Let's face it, North American society has changed dramatically in the past 20 years, possibly more than any other 20 year span. There have been advancements, adjustments, industry changes and changes so radical that some 20 year old's don't recognize what a rotary phone is. Expressions from the 1960's and 1970's confuse people - as many of them don't understand the basic premise of the expressions.
Nothing has changed so dramatically as the Green Industry. It has become a world wide industry with roots in every corner of both government, trades and industry.
We are told to cut our carbon emissions, we are told oil is evil, wind and solar power is good and clean. We are told to recycle, reuse, reduce, but mostly pushed by local municipalities and governments to recycle.
All this is well and good (to an extent). I truly believe we need to cut our emissions, our air needs to be clean for our planet to survive with life on it. I think in time we can reduce the amount of oil we require, but it will be decades if not centuries before oil and it's related products can be replaced with renewable and cleaner technologies.
What the title refers to is recycling and packaging. I have long been a proponent of recycling. I really believe we can recycle and reuse many of the products we buy, and manufacturers agree with me. The love to promote the recycling nature of their industry. It is marked on plastic bottles, cans, plastic bags and much more. Let's face it, recycling is better than disposal in a land fill.
Where my angst comes starts when big business says "let's recycle these containers", and then spends thousand if not hundreds of thousands promoting it. The good corporate citizens must have hearts made of Gold!!! Honestly, if Big Business says let's do something - it is because there is profit involved.
It seems at exactly the same time, a large soft drink company or two and a variety of other beer and beverage companies started a non-profit corporation and movement called "Keep America Beautiful." Their goal was to promote cleaning up the environment by putting trash where it belonged. They spent tons of money promoting this - so much in fact the word "litterbug", was added to the dictionary. Sounds good right? Keep the waterways clean, keep the rivers and road ways free of garbage and litter!
Some of their ad campaigns are now campaigns studied in marketing school (they were that successful). The litterbug campaign, the Crying Indian campaign, The I Want To Be Recycled campaign and many more.
Later, when recycling facilities were opened and created, they spend tons promoting them, urging people to be good citizens and reduce, reuse, recycle. (Sound familiar?) The triangular recycle symbol was designed and marketed at the same time.
Guess what? We believed it, We fell hook, line and sinker, because it was something we could fall behind and something we could all do. We felt good, we were cleaning our environment, we're not the bad guys anymore!
Also, at about that same time beverage companies cut back on the production of expensive glass and metal containers and started using plastic ones. Of course, the plastic bottle component is mere coincidence - that this was at the same time as the non-profit promotions! Perhaps one promotion was so loud, the switch to plastic bottles never really got noticed! Perhaps we didn't know better or couldn't see the future right in front of our faces. Either way, low cost manufacturing of disposable plastic bottles got started and - only recently - has there been a push back.
In the 1970's many states (and provinces in Canada), started charging a refundable surcharge on bottles and cans. In many cases it was a nickel or dime. Stats showed that after a brief adjustment period and even today, 60-70% of cans and refundable bottles are returned for their proper refund.
Yet the Keep America Beautiful lobbyists (yes the same environmental company - that a soft drink and several beverage companies and manufacturers started) have spent almost $15 billion - since the early 1990's - ensuring that this "Bottle deposit" doesn't become law across the two countries. Click the link to see who the board of directors is comprised of - you might be surprised, but it does tell a story.
Now to say that I am opposed to what this non-profit company is promoting would be misleading. I believe they have done quite a bit of good in their time, but I also believe they have an ulterior motive - and that is generally money related.
Why is that? The quick answer is profits. It is cheaper, easier and faster to buy or produce plastic bottles and then to promote recycling of them than it is to clean glass bottles and refill. When we are talking about millions of bottles a week, even pennies add up to huge savings or lower costs/higher profits in a short time. All of this can be done under the guise of a green environmentalist label.
I'm not opposed to recycling in the least!!! I believe - at this juncture in our civilization - it is 100% necessary - but the true problem and subsequent solution doesn't lay in recycling
Metals - almost all metals are recyclable and require less energy and labour to recycle than mine and create new.
