remember this one rule: If it’s bright, then turn off that light!

4) Bye-bye bottled water!

Bottled water is very convenient these days for people who are always on the go. However, the effects of these plastic bottles are quite harmful to our planet. It may take around 450 to 1,000 years for one water bottle to fully decompose! Plus, the quality of water in bottles is not actually as pure as we may think. Most of the time, there are more impurities in bottled water than there is regular tap water. If you do not like the idea of contaminants in your water, than there is a solution. Use reusable water bottles and fill them up with tap water.

5) Buddy up.

Carpooling with a fellow friend, classmate, or colleague is probably one of the most efficient ways to get going on the green path. Cars release harmful emissions that can lead to smog and even health problems. With the use of carpooling, you are cutting down on the number of cars on the road, and therefore the toxins released into the air. Plus, carpooling is also beneficial to those who take part in the act! Not only are you saving money on gas, but by carpooling, you are allowed to use the carpool lane, getting you to where you have to be in a shorter amount of time. Carpooling is a “win-win” for both you and the environment!

This article comes to you from NerdWallet.com, an unbiased, quantitative decision website.

Plastic is a highly non-biodegradable material, which makes it ironic that the very bags we use to dispose of our trash are made out of it. Plastic items have got to be the easiest things to reuse and recycle, since most of these are containers and bags, but plastic ironically is one of the least-recycled consumer products in the US.

In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that in 2008, only about 6.8 percent of the total amount of plastic generated was actually recycled, which is significantly lower than other materials such as metal, paper, and glass.

Furthermore, plastic bags are so widely used everywhere, everyday, that according to the EPA, around 100 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used and disposed of every year. That means we’ve used almost 3 trillion plastic bags from 2009-2011 alone.

The problem is, since plastic is non-biodegradable, these plastic bags and other plastic products stay in waste areas and landfills for hundreds of years, strongly contributing to the problematic pollution we already have.

This is why we should all start recycling plastic, even in little ingenious ways. Take the trusty black garbage bags we all know and, er, love, for one.

What makes these garbage bags special is that they’re made to be so strong and durable to hold trash in, and it’s these very same characteristics that make them so useful for a lot of other tasks and things. Garbage bags also make a cheaper alternative for some other everyday items.

There are dozens of ways to use, reuse, and recycle this household item, and here are some of them:

• Covers for basically anything. The great thing about garbage bags is how resistant they are. These plastic bags work well as covering — you can cover pretty much anything with them, and the garbage bag keeps the covered item clean and dry. You can keep your barbecue grill under there until after the next cookout, or pull a garbage bag over a synthetic Christmas tree you have so it’ll look nice and dust-free by the next Yuletide season. You can also use these garbage bags as dropcloths for when you’re painting and renovating around the house, keeping the furniture, floors and other surfaces free from paint and debris.
• Windshield protectors for snowy days. Keep your car’s windshield from frosting over by spreading a garbage bag over it, tucking the bag’s edges between the car doors and the wipers. This saves you a lot of time from defrosting and minimizes ice and water damage to your car, too!
• Sheets in case of roadside car repair emergencies. So you end up pulling over the side of the road due to car trouble, and you need to take a peek under the vehicle. You can pull out a garbage bag out of the trunk, spread it out on the road, and you can shimmy under the car without having to worry about getting your clothes wet or dirty, or both.
• Lining for luggage. We normally use garbage bags to line our wastebaskets and bins, so why can’t we do the same for our luggage? Going on camping and hiking trips exposes us and our things to the elements, so we need to make sure our bags can withstand practically anything. Keep your clothes and other knick-knacks dry and grime-free by lining your backpacks and other traveling bags with this handy plastic material.
• Storage. You can store pretty much anything in garbage bags, too. If you’re moving on short notice and you run out of boxes, you can use garbage bags instead. Just throw in all your stuff in there (but make sure to keep away any sharp object that could tear or puncture the bags) and you’re good to go. You can also keep seasonal clothes in good condition by storing them in these makeshift garment bags. Just make sure to keep the air out of the bag and maybe throw in a couple of moth balls in there before securing the end of the bag with a twist tie or string.
• Emergency rain or winter gear. This trick is commonly used by outdoor enthusiasts, and they’ve found that garbage bags make good rain coats, ponchos, and you can even improvise a winter coat of sorts from it by adding the garbage bag to your existing layer of clothes as a moisture barrier, and stuffing the bag with dry material like leaves and lichens for insulation.
• Repurposed ‘new’ things. You can use garbage bags in an assortment of craft projects and other items. Strips of the garbage bags can be coiled, knitted, pleated, or even stitched into baskets, rugs, and mats. You can even fashion a small bit of knitted plastic into a durable and effective scouring pad for cleaning around the house.
• Temporary patches. You can patch up your tent or any other similar camping gear with a piece of plastic cut out of the garbage bag. Just secure the plastic with some strong duct tape and you’re set. You can also use the garbage bag for covering up broken windows or any other openings during a storm to keep the wind and the water out of the house.
• Medical emergency items. You would need proper first aid training for this, of course, but clean garbage bags can actually save someone’s life! You can cut out a part of the plastic to secure wounds and keep them dry, maybe even hold vital body parts in place or even help deal with a collapsed lung.

