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Camille Granito Mancuso: Chatterbox -- Kicking the plastic habit

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We’ve talked about plastic before, and with the nation in such terrible shape, we have many problems to solve.

Still, without a healthy planet to sustain us, nothing matters. So, the environment is critical. Luckily, it can be altered by change. One danger to the planet, plastic, isn’t news, but it’s a simpler fix than world peace and, actually, just as important.

Plastic is a $375 billion a year industry – tough to beat. Recycling has always been a red herring; over 95% of the plastic we’ve ever made is still on this planet, despite what its manufacturers tell us. We must press hard for change and, in the interim, choose alternatives.

Packaging is the main culprit but plastic is taking over everywhere … hangers, hampers, buckets, basins, polyester and foam cushions, but it’s particularly dangerous in baby items and all food packaging.

First, of course, an act of Congress would work best, so we should always vote for environmentally aware candidates. We also just saw some changes in leadership, so keep those emails, letters and phone calls going to our officials. We may get some action, especially if we donate during election time, attend meetings, and remind our representatives that much of the status quo isn’t working. In some cases, including plastic, it never has.

Then, there are many ways we, ourselves, can effect some change. Write to manufacturers and encourage them to reuse containers instead of making new ones every day, especially for nonfood items. Even if they have to hire personnel to do it, it will still cut costs.

We can boycott certain products, too. Two years ago, my favorite brands of tomato sauce and olive oil went from glass to plastic containers. So, I buy my second choices because they’re still packed in glass. We all can handle such minuscule inconveniences, decrease plastic consumption, and let manufacturers know we’ve stopped purchasing their plastic packaged products.

Barring absolutely essential medical uses where no sensible alternatives exist, we should be pulling the plug on all plastic, across the globe. There’s little reason for plastic in our life past its moguls lobbying heavily to continue making its obscene profits.

All plastic must be created, but sadly, it can’t be destroyed. We’re stuck with every gum package, aspirin bottle and disposable fork, forever. The best we can do is blast plastic into micro-particles, but they have already been found coating even the remotest parts of our world. If our plastic laundry detergent jug is indestructible, so is that expanding and thickening coating on our planet. How will we sustain life on Earth?

Some of us are old enough to remember life before plastic with the possible exception of our home telephone – indestructible, one per household and attached to the wall. Milk was very effectively packaged in waxed cardboard cartons. Laundry detergent was powered and came in a box. Soda came in recycled, thick glass bottles, and fresh produce was wrapped in paper that didn’t trap ethylene gas and make it rot.

Now, political clout allows the invasion of plastic even where it’s counterproductive. Besides, no food should ever be packaged in any kind of plastic. It’s carcinogenic and, worse, has proven genetic consequences. Even BPA free plastics have been proven harmful. The chemicals leech into the food, especially acidic foods and, now, even food cans are lined with plastic.

At our grocery stores every aisle is a plastic bio-hazard, but we can think inside the box … the cardboard box. We can avoid those small plastic produce bags by reusing them, buying cloth ones, or keeping produce items loose and bagging them all together in one large bag at the checkout. We can choose foods in paper cartons. We can avoid items like beverages in plastic bottles or cans with plastic collars (cut collars and all ring shapes open before discarding). Glass bottles in paper cartons are healthier and biodegradable.

We can limit our use of food storage bags, washing and reusing them, but choosing aluminum foil, waxed paper, and reusable storage containers is even better. We can buy products in nonplastic packaging, even if they aren’t our first choice, and avoid individual plastic items, like small pump bottles of liquid soap, by refilling them from larger ones. Bar soaps packaged in paper are better, wherever possible. Sink scrubbers and brushes also have many alternatives that are actually compostable. They’re affordable and easy to find.

We must kick the plastic habit. It’s killing the planet, and silently killing us too … and this is just the tip of iceberg.


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