Living in a Throw Away Culture

Written by Sandra Marshall | 03 June 2010

Just a generation ago, products were packaged in reusable or recyclable materials – glass, metals, and paper, and designed products that would last. This throwaway mentality is a relatively recent phenomenon. In the last decade we have rapidly become a throwaway culture.  Our landfills, oceans and rivers are becoming filled with plastics and unnecessary trash. Plastic lost at sea is an environmental and potential human health hazard.
Take this challenge. Evaluate your purchases. Know the lifecycle of what you buy. What happens to your products when you’re through with them? Reduce your consumption of items made from, packaged, or labeled with, plastic.
Demand zero tolerance for plastic pollution and production of plastic waste. Choose cost-effective alternatives; commit to put your reusable bags in the car, to not use plastic bottles, etc.
Be the change. Bring your own bag, bottle, cup, To-Go Ware, and inspire others to do the same. Inspire your company, community, school, and those at home to consider what they make and consume. Shift some habits as you go along. Knowing the impact of plastic pollution on the world, inaction is unacceptable.
Take it to a higher level. Plastic pollution is an environmental and potential human health hazard; current recovery and recycling efforts are inadequate. Support legislative efforts to manage waste in your local community- your voice must be heard!
We must manage production and recovery of plastic responsibly through legislation. What works are fees on disposable plastics and economic incentives: return deposits on bottles, return deposits on products (EPR), and even a “Plastic Drive” for local schools to collect all types of plastic for $/pound. Efficient recovery of waste is essential- there is no “away” in throw-away.
When businesses take responsibility (EPR) to recover products from consumers after use, they make more durable products, create less waste, and reduce the financial burden on municipalities and taxpayers paying to reduce waste.
Responsible legislation creates opportunity for these alternatives. Steel water bottles and cloth grocery bags, biodegradable plastics and green chemistry, closed loop product lifecycles – innovations and reinventions, move us towards a more sustainable society, where the concept of “waste” has no place.

BAN THE PLASTIC BAG
Beginning July 1, 2010. Los Angeles shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 25 cents for a paper or biodegradable bag.
The city council voted unanimously to ban the plastic bag in July of 2008.
What will you do to make a difference.  Reusable bags are a one time purchase that make a difference locally and globally.
EPR = Extended Producer Responsibility