These are only some of the things you can do with plastic garbage bags, so maybe you can choose to explore your options the next time you’re thinking of simply throwing them out with the trash. Who knows, you might even come up with other uses to fit your household needs. You’ll not only help lessen the massive amount of plastic pollution, but you’ll also have inexpensive yet effective alternatives for other everyday items.

May Flores is a freelance writer who occasionally does work for PlasticPlace.com, a wholesaler of trash bags, can liners and contractor bags. In her spare time, she also likes to create handmade items from recycled material.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about saddling our children and grandchildren with a huge national debt. But that’s not the only problem we’re creating for our kids: They’re going to inherit a nation of landfills that are packed beyond their capacity.

How about recycling more of this material and solving this problem before it gets even more out of hand?

It’s really very easy and if you take these 5 recycling tips to save our landfills, you can get the process going.

Has anyone seen the remote control batteries?

Where do you put the rechargeable remote batteries when they die? Of course, this usually happens when there are several things on TV that you want to watch at the same time, but that’s different subject. Anyway, rechargeable batteries, including the batteries in your cellphone, can be recycled and call2recycle can give you the full low down.

That takes care of many of the little batteries that haunt our lives, but what about the big ones, the lead-acid car batteries that decide to lose their last amps of energy on the coldest winter mornings? You have two easy ways to go here. Retailers who sell car batteries are one place to take them and very often community waste disposal departments have drop off sites, sometimes scheduled for specific dates throughout the year. Check your city our county’s official website or call your local auto parts retailer.

What Can I Do with my Dead Electronics?

Some of us change cellphones more often than we change pairs of Converse Chuck Taylors or Pradas (choose one). The same thing goes for game consoles, computers and other miscellaneous electronics. There are several great ways to deal with the electronic flotsam and jetsam of your life. You can drop off electronic gear that is definitely way beyond its useful life at your local Best Buy store. For gear with some life left in it eBay’s Rethink program can direct you to several charities that accept donations.

Would you Like to Get Rid of That Wood?

Guys are infamous for keeping old wood scraps around “just in case.” Of course, the “case” seldom happens. Scrap lumber can be turned into a variety of products including mulch and building materials, or used as fuel. According to the Environmental Protection Agency there are some 500 facilities around the nation that can process your wood scraps and sometimes they’ll even pay you for the privilege.

When They Ask “Paper or Plastic” do you Always Opt for Plastic?

As I write this, I’m looking out my widow at my new bird feeder. It was made from recycled plastic. There are a lot of wonderful uses for recycled plastic, whether it be your old grocery bag or a one liter soda bottle.

If you’re like many people, you cart your groceries home in plastic bags. If you find it impossible to make the switch to sturdy reusable bags, be on the lookout for stores that have a spot where you can recycle your used bags. Even if your store doesn’t offer recycling, there’s probably somewhere nearby that does.
For other plastic containers, like bottles, check the recycling code on the bottom. Your local recycling center probably accepts most kinds.

The Slippery Slope of Oil Recycling

As a child I remember my dad changing the oil in our cars. The oil sat in containers in the garage until the house was eventually sold, if my memory serves me. Recycling used motor oil is far wiser. According to the EPA, if all the Americans who change their own oil would recycle it, it would save enough oil to lube up 50 million cars each year. Further, oil that is not properly recycled or disposed gets into our waterways—like millions of little Exxon Valdezes.

Often, public waste haulers will have drop off spots for motor oil and there’s probably a garage or gas station near you where you can take it. Inquire locally so you can act globally.

