Boycott Plastic, Is It Possible?

A young gal in Chicago, 28 year old Jeanne Haegele, has been on a strike against plastic. Accordingly to TIME magazine, July 21st issue, she is making a huge effort to cut plastic out of her life. Good luck lady.

No chemist am I, (sorry Mr. Dronen but you were pretty boring, henceforth not much stuck) but this article was informative enough to convince me: we are probably going to hell via a plastic hand basket. If we can get through the layers of plastic that are building up on the earth's surface and water.

Look up Great Pacific Garbage Patch on Wikipedia to further define the water and plastic issue. It will explain the swirling debris, about the size of Texas, afloat in the middle of the ocean.

In an effort to reduce this pile we should reuse plastic, right? Wrong - that isn't advised either. Reusing, by reheating or microwaving, releases chemicals that are harmful to humans. As plastics age in landfills they can release trace amounts of harmful ingredients: Phthalates (used to soften plastic-like the rubber ducky) bisphenol-a (used to strengthen plastics)and BPDE (used as a flame retardant). These then leach into the soil. Phtalates are potential endocrine disrupters,which can cause reproductive disorders. We should avoid any plastic sporting the numbers 3 or 7; vinyl shower curtains and canned foods, especially those with acidic content like tomatoes. The inside of tin cans are lined with a plastic to prevent e-coli and botulism. Gotcha.

Remember when mayonnaise and peanut butter came in glass jars? Milk bottles are not too old for my cranium either. How about Prell and Breck shampoo? Geez, I shudder at the thought of breakage in the tub, but I don't recall that ever happening. Simply put, glass has class. But that too has build up problems. At least I could reuse mayonnaise jars for canning.

Once upon another time, back in my farm wife days, I found an old thin clear glass bottle, maybe once holding vanilla or nectar. I like to think it was home to some exotic elixir - you know the kind that cured all. I found this while working "summer fallow," another practice gone by the wayside. I still have the bottle and have it filled with philodendron slips. The roots, visible through the clear glass, are the art of it all, in addition to the bottle - my treasured find. This doesn't sound too appealing, the philodendron root thing, in a green plastic Mountain Dew bottle.

Well back to this gal in the windy city. She has managed to carry on for about ten months near plastic free. She states she is still looking for shampoo that doesn't come in a plastic bottle, and a toothbrush without plastic. She does make her own toothpaste though from baking soda, cinnamon, and vodka.

Check out her blog, I have posted it under my favorite sites. It is interesting and you can read her TIME artilcle under the July 16th blog entry. Click on the blue highlighted entry: The Truth About Plastics!