tagged w/ plastic bottles
-
Los Angeles Times...
.
Environmental news from California and beyond
Greenspace
.
Tons of L.A. River trash to be captured before hitting the sea
November 1, 2011 | 4:57 pm
.
Tons of trash normally swept to the ocean by the Los Angeles River should be captured by thousands of trash screens that have been installed beneath nearly every storm drain in the lower reaches of the river.
The project is believed to be the largest debris-capturing effort in the nation and marks the most aggressive attack yet on river trash in the Los Angeles region.
The project spans 16 cities and is expected to keep 840,000 pounds of debris -- the equivalent of about 450 Volkswagen Beetles -- from reaching the ocean each year, according to the Gateway Authority, a coalition of cities and public water agencies in southeastern L.A. County.
The biggest winner from the project is Long Beach, where workers routinely have to scoop floating islands of plastic bottles, grocery bags and other debris flowing from dozens of communities upstream before it litters the city’s coastline.
In August 2010, crews began installing the stainless-steel, full-capture trash devices inside nearly 12,000 catch basins.
The simple mesh contraptions sit just below the drains where water from city streets flows into the storm-water system and can catch debris as small as a cigarette butt.
Another 5,400 drains in the most-littered areas also were outfitted with street-level retractable screens as a second layer of defense.
.Los Angeles Times...
.
Environmental news from California and beyond... more
-
-
Plastics from single serving water bottles, or grocery bags accumulating in the world’s oceans have long been in the spotlight as eco villians.
Initially, biodegradable and compostable plant material based bottles seemed to be the cure for this convenience quandary. But beyond the simple math of eliminating petroleum as source material, there’s a problem: Most bioplastic doesn’t compost, unless in a professional environment (some don’t, even then). Bioplastics are not recyclable, since they are a different in formulation from conventional PET plastic. When they are accidentally included in recycling processing, it gums up the machinery.
To make matters worse, bioplastic, when tossed in the trash by people believing it would biodegrade, actually releases methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than CO2.
In the past few years, companies such as Coca Cola and Pepsi have been working on bridging the gap, making plant based bottles that are also recyclable. A step forward, but in Coke’s case it’s 30% plant based, sourced from purpose grown sugar cane ethanol. While a Coca Cola representative told me “Estimates show that sugarcane production in Brazil could increase thirty times without endangering sensitive ecosystems or taking land destined for food crops,” the question arises, why even grow food crops for bottles when Pepsi is currently creating bottles sourced primarily from food production scraps?
While Coke continues to work on making the bottle 100% plant based and we wait to see if Pepsi will license it’s bottle technology to other companies, an interesting third option has been quietly innovating: Casey Container.
Casey Container has created an additive usable with a wide range of plastics, even rubber, that allows the resulting product to be usable in all its usual applications, while being both recyclable and biodegradable. The resulting biodegraded material is not simply smaller pieces of plastic that continue to be an ecological issue. It becomes harmless biogas and biomatter. And rather than needing heat, light and moisture to begin the process of biodegrading and thus not working in tightly packed landfills, it is activated by the very microbes typically found in landfills.
Post Continues: http://www.triplepundit.com/2011/05/casey-container-missing-link-plastic-bottles-both-recyclable-biodegradable/Plastics from single serving water bottles, or grocery bags accumulating in the... more
-
-
A company in Taiwan has built a three-story exhibition hall using 1.5 million plastic bottles instead of bricks to raise interest in recycling, creating what the builder described as a world-first.
The contractor for the building said they got inspired by the waste in their office.
Builders took bottles from Taiwan's waste stream for reprocessing into plastic containers that interlock strongly enough to block the elements and withstand storms or earthquakes.
The pavilion, dubbed the EcoARK, includes an amphitheatre, museum space and a screen of falling water collected during rainy periods for air conditioning. The clear plastic containers in the wall allow natural light to flood the cavernous interior.
After the show, the wall panels will be packed up and reassembled elsewhere, he said.
Outside Taiwan, builders have used recycled bottles to make igloos, greenhouses and even a floating tropical island. Recycled bottles are normally reprocessed into new consumer goods.A company in Taiwan has built a three-story exhibition hall using 1.5 million plastic... more
-
-
-
'How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?' 30 Million People Wonder
WASHINGTON—Wishing to dispose of the empty plastic container, and failing to spot a recycling bin nearby, an estimated 30 million Americans asked themselves Monday how bad throwing away a single bottle of water could really be.
