Interested to learn exactly what happens to your recyclables once you toss them in the blue bin? RecycleBank offers a whole series of videos on YouTube that shows you just how recyclables are processed.
Read on for more from the series....
all images from PVC: The Poison Plastic
Phthalates, the plasticizer used to make vinyl soft, have been known to be a gender-bender that has been shown to affect the masculinity of rats. Even the Bush Administration, not renowned for its defence of the public against the chemical companies, has banned it from childrens' toys.
Somewhere in Washington, perhaps in a gracious vinyl-clad manse like the one above, resides the Vinyl Siding Institute, bravely lobbying away to promote the wonders of its miracle product. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it. Someone has to let the world know that vinyl siding is really green. Like Wonderbread for the housing industry, it builds green houses in 12 different ways: ...
:: Are you a renter? Live green legally with these landlord-friendly renovation tips.
:: Speak up in the office and suggest a switch to soy-based ink toners in the copy room.
:: Transform pesky #6 plastic into pretty jewelry charms....
ForeverLawn shows off potential of recycled plastic as grass.
Lawns are a waste of water and space for the most part. And when living in drought stricken places like California, lawns seem even more wasteful. However, they’re attractive, a soft surface to play on, and keep dust down.
To try and provide the good parts of a lawn without the bad, ForeverLawn has created a very realistic fake grass. Not just one, but twelve versions that are specific to various user needs.
photo: Jim
Another significant environmental commitment coming out of the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting comes from an seemingly unlikely paring: The Environmental Defense Fund and Wal-Mart.
photo: Plas2Fuel
A couple weeks back we learned that the amount of plastic in landfills could be worth billions of dollars if it were mined and recycled. Well, if Plas2Fuel has any say in it, a good portion of that plastic (and other plastics that don’t get trashed) should be turned into fuel. The Longview, Washington based company has a patent pending on a process by which plastic can be converted into synthetic crude oil. This is how it works:...
(Photo: s2art.) The government of Buenos Aires province (a territory separate from Buenos Aires city but accounting for about 37% of the country population) has approved a law to ban shops and supermarkets to give polyethylene plastic bags in its territory.
Image source: Clean Water Now
Come one, come all. Next Saturday is the annual California Coastal Beach Cleanup and you're invited! People all across California will be participating in restoring beaches all at the same time, next Saturday September 20, from 9am-12pm. Communities will hold beach cleanups but also pass out information on feel-good stuff like recycling, as well as host contests and beach-goers will be serenaded by musicians.
Image source: San Diego Coastkeeper
Last night, the Encinitas, CA City Council Natural Resources Committee voted to draft a ban on plastic bags, which may include a fee for customers use of any single-use plastic bags and paper bags as reported on KPBS. Next, its up to the City Attorney's office to develop language and guidelines for the program, which may be up for a vote this November.
Image source: Getty Images
Yep, thats right. 8 Billion. Each. Year. According to Green Progress, over 8-10 billion plastic and wire hangers are sold each year, with only 15% ever being recycled. While clothes hangers, both metal and plastic are pretty small, 8 billion each year begins to add up. Fortunately, there are alternatives to hangers and plenty of ways to reuse them and keep them out of landfills.
Photo joshme17 @ flickr
The problem of one-use plastic bottles has far from gone away - we're still chucking out 30 billion empties globally each year. At least a six-pack of different U.S. and Canadian cities has come up with some kind of bottled water restrictions, hooray. But how to quench our collective thirst - have you noticed how few and far between once-common water fountains have become? Some solutions are cropping up, however, at least giving restaurants and offices a way to supply tap and sparkling water for guests and employees.
Filtered, carbonated, and (so far) free
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