And, before I slide past the subject of oil, how about your old cooking oil? Do you have any friends who are brewing their own bio-diesel? Give them a call. They might want to take your spent cooking oil.

These 5 recycling tips will help us solve our landfill problem and reduce overall pollution. Have you found any easy ways to recycle items and keep them out of our trash?

Chris Turberville-Tully is a marketing strategist for Denios, a hazardous material storage company specializing in health and safety products for chemical storage, containment, spills and more.

Plastic bags have been blamed for the death of a crocodile that was recently captured off Magnetic Island,  near the Australian city of Townsville.  

The crocodile died of starvation after 25 plastic shopping and garbage bags, a plastic wine cooler bag and a rubber float found in his stomach prevented him digesting food.

Relocation

The crocodile, dubbed ‘Whitey’, which had initially been relocated from 1,000 km away, was captured again  because it had moved too close to Magnetic Island where it forced the closure of a popular tourist beach.

Magnetic Island, which is a popular tourist destination in itself, is also a popular launching pad to the Great Barrier Reef - the world’s largest coral reef system. 

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had relocated the crocodile from Bamaga, Cape York to an area south of Townsville as part of a scientific experiment to see whether it would establish a new home range.

The Impact of Plastic Bags on WIldlife

The impact of plastic bags on the environment has been well documented, and research has found that plastic bags cause the death of hundreds of thousands of marine creatures each year. But it’s not often that you hear of plastic bags causing the death of crocodiles.

Russell Reicheldt chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) said “I didn’t know it was a problem for crocodiles specifically, you tend to hear it more as a problem for turtles,”

“But it … reinforces our general view that the amount of marine debris in the ocean is too much and it’s damaging wildlife” he continued.

Alan Feely executive director of Queensland Parks and Wildlife said that Whitey had probably been digesting plastic bags long before he was relocated to Townsville. 

“When we got him he was pretty emaciated and there was evidence before then that he had not been acting normally” he said.

He added that the death should be a reminder to all about the impact rubbish had on animals.

Australian Seabird Rescue spokesman Keith Williams said wildlife living near built-up areas had a heightened risk from plastic but the damaging material was in all the world’s oceans.

Outrage

Magnetic Island residents are outraged that the crocodile was moved from Cape York in the first place. Tourism activities - such as diving/snorkelling tours - account for the majority of the island’s income, and residents claim that the presence of the crocodile had put many out of business. 

But State Tourism Minister Desley Boyle claimed that crocodiles in urban areas are an attraction rather than a deterrent and can give cheap thrills to international tourists. 

Ms Boyle told Parliament in Cairns that crocodiles in waters close to populated areas lured tourists and provided them with photo opportunities.

Wal-Mart has announced that they plan to cut their plastic bag waste by a third by 2013.

They plan to achieve this goal by selling reusable bags. Wal-Mart already sells reusable bags for a dollar each, but they plan to make these even more affordable, with a cheaper model being released next month in Arkansas. 

The initiative is expected to cut the equivalent of 9 billion plastic bags from stores each year, and eliminate more than 135 million pounds of plastic waste globally in the next five years. 

Wal-Mart say that their aim is to reduce plastic bag waste by 25 percent in the U.S., and 50 percent worldwide.

Matt Kistler, senior vice president for sustainability at Wal-Mart says:

If we can encourage consumers to change their behavior, just one bag at a time, we believe real progress can be made toward our goal of creating zero waste”

This is encouraging news, although I wonder what’s stopping them from aiming a bit higher. A 25% reduction in the U.S. doesn’t seem like much. But I guess it’s a good start. 

And at least the world will have 9 billion less paper bags each year.

Then, we’ll need to figure out how to get rid of the other 999,999,991,000,000,000 plastic bags that we use each year!Wal-Mart to Reduce Plastic Bag Waste by 33 Percent

It was great to read that a United States amusement park has encouraged kids to collect almost 40,000 plastic bags.

Playland Amusement Park in Westchester, NY, provided free rides to kids who turned in 100 plastic bags or more on June 28.

Dubbed “Plastic Bag Day”, the event resulted in 39,995 plastic bags being retrieved. This means there are now 39,995 less plastic bags that can harm the environment.

The plastic bags will eventually be recycled into products such as outdoor decks and fencing.