Glass recycling - roughly the same as metal, however the cost of producing glass bottles is lower than mining, etc. But effective in itself
Plastic Recycling - many plastics simply cannot be recycled. Governments (with the help of many 'green' lobbyists) - both in Canada and USA - tried to show how simple recycling could be - one blue big bin to hold all these materials! Unfortunately this mixing leads to contamination. Click the above link to read more. Of all the materials being recycled, plastics are the least effective, most difficult and more important.
All of this leads up to one big problem. While, I doubt "Keep America Beautiful" understood this 60+ years ago, their ulterior motives caused the problem, and now they need to be involved in fixing it.
Most important you ask? Why yes... According to an article written and researched by the Washington Post, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050. This is disturbing!
Our oceans, lakes and rivers are the life-blood of our planet. To have them clogged with plastics, litter and debris is unacceptable.
We've been led to believe that the issue is one of lazy citizens who don't recycle. But, I suggest the issue of plastic is one of manufacturing more than consumer laziness. Manufacturers need to undergo a transformation back to metal or glass instead of plastic.
The single most important and hard-wired solution is for manufacturers to stop producing these items. We can live with paper bags, or use our tote bags at the grocery store instead of plastic. Tax breaks and funding can be offered to those who comply and fines for those who don't. Goods from stores can be packaged in glass - refundable jars which would lead to less plastic jars, and wrappers - these could then be recycled. The end result being less plastic waste overall. Instead of the plastic single cups - let's legislate compostable containers (such as 100% compostable K-cups).
Being lied to by big business is one thing - we expect it. But being herded in a direction by government, big business and the green industry ... Well perhaps this time we can do something about it!
Nothing has changed so dramatically as the Green Industry. It has become a world wide industry with roots in every corner of both government, trades and industry.
We are told to cut our carbon emissions, we are told oil is evil, wind and solar power is good and clean. We are told to recycle, reuse, reduce, but mostly pushed by local municipalities and governments to recycle.
All this is well and good (to an extent). I truly believe we need to cut our emissions, our air needs to be clean for our planet to survive with life on it. I think in time we can reduce the amount of oil we require, but it will be decades if not centuries before oil and it's related products can be replaced with renewable and cleaner technologies.
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| By Alex Proimos from Sydney, Australia (Recycling Plastic Bottles) [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons |
What the title refers to is recycling and packaging. I have long been a proponent of recycling. I really believe we can recycle and reuse many of the products we buy, and manufacturers agree with me. The love to promote the recycling nature of their industry. It is marked on plastic bottles, cans, plastic bags and much more. Let's face it, recycling is better than disposal in a land fill.
Where my angst comes starts when big business says "let's recycle these containers", and then spends thousand if not hundreds of thousands promoting it. The good corporate citizens must have hearts made of Gold!!! Honestly, if Big Business says let's do something - it is because there is profit involved.
Facts are slightly odd and maybe too coincidental
Back in the early 1950's, a little state called Vermont was trying to pass legislation outlawing the sale of beverages in 'disposable' containers. The Bill was to become law in 1953 or 1954 but fell into obscurity and was allowed to lapse a short time later. The law became obscure because a lobby group was promoting putting trash in trash bins. (Recycling hadn't become an option yet).It seems at exactly the same time, a large soft drink company or two and a variety of other beer and beverage companies started a non-profit corporation and movement called "Keep America Beautiful." Their goal was to promote cleaning up the environment by putting trash where it belonged. They spent tons of money promoting this - so much in fact the word "litterbug", was added to the dictionary. Sounds good right? Keep the waterways clean, keep the rivers and road ways free of garbage and litter!
Some of their ad campaigns are now campaigns studied in marketing school (they were that successful). The litterbug campaign, the Crying Indian campaign, The I Want To Be Recycled campaign and many more.
Later, when recycling facilities were opened and created, they spend tons promoting them, urging people to be good citizens and reduce, reuse, recycle. (Sound familiar?) The triangular recycle symbol was designed and marketed at the same time.
