Recycling is the answer right? Wrong!!!

[Reusableproduct]

Recycling has its place -- in fact, we offer bags made of recycled PET because we support sustainable paths for the world's overabundance of plastic. However, it's not the solution to the plastic bag problem. Recycling rates for plastic bags are extremely low. Only 1 to 3% of plastic bags end up getting recycled. In addition, economics of recycling plastic bags are not appealing. From the process of sorting, to the contamination of inks and the overall low quality of the plastic used in plastics bags, recyclers would much rather focus on recycling the vast quantities of more viable materials such as soda and milk bottles that can be recycled far more efficiently. If the economics don't work, recycling efforts don't work.

Feel free to reply...

[DW Wood]

you say........"Recycling is the answer right? Wrong!!!" and then only give one example of were recycling isnt effective. We recycle hundreds of different kinds of materials, so where does the "Wrong" come in on your post?

Not only are you right that recycling has its place. Its probably the only one thing that "most" everyone does in one form or another that even comes close to equating everyone going green.


DW Wood

[Reusableproduct]

Welcome DW Wood,
I appreciate your suggestion; But my topic is little different.
I agreed with your saying that "there is no wrong". But here we are discussing about the Reusable products, because In every study done, reusable bags are rated best for the environment. We believe that in five years, over 90% of the country will be using a reusable grocery bag. Similar to the positive effects that a hybrid car has on the environment, our reusable pp bags take a little petroleum and go a long way. Each of our bags is designed to replace two paper bags or up to 4 plastic bags each time it is used. They are manufactured with a high standard of quality in mind, which is reflected by their lifespan. They can be used weekly for two years or more. Over a lifetime, each bag will replace over 400 plastic bags. A small change here and there equals a large change for our environment.
Thats why we are always trying our level best to implement Green bags every where.

ok friend will be back to join you................

[DW Wood]

Thanks for the welcome.....

I got ya now, this was a bag thing exclusively all the time and not a recycling in general thing.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

I have to admit that I have a LONGGGGGGGGGG way to go when it comes to the use of plastic bags myself. I have purchased cloth bags (big ones too, not the tiny ones they sell to get you to buy more of them) and for some reason I always forget to take them with me. Whats worse, I use the plastic bags I do bring home as garbage bags. All this to spite the fact I know better.

But since posting and reading this has me think bags, I will "right now" go put the cloth bags in my truck so I have no excuse for forgetting them.

DW Wood

[canadaguy]

There is a reason why the phrase goes "Reduce, reuse, recycle." Note that recycle is the last choice.

The first choice should be to simply reduce the usage of things we don't need. This means not mining the raw materials for stuff we don't need, not manufacturing useless crap, and not burning more fossil fuel to make and transport it. Most families have so much crap in their houses, it's crazy.

Once you've done that, then you reuse. There's so many toys, clothes, car, applicances, and many other things out that could be supplied for years simply from the second-hand market without having to make new versions of them all.

Finally, when all that is done, you consider whether recycling the remainder makes sense. In some cases, however, *more* energy is burnt to recycle something than to make it from scratch. In that case recycling does more harm to the environment than good. Of course, if we do have to make something new, it should be designed to last a long time and be reusable, both as a whole, and, later in life, as parts.

So, yes, recycling is very often the wrong answer.

[canadaguy]

In case anyone is interested, I have expanded out the previous comment into a full article, which you can see here:

http://selfdestructivebastards.blogspot ... ctive.html

[outsidethebox]

I went to Wal Mart the other day and right at the front door by the greeter is a large box of you guessed it plastic recycled bags. In the county where I live and other counties they require your trash to be bagged for pick up. Now I have inquired why and some dumps are lined and they feel this will protect the liner from tears from sharp objects. I think it is the faster and more sanitary way they are after. So if you want your trash picked up you need to bag it here. We put 2+2 together and now reuse our plastic shopping bags as trash bags this way we don't have to buy plastic trash bags. Any we have left over we recycle. Think of all the plastic trash bags you buy if you replaced them with reusing plastic shopping bags that would be better.
But since trash needs to be bagged we will need plastic bags no matter what. If free plastic store bags are done away with that we reuse then we will have to buy plastic trash bags. Not only will this cost more but we will be using more plastic as you don't reuse a trash bag. Just something to think about. The plastic store bags seem to break down in a rather short period of time which is better. If we develop the plastic bags to break down which they already do, reusing them as trash bags make sense. You can be sure manufactures of trash bags would like to see everyone buy their products. I also bag my recycling in reused store plastic bags it's easier to put a dozen items in one bag then into the recycle bin . So when folks that use a reuseable bag to buy groceries then buy plastic trash bags for their garbage really are not as green as a person who gets a plastic store bag and reuses it as a trash bag and at the same time saves the cost of garbage bags. It may be more work to reuse the plastic store bag but it's worth it.

