I Think I'm Going to Shock Somebody...

...and not with electricity either. I mean that this posting just might make somebody's jaw drop with an audible ::clunk::.

I'm going to be referencing the following article "U.N. environment chief urges global ban on plastic bags" which is located here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/69691.html

" WASHINGTON — Single-use plastic bags, a staple of American life, have got to go, the United Nations' top environmental official said Monday.

" Although recycling bags is on the rise in the United States, an estimated 90 billion thin bags a year, most used to handle produce and groceries, go unrecycled. They were the second most common form of litter after cigarette butts at the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup Day sponsored by the Ocean Conservancy, a marine environmental group. "

Ok...there is a lot there. The UN dude said that plastic bags have to go. Well - and this is where I'm going to shock somebody - I agree with him to a point. But I'm going to draw the same distinction that was drawn in the article: I'm talking about plastic grocery bags, not plastic trash bags.

This distinction is important because there are several varieties of plastic trash bags that are biodegradeable. Plastic grocery bags, however, for the most part are not. The majority of people bag their groceries (or have them bagged for them) and when they get home, they throw the plastic grocery bags into (what else) the plastic trash bag.

I'll be honest and admit (there's one for the politicians ... somebody admitting something!) that this is what I used to do. That changed when I got married. My now ex-wife had a cloth container that she (and I when I moved in) would stuff the plastic grocery bags into. When it needed emptied, we would take it to Wal-Mart and empty it in the large box that was inside the store.

Even though I'm not married any longer, I continue to do this. And I'll give my ex-wife credit for doing it as well. It was, and remains, an excellent idea. Frankly, although recycling of plastic bags is on the rise, it still is nowhere near the level it needs to be.

The reason that the stores switched over to these bags is actually two-fold. The first reason is the cost factor. Plastic bags are cheaper to produce than paper bags and cheaper for the store to purchase from their supplier(s).

The second factor is the space factor. Plastic bags take up less space than paper bags, therefore you can fit more of them into the same spot where you used to put paper bags. Another reason is that they weigh a lot less than paper bags.

But therein lies a problem: These bags for the overwhelming majority are not biodegradeable. They go into the landfill and they stay there. They also get into the ocean and break down into smaller and smaller pieces. (For more information about this, check out the links at the end of this posting.)

This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. America has become, in a sense, a "throw-away" or "disposable" nation. Cloth diapers, once ubiquitous (common) in the United States are difficult to find. The switch from cloth to disposable is, again, two-fold. First, they're cheaper than cloth diapers. Second, you don't need to wash them. You simply throw them into the trash (or if you're like the people in this area, you leave them in the parking lot. Seriously.)

The other reason is that you had to use water and detergent to get the cloth diapers clean, and that factors into the cost of them (not when you purchase them, but over the lifetime.)

I'm not what some people would call an "enviro nit-wit" but I am concerned. Landfills fill up fast. Recycling does help, but it doesn't solve the problem. I'm sure that everybody reading this has heard the statement "Boy, they sure don't make things like they used to!" or words to that effect.

And, they're right. Things simply aren't manufactured the way they used to be. Why? Money. Think of it this way. You go to XYZZ Corp. and purchase a washing machine for your home. That washing machine isn't made to the same standards it once was. The new machine only has a lifespan of several years ... say five or so. However, there are still washing machines out there (that are working) that are over twenty years old. They were built to last. Unfortunately for the manufacturer, in the twenty-year life span of that washing machine, you haven't had to purchase a new one, and they've "lost" those sales.

This is also part of the problem. But we can all help.

We can all recycle those plastic grocery bags. Many stores now have receptacles in them where you can take them. Or, you can bring your own bag. Some stores sell reusable bags.

Next, we can purchase rechargeable batteries. I made this switch a decade ago. All of my electronic devices (camera, MP3 player, scanner) use rechargeable batteries. It is true that they cost more than normal batteries up front, but you can recharge them up to 1,000 times. Contrast that with having to purchase 1,000 new batteries. And think of the landfill space. You can also recycle rechargeable batteries as well as the "throw-away" types. Our local library has a receptacle for the "throw-aways".

We can reuse things before we throw them out. Coffee filters, for example, can be used twice without a problem. Some people do that with the actual coffee beans, but I'm not one of them.

For those of us who drink soda, we can recycle those aluminium cans. I crunch them down and toss them into a box. When I've got enough of them, it's off to the recycling centre.

* - Garbage Island - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
http://www.boingboing.net/2007/10/22/floating-toxic-plast.html

* - Recycling Batteries - http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php

* - Recycling printer cartridges - http://www.freerecycling.com/

* - Recycling aluminum cans - http://www.recycling-revolution.com/recycle-aluminum-cans.html
http://earth911.com/blog/2007/04/02/benefits-of-aluminum-can-recycling/