Also, at about that same time beverage companies cut back on the production of expensive glass and metal containers and started using plastic ones. Of course, the plastic bottle component is mere coincidence - that this was at the same time as the non-profit promotions! Perhaps one promotion was so loud, the switch to plastic bottles never really got noticed! Perhaps we didn't know better or couldn't see the future right in front of our faces. Either way, low cost manufacturing of disposable plastic bottles got started and - only recently - has there been a push back.
In the 1970's many states (and provinces in Canada), started charging a refundable surcharge on bottles and cans. In many cases it was a nickel or dime. Stats showed that after a brief adjustment period and even today, 60-70% of cans and refundable bottles are returned for their proper refund.
Yet the Keep America Beautiful lobbyists (yes the same environmental company - that a soft drink and several beverage companies and manufacturers started) have spent almost $15 billion - since the early 1990's - ensuring that this "Bottle deposit" doesn't become law across the two countries. Click the link to see who the board of directors is comprised of - you might be surprised, but it does tell a story.
Now to say that I am opposed to what this non-profit company is promoting would be misleading. I believe they have done quite a bit of good in their time, but I also believe they have an ulterior motive - and that is generally money related.
Why is that? The quick answer is profits. It is cheaper, easier and faster to buy or produce plastic bottles and then to promote recycling of them than it is to clean glass bottles and refill. When we are talking about millions of bottles a week, even pennies add up to huge savings or lower costs/higher profits in a short time. All of this can be done under the guise of a green environmentalist label.
I'm not opposed to recycling in the least!!! I believe - at this juncture in our civilization - it is 100% necessary - but the true problem and subsequent solution doesn't lay in recycling
Let's look at recycling a little more in depth:
Paper - most can be recycled, if somehow it doesn't, it is biodegradable and composts over time. (personally - I compost paper [in my com-poster] more than I recycle it).Metals - almost all metals are recyclable and require less energy and labour to recycle than mine and create new.
Glass recycling - roughly the same as metal, however the cost of producing glass bottles is lower than mining, etc. But effective in itself
Plastic Recycling - many plastics simply cannot be recycled. Governments (with the help of many 'green' lobbyists) - both in Canada and USA - tried to show how simple recycling could be - one blue big bin to hold all these materials! Unfortunately this mixing leads to contamination. Click the above link to read more. Of all the materials being recycled, plastics are the least effective, most difficult and more important.
All of this leads up to one big problem. While, I doubt "Keep America Beautiful" understood this 60+ years ago, their ulterior motives caused the problem, and now they need to be involved in fixing it.
Most important you ask? Why yes... According to an article written and researched by the Washington Post, there will be more plastic in our oceans than fish by 2050. This is disturbing!
Our oceans, lakes and rivers are the life-blood of our planet. To have them clogged with plastics, litter and debris is unacceptable.
We've been led to believe that the issue is one of lazy citizens who don't recycle. But, I suggest the issue of plastic is one of manufacturing more than consumer laziness. Manufacturers need to undergo a transformation back to metal or glass instead of plastic.
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| By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters [CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
The single most important and hard-wired solution is for manufacturers to stop producing these items. We can live with paper bags, or use our tote bags at the grocery store instead of plastic. Tax breaks and funding can be offered to those who comply and fines for those who don't. Goods from stores can be packaged in glass - refundable jars which would lead to less plastic jars, and wrappers - these could then be recycled. The end result being less plastic waste overall. Instead of the plastic single cups - let's legislate compostable containers (such as 100% compostable K-cups).
Being lied to by big business is one thing - we expect it. But being herded in a direction by government, big business and the green industry ... Well perhaps this time we can do something about it!
I agree, just stop producing these items. Exactly! Otherwise while we ban straws, alcohol will start coming in plastic....
ReplyDelete"The single most important and hard-wired solution is for manufacturers to stop producing these items. We can live with paper bags, or use our tote bags at the grocery store instead of plastic. "
Now to find a store that sells the brown paper bags, NOT wrapped in plastic.