Source: Mid Hudson News

Eight years ago in India, cows were found to be dying on the streets from what was initially thought to be a mystery disease. Closer inspection revealed that the cows were dying from plastic bags. They were mistakenly ingesting the plastic bags while eating food at the side of the roads.

At the time, it was estimated that over 3,000 cows were dying each month from plastic bags. According to the audio story attached to this article by the National Public Radio, between 15,000 and 20,000 cows die each month from plastic bags.

Unfortunately, although a plastic bag ban was pushed for, the plastic bag industry managed to persuade against it. In the end, only ultra-thin plastic bags were banned. But it appears that these ultra-thin plastic bags are continuing to be manufactured and distributed in India.

So the result is that more and more cows are continuing to die an excruciatingly painful death from ingesting unused plastic bags.

We all know that plastic bags are bad for the environment. And we all know why it’s important to do something about the plastic bag problem. Most plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to degrade. Until now that is.

Daniel Burd, a Canadian high school student has discovered a method for degrading polyethylene plastic bags. He made this exciting discovery during a science project. He wanted to prove that a procedure could be developed to degrade plastic bags.

The discovery won Burd first place prize of $9,800 in the Canada-Wide Science Fair, the Waterloo, Ontario. Burd has also received almost $34,000 in college scholarship offers.

During the project, Burd was able to degrade 43 percent of a plastic bag within six weeks. Burd plans to refine his process so that he can degrade the polyethylene in a much shorter timeframe.

Burd achieved the degradation by isolating microorganisms from soil, then using them to facilitate the degradation process.

This discovery sounds like it has a lot of potential. Of course, it’s early days yet, but wouldn’t it be great if a process could be developed to degrade all the plastic bags already scattered throughout the natural environment? And what if a process could be developed to degrade all the plastic lying in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?

Source: Red Orbit

In the lead up to China’s plastic bag ban, which commenced on June 1, there were many reports about mixed feelings. For example, although most people agreed plastic bags are a problem for the environment, many weren’t so enthusiastic about being charged for plastic bags.

Well, if this article from Zhejiang Online is anything to go by, there’s still hope yet.

On the first day of the plastic bag ban, in Hangzhou, supermarkets and free markets both experienced a large decrease in the use of plastic bags. This resulted in a large increase of the sale of environmentally friendly reusable shopping bags. Mr. Yang Juanmei, marketing manager of Huarun Wanjia Supermarket, said sales of eco-friendly shopping bags increased by 200 percent. And at the Yeqingdou Free Market, sales of environmentally friendly shopping bags matched that of the previous 7 days.

Also keep in mind that many people bought their reusable shopping bags/baskets prior to June 1. According to estimates from supermarkets and free markets, more than 50 percent of customers brought their own reusable shopping bags or baskets.

Furthermore, it seems that the elderly were more likely to bring their own shopping bags. Mr. Shen Shuangquan, manager of Yeqingdou Free Market estimated that, in the morning of June 1, 90 percent of shoppers - most of who are elderly - brought their own bags! As the day progressed, many younger shoppers came and purchased plastic bags.

77% Decrease in Plastic Bags!

And most importantly, if my interpretation is correct, in Wanshouting Free Market, the number of plastic bags provided decreased by 77 percent. As many as 100,000 plastic bags were provided in the old days, but on June, this number was closer to 23,000 (3-4000 sold to customers and 20,000 sold to vendors for fresh food, deli, and bakeries).

In other markets, the plastic bag reduction was less pronounced, but still significant.

I know it’s still early days, and Hangzhou has a relatively small population (6.5 million), but if this trend continues around the nation, China’s plastic bag ban will play a major part in worldwide efforts to reduce our plastic bag consumption.

As mentioned previously, China released new standards for plastic bags which will ban ultra thin plastic bags from being produced.

These standards are to take effect from today.

The new law also bans supermarkets and other retailers from providing free plastic bags to their customers. If a retailer wishes to provide plastic bags, they need to charge for them.

Some retailers are concerned about this. They’re worried that they will drive customers away if they charge too much for the plastic bags. Further to this, the plastic bags that are fully degradable are usually more expensive than the non/less-degradable bags. No doubt, this will also have an impact on supermarkets’ pricing decisions.

Hopefully the Chinese will embrace the idea that there are alternatives to plastic bags. Also, now that they’re being forced to pay for plastic bags, more Chinese will start taking their own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket. Given China’s enormous population, this should reduce the world’s plastic bag consumption quite considerably.

Having said this, only time will tell.