"It's fine, it's fine," thought Maine native Sheila Hodge, echoing the exact sentiments of Chicago-area resident Phillip Ragowski, recent Florida transplant Margaret Lowery, and Kansas City business owner Brian McMillan, as they tossed the polyethylene terephthalate object into an awaiting trash can. "It's just one bottle. And I'm usually pretty good about this sort of thing."
"Not a big deal," continued roughly one-tenth of the nation's population.
Enlarge Image What America's Thinking?
According to the inner monologue of millions upon millions of citizens, while not necessarily ideal, throwing away one empty bottle probably wouldn't make that much of a difference, and could even be forgiven, considering how long they had been carrying it around with them, the time that could be saved by just tossing it out right here, and the fact that they had bicycled to work once last July.
In addition, pretty much the entire states of Missouri and New Mexico calmly reassured themselves Monday that they definitely knew better than to do something like this, but admitted that hey, nobody is perfect, and at least they weren't still using those horrible aerosol cans, or just throwing garbage directly on the ground.
All agreed that disposing of what would eventually amount to 50 tons of thermoplastic polymer resin wasn't the end of the world.
"It's not like I don't care, because I do, and most of the time I don't even buy bottled water," thought Missouri school teacher Heather Delamere, the 450,000th caring and progressive individual to have done so that morning, and the 850,000th to have purchased the environmentally damaging vessel due to being thirsty, in a huge rush, and away from home. "It's really not worth beating myself up over."
"What's one little bottle in the grand scheme of things, you know?" added each and every single one of them.
Monday's plastic-bottle-related dilemma wasn't the only environmental quandary facing millions of citizens across the country. An estimated 20 million men and women wondered how wasteful leaving a single lightbulb on all night really was, while more than 40 million Americans asked themselves if anyone would actually notice if they just turned up the heat a few degrees instead of walking all the way downstairs and getting another blanket.
Likewise, had they not been so tired, and busy, and stressed, citizens making up the equivalent of three major metropolitan areas told reporters that they probably wouldn't have driven their minivans down to the corner store.
"Relax," thousands upon thousands of Americans quietly whispered to themselves as they tossed two articles of clothing into an empty washing machine and turned it on. "What are you so worried about?"'How Bad For The Environment Can Throwing Away One Plastic Bottle Be?' 30... more
-
-
Excerpt:
"How Does the New Biodegradable or Compostable Plastic Work?
The breakthrough heralded in this press release is the use of ENSO bottles. ENSO claims that their bottles are "biodegradable in both landfill and compost environments and can also be successfully mixed with standard PET plastic recycling." How is that possible?
This is where the spaghetti comes in. Plastics are all long chains of atoms, strongly bonded together to give them great technical properties like the ability to withstand a charge of high-pressure carbon dioxide or contain water without breaking down even when you forget the bottles in the trunk of your car on a sunny day. These long chains are called "polymers".
You know how hard it is to eat spaghetti? Well, polymers are like spaghetti to microbes. Very few microbes have developed knives (called enzymes in micro-world) which can cut through polymer chains. And the chains are just too long for the microbes to get their mouths around. (Having already risked entering annoying analogy territory, we will leave off anthropomorphizing micro-mouths.)"
At the link the risks mentioned are increased consumption of plastic bottles, rise in CO2 and the toxicity of the breakdown products.
Is this a good thing?
I don't see it as a solution, especially after looking at these risks, plastic should be banned altogether and instead look for a new material that is 100% safe, biodegradable and easily renewable.
What do you suggest?
Join Organic:
http://current.com/groups/organicgreen/Excerpt:
"How Does the New Biodegradable or Compostable Plastic Work?
The... more
-
-
This man-made island floats on 100,000 recycled plastic bottles, has its own beaches and is capable of being moved and docked to any place your heart desires. Known as Spiral Island, this creation is the second of its kind. The original floated its beach-covered bamboo and plywood base on 250,000 plastic bottles. Over 50 feet in diameter, the first Spiral Island was equipped with a multistory home, solar oven, self-composting toilet, and the usual flora you might expect of a tropical isle. Sadly, the original Spiral Island was destroyed in a hurricane just a few years ago.This man-made island floats on 100,000 recycled plastic bottles, has its own beaches... more
-
-
-
Coca-Cola Co said on Thursday it has developed a new plastic bottle that is partly made from sugar cane and molasses, raising the bar in the battle for the most environmentally friendly packaging.
Coke will test the new bottle in North America with Dasani bottled water and certain carbonated brands later this year. The test will expand to the vitaminwater brand in 2010.
