The key aim of this blog is to promote reduced use of plastic. I know as well as anybody that using plastic stuff is almost unavoidable. With this in mind, I am adding a link to some information about which plastics are more hazardous and which ones are less hazardous.
Thegreenguide.com/products/Kitchen/Plastic_Containers
This blog is about reducing our personal consumption of plastic. So far, it has been a hodgepodge of old ideas and new ideas. Old ideas can make a lot of sense, most of the time. Plastic has only become a ubiquitous part of our lives in the last few generations. Before that, other materials were doing just fine at meeting our needs… or were they?
You need to be very cautious about antique items that contain dangerous materials like lead and mercury. I would suggest a ‘better safe than sorry” approach with regards to old cookware, utensils and serving dishes. Even decorative antiques can pose health risks. Looking into the issue of lead poisoning was very depressing for me. I did not know that a proposed ban on lead paint went before the US House of Representatives in 1910 and that it took 68 years before the Consumer Product Safety Commission eventually banned it. Over 4000 tonnes of lead paint had been slapped on walls and toys and various other things in the interim.
I wonder if the push and pull related to chemicals leaching from plastic drinking containers will drag on that long? Actually, I am certain that it will not. Things move faster in the information age. Several companies removed products containing Bisphenol A as soon as the issue started making headlines. Interestingly, I think the scandal about lead in products made in China may has sensitized the media and consumers in such a way as to catalyze the reaction to Bisphenol A.
Another depressing issue involves the modern low watt light bulb. Al Gore et al. want to ban incandescent light bulbs in homes. The present alternative is a CFL that contains mercury. They also contain more plastic than a typical incandescent bulb.
Proponents of these efficient bulbs say that the fact that they contain more hazardous materials and the fact that they take more energy to produce are more than offset by the energy savings. I am worried about the environmental impact of their production because they are presently made in China. I am also worried about the mercury. There have been advances, with some bulbs having 1/5 the amount of mercury of typical CFLs.
I have personal experience with cheap CFLs that did not have the long life that is touted by their promoters. The answer might be higher standards. Right now, they are trying to compete with standard light bulbs. When legislation kicks in this will be less of an issue.
Credit for this picture goes to www.wasteplastictechnology.blogspot.com, a blog promoting the use of waste plastic as a source of energy. I don’t think that is the best direction to take. It seems like it is just sending the pollutants somewhere else, namely into the air that we breath.
The blog gave me some things to think about, though.
I was reminded of the fact that cruise ships routinely dump their waste at sea. I think responsible consumers should insist on responsible cruise ships.
The primary focus of this blog is to advocate and discuss reducing plastic waste. However, the biggest news related to plastic today is BPA and its potential health risks. After reading a very long article about BPA in the National Post, I am confused. Some experts say that using the chemical in containers benefits human health by separating food from from metals and microbes. Other experts say that BPA leaching into our food and water is a clear and present danger to babies and fetuses.
While its hard to decide what governments should do, we can all make a personal effort to simply avoid plastic and plastic lined food containers as much as possible. If you are pregnant or if you have young children, it is especially important to play it safe while the scientists on both sides continue to debate.
