We can reduce load on our current energy system by recycling and cutting down on disposable products.
Plastic water bottles and bags are one of the most consumed disposable items. We can cut their demand by adopting reusable bags and reusable water bottles.
THE PROBLEM WITH PLASTIC
Plastic bags and water bottles are damaging to the environment for several reasons. First of all, it takes a tremendous amount of energy, water, and resources to produce these single-use items. Even paper bags--which, unlike plastic, are biodegradable and compostable--are damaging to the environment because they use so much energy to produce and require trees to be cut down for their production. A good article about the pros and cons of paper and plastic bags can be found here (although the best choice is always reusable!).
Even though plastic bags and water bottles can be recycled, the vast majority of them end up in landfills or as litter in our neighborhoods, parks, and waterways. According to reuseit.com, 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year. Anywhere from 3 percent to less than 1 percent of these bags are recycled. We do a bit better with water bottles, recycling about 20 percent of them in the US. According to treehugger.com, Americans buy 50 billion bottles of water each year, and this number is increasing. That means that even if the percentage of bottles that are recycled remains consistent, the total number of bottles going to the landfill will still go up.
Plastic that is thrown away instead of recycled can have myriad negative consequences on the environment. Plastic doesn't biodegrade, so when we throw it away, it never decomposes into an organic substance that can be absorbed into the soil. Rather, plastic photo-degrades, meaning that after it is exposed to the sun for a very long time, it breaks into millions of miniscule particles that go into the soil and release toxins, harming ecosystems and contaminating plants and animals. This is in turn harmful to humans who eat these plants and animals.
Plastic bags are 100% recyclable, as are plastic water bottles. And while recycling is a better alternative than sending those bags and bottles to the landfill, the process of recycling takes up a lot of energy too. So what's the solution? Go reusable!
REUSABLE SOLUTIONS
There are tons of great options out there for replacing your plastic bags and bottles with reusable versions. Always forget your reusable grocery bags at home? Find a good selection of roll-up reusable bags that easily fit in your purse, briefcase, or backpack. These bags can last for years and save hundreds of bags from the landfill each year. Most grocery stores sell reusable bags as well, and you can keep of few of these sturdy bags in your car so you always have them on hand.
For water, carrying filtered tap water in a reusable bottle is a much better option than buying bottled water. The Environmental Working Group recently released their 2011 report of various brands of bottled water. They found that the vast majority of bottled water brands don't provide information about at least one of three important questions: where does the water come from; is it purified, and if it is, how; and have tests found any contaminants in the water. Nine of the ten best-selling national brands of bottled water didn't answer at least one of these questions, and only filtered tap water got the highest scores for purity. Plus, bottled water costs up to 1,900 times more than tap water, so drinking filtered tap water from a reusable bottle is the obvious choice for the environment, your health, and your wallet!
When selecting a reusable water bottle, choose a stainless steel bottle, which will not leach toxins into your water. If you do choose a plastic bottle, make sure you buy one that is BPA free.