[hillsidedigger]

EROEI -

energy returned on energy invested!

I think a lot of effort and energy is wasted by people thinking they are doing something good from small-scale recycling. There are better things that could be accomplished with that effort and energy like investing in lifestyle changes that involve fewer consumables.

The world is not going to run out of silicon dioxide or bauxite. It's more effective to produce new glass and metal containers than to recycle used ones except at very large scales.

Plastic use should be eliminated nearly completely.

Collection of food, paper and other wood fiber wastes in an urban setting for ultimate composting is a messy business but it is one form of recycling that could pay great dividends.

[Richard TJ]

I'd have to agree about recycling plastic bags. However, the major issue isn't necessarily one of sustainability, but one of pollution issues. The plastic is building up in the world's oceans, which is having an adverse effect on nature and the environment. It's not that the bags need recycling, it's the fact that they need to be accounted for at the end of their working life.

[joce4224]

I find the topic concerning whether or not recycling on a small scale is even worth it very interesting. As a college student in Boulder I have gotten very into recycling because it is so convenient here and I would hate to think that my efforts have been for nothing or even counterproductive. I plan to explore this issue more and blog about what I uncover at I recently saw a plastic bag recycling center at my local King Soopers and thought that was an interesting idea. It made me wonder how many people have actually been utilizing it though. Plastic bags are definitely very poor quality material, a point someone made in an earlier response, so I can certainly see why it wouldn't be worth it to recycle them. The cloth tote bags have been growing in popularity since their arrival, about a year ago it seems to me. However, the downside of those is that people who make big grocery trips, for instance my family which is a household of 9 not including me, would need about twenty to fit everything in. They are a nice idea for small trips though, except when I think of raw meat drippings in the bottom of it I feel nauseous.

[fieyr2002]

Honestly, I don't think reusable bags will ever become mainstream as far as a replacement for plastic bags at your grocery store. People love their convenience products. If you do anything to make lives less convenient, it's unlikely to take off. I think a more likely solution is biodegradable bags.

I worked bagging groceries for 2 years when I was younger. Every time a customer came through with their own bags...I was annoyed. They were difficult to open and put groceries in when compared to the plastic bags which you can open and fill efficiently since they have their own little holder thing.

It slowed down the line of people and were just bothersome. I don't doubt that reusable bags will have a place in our future. But 90% of all bags being replaced in 5 years? I don't see that happening.

[JulieAdolf]

I'm fairly good about taking my reusable bags to buy groceries, but the issue I don't often see addressed is the use of produce bags. My family and I are embarking on a year-long experiment to lessen our negative impact on the environment--but because I could not find reusable produce bags anywhere in our area, I accumulated 11 plastic produce bags just last week. I have since ordered reusable net produce bags, but yeesh!

It's funny--I just posted an article about reusable bags on my blog. (growingdays.blogspot.com) And--at the Farmer's Market yesterday, I turned down produce bags and was talking with my farmer friend about reducing our plastic bag consumption--and then he looked at my beautiful sunflowers--wrapped in a plastic sleeve. Oops...

[Cath09]

Hard to get away from plastic, isn't it, Julie? Bad for our waterways and them ending up in the rivers, sea, etc.

[mark99]

Hard to get away from plastic, isn't it, Julie? Bad for our waterways and them ending up in the rivers, sea, etc.

Exactly mate. Plastics are not going to be degraded in 1000 years and they ending up in places where we never expected them to. So the best way to stop this is to avoid using plastic.

[lloyd733]

There is a reason why the phrase goes "Reduce, reuse, recycle." Note that recycle is the last choice.

So many good points but this was truly the best response to this. Indeed, recycling should come last after the second hand market -- but I would challenge this to go one step further: Not just the redirection of complete durable goods across markets, but the redirection of Individual parts throughout industries. A simple example would the the use of a square bread bag "crimper" redirected to become the piece that you snap off and pull to pull the ribbon out of a laser toner cartridge.

The concept is called Cross Industrial Parts Interchange and there is an article about it here: http://www.sprayallcorp.com/cipi.htm

I welcome any feedback. Thanks!