Up to 30 percent of the new "plantbottle" will be made from a material derived from sugar cane and molasses, which is a by-product of sugar production, Coke said.
Plastic bottles are made from a non-renewable, petroleum-derived substance.Coca-Cola Co said on Thursday it has developed a new plastic bottle that is partly... more
-
-
Incredibly informative article on the virtue of bottled water...
Do these stats make you want to switch?Incredibly informative article on the virtue of bottled water...
Do these stats make... more
-
-
mbk220
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
On Earth Day 2009, we again face the dilemma of plastic bags and plastic bottles... plastic bags were supposed to save the environment by saving trees and entire forests. So, what happened? Is it the plastic that is so bad? Or the way that we manage its use & disposal?On Earth Day 2009, we again face the dilemma of plastic bags and plastic bottles...... more
-
-
Debenhams have launched what they're calling the "ultimate designer eco-outfit", a trouser suit made from recycled plastic bottles. The suit retails at £55 and is made from 50 bottles which are melted down & reformed to create a kind of polyester.
The innovation is said to reduce CO2 emmissions, save energy & cut down on landfill waste.
A Debenhams spokeswoman said: "We are proud of our creation as it's right on trend in terms of fashion, and kind to the environment, without costing the earth. If it proves popular among our customers then there's no reason why we couldn't extend it to menswear."
"You definitely don't need a lot of bottle to wear it."Debenhams have launched what they're calling the "ultimate designer... more
-
-
Cut from the webpage:
The crazy idea of selling billions of gallons of water in everlasting plastic bottles to people who already have access to clean water sources is turning our planet into a gigantic garbage heap. Finally, somebody is doing something about that. Brandimage created the 360 Bottle made of paper, which is 100% renewable.
Nice. It's apparently an impossible task to convince a sizable portion of our population that there's no need to clutch a bottle of water like a baby with a pacifier all day long. So, might as well limit the amount of harm done. These paper bottles are good for just about any liquid, too — not just water.
If this idea can even make a dent in the 60 million plastic bottles tossed each day in the U.S., Brandimage deserves an award. Wait. The company received an IDEA (International Design Excellence Award) for this design. Bravo. Now if they could just get those silver-tongued water hucksters and bottle-sucking sheep to buy into it.Cut from the webpage:
The crazy idea of selling billions of gallons of water in... more
-
-
Shway
-
added this
-
3 years ago
- |
-
Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a raft made of plastic bottles to raise awareness of ocean debris finally stepped onto dry land.
"We made it," hollered Marcus Eriksen to a crowd of about two dozen gathered at Ala Wai Harbor on Wednesday. "Where's the food?"
Friends greeted Eriksen and fellow eco-mariner Joel Paschal with leis, fresh food and beer to celebrate the end of their 2,600-mile voyage on what they call the JUNK raft.
"We got used to eating fish and peanut butter," said Eriksen, who celebrated his 41st birthday at sea.
The pair left Long Beach, California, on June 1. Their 30-foot vessel had a deck of salvaged sailboat masts, six pontoons filled with 15,000 plastic bottles and a cabin made from the fuselage of a Cessna airplane.
While at sea they realized they were only traveling half a mile per hour and it would take them much longer to reach Hawaii than the previously anticipated six weeks.
"We had to go to half rations for awhile," said Paschal, 32.
Trading the 'necessities of life'
Without a backup plan, the two used a satellite phone to get in touch with Roz Savage, who was crossing the Pacific solo in a rowboat and happened to be in the same area at the time.
Savage, who was heading from San Francisco to Hawaii, was in dire need of water after both her potable water makers broke. When the three met up, Savage got onboard the raft, Paschal speared a mahimahi and the three dined together. Before parting, the men gave Savage a water maker and she gave them some of her extra food.
"We exchanged the necessities of life," Eriksen said. "And that kept us going."
Food wasn't the only problem the men encountered on their trip. The raft, which can only sail down wind, had a hard time leaving the Long Beach area. The raft encountered storms that tore it apart during the first two weeks. Some of the bottles that were supposed to help the raft stay afloat started to sink. Eriksen and Paschal had to anchor the raft 100 miles off shore and rebuild it, before setting sail again.
Effort to ban 'single-use plastics'
The voyage was part of Algalita Marine Research Foundation's project called, "JUNK." The third person of the group, who didn't make the trip, was Anna Cummins, Eriksen's fiancee. Cummins took care of land support, blogs and fundraising.
She said the goal of the trip was to creatively raise awareness about plastic debris and pollution in the ocean. Ironically, this was the same goal that Savage had in her trek across the Pacific.
The three want "single-use plastics" to be banned, saying they're wasteful and usually end up in the ocean.
"Recycling is one solution, but it's just a small part of the puzzle," Paschal said.
Each day the men posted online videos and blogs of their trip and kept in touch with Cummins. They also spent two to three hours a day maintaining and repairing the raft.
Unappetizing fish
The men said a variety of marine life gathered under the raft throughout the trip.
One day, said Paschal, they caught a fish after watching it grow for five weeks. They were going to eat it, but when they cut it open they found its stomach was full of plastic confetti.
The team hopes to visit schools around Oahu and share their experiences, and is working on a documentary film about the voyage to raise public awareness of the danger of plastics.Tanned, dirty and hungry, two men who spent three months crossing the Pacific on a... more
-
-
Around the world, our oceans are turning into plastic soup.
So its no great surprise that plastic is now the "Soup of the day" for marine wildlife. Hundreds of marine species - from seabirds, to turtles, to cetaceans, to fish, have been found to ingest plastic.
For over 10 years, the Algalita Marine Research Foundation has studied plastic marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean. What we have found – exponential increases in the quantity of plastic debris – have a range of ecological impacts we are only beginning to understand.
To put a cap on it, we’re sounding the alarm, by sailing across the Pacific on 15,000 plastic bottles. Along the way, we’ll report our findings, collect ocean surface samples, and answer your questions through our blog.
Around the world, our oceans are turning into plastic soup.
So its no great... more
-
-
Last week’s decision by a York County water board to delay a vote on whether to sell municipal water to Nestle Corp., the owner of Poland Spring, did not happen in a vacuum.
* Last month in McCloud, Calif., after encountering opposition to what would have been the largest water bottling plant in the country, Nestle announced plans to significantly reduce the plant’s size.
* Earlier this month in Enumclaw, Wash., the city council rejected a proposal to allow Nestle to build another such plant.
* And last Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors voted to phase out use of bottled water for municipal employees.
Across the country, opposition to bottled water is building, amid growing concerns about the industry’s environmental impact and rising fears about private control of public water supplies.
“There’s no question that there is a groundswell,” said Ruth Caplan, coordinator of Defending Water for Life, a Washington, D.C.-based campaign that opposes the bottled water industry.
There are several reasons for the backlash to bottled water. Some of it is driven by fears about global warming - given the amount of oil needed to bottle and transport the water.
Some stems from concerns about the chemical makeup of plastic water bottles.
Some of the opposition is a byproduct of the huge price disparity between bottled water and the kind of water that comes from the tap for free.
Here in Maine, some of the local opposition to Poland Spring’s operations has stemmed from the traffic generated by the trucks that transport the water.
Perhaps the biggest factor, though, is a fear that as bottled water becomes more popular, private corporations are gaining more control over a natural resource that is central to life.
“The fundamental issue is, who owns the water?” said Jim Olson, an attorney for Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation, which has been engaged in a legal battle with Nestle. “If this company gets to do it, all companies get to do it, and you’re not going to be able to say no in the future.”
~~~~~~~~~~
We need to stop the commoditization of this resource which is the lifeblood of the Earth. Water is a human right. It cannot be bought by Nestle at the expense of the poor in countries where water is already scarce. It is a good sign to see people finally standing up to these companies.
Last week’s decision by a York County water board to delay a vote on whether to... more
-
-
Canada could ban products containing bisphenol A. The Hudson's Bay Company has decided to pre-empt Health Canada with plans for an urgent national recall of plastic baby bottles, cups and toys containing the synthetic chemical compound from 280 Zellers and 94 Bay stores.
Canada could ban products containing bisphenol A. The Hudson's Bay Company has... more
-
-
Dow Chemical and a unit of Kuwait Petroleum said on Thursday they will form a petrochemicals joint venture to link the Middle East company's vast energy supply with Dow's industry-leading market reach.
The joint venture will manufacture and sell chemicals used in products ranging from plastic bottles, compact disks and computers to agricultural compounds.
"By selectively investing in downstream petrochemical businesses, we are maximizing the value of Kuwait's hydrocarbons resources while diversifying our national economy and increasing job opportunities," Saad Al-Shuwaib, chief executive of Kuwait Petroleum, said in a statement.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately, we're all downstream.Dow Chemical and a unit of Kuwait Petroleum said on Thursday they will form a... more
-
