May 2012 - Page 3 of 10 - Plastic Waste Solutions
-
Los Angeles approves ban on plastic shopping bags
Posted on May 24, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsLos Angeles approves ban on plastic shopping bags | Herald Sun. "The vote in Los Angeles was hailed as a huge victory by environmental groups. "Plastic harms our environment. It is a threat to the coastal economy. It is a...
Continue reading this entry → -
Fantastic plastic gets green light – Australia
Posted on May 24, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsFantastic plastic gets green light | Herald Sun. We wonder what biodegradable means here? Their products are normally compostable in a commercial compost facility only. If this is the case, how are consumers going to get their empty meat packets...
Continue reading this entry → -
Bag ban boost for liners Tasmania News
Posted on May 24, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsBag ban boost for liners Tasmania News - The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania. Critics of the ban jumped on the statistics, saying the banhad simply resulted in more thicker, bigger bags ending up in landfill. But Do Something! director...
Continue reading this entry → -
Support grows for 10¢ container deposit plan – Sydney
Posted on May 24, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSupport grows for 10¢ container deposit plan. Ms Faehrmann said a deposit scheme was the best way to reduce litter. In South Australia containers made up 4 per cent of all litter while in other states it was more than...
Continue reading this entry → -

Across the planet, the plastic bag abounds – Canada
Posted on May 24, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsAcross the planet, the plastic bag abounds - The Globe and Mail. Toronto imposed a 5 cent plastic bag fee in 2008 and approximately $5.4 million was collected by the retailers. The retailers were free to keep the funds...
Continue reading this entry → -

Ajman observes ‘Day Without Plastic Bags’ – UAE
Posted on May 23, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsAjman observes ‘Day Without Plastic Bags’. This is a good step in raising the awareness of the problems of plastic waste, especially the waste by single use plastic bags. These are an item that are...
Continue reading this entry → -
BOS adopts plastic bag ban – California
Posted on May 23, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsBOS adopts plastic bag ban - Ukiah Daily Journal. "Sweeney said state law prohibits any kind of charge for a plastic bag, leaving a ban as the only way to allay environmental damage caused when non-biodegradable plastic bags are thrown...
Continue reading this entry → -
Feed the world – Israel
Posted on May 23, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsFeed the world - JPost - Environment & Technology. The Israelies are recognising that biodegradable plastic is becoming an option for them.
Continue reading this entry → -
Paper or plastic? Neither – Springfield, IL
Posted on May 23, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsKathryn Rem: Paper or plastic? Neither - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register. “What breaks my heart is seeing a mother or father with a child in a shopping cart with 10 plastic bags,” she said. “The child is learning...
Continue reading this entry → -
L.A.’s sweeping ban not yet in the bag
Posted on May 23, 2012 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsL.A.'s sweeping ban not yet in the bag - latimes.com. "By some estimates, the amount of plastic bags in California's waste stream is in the thousands of tons, many of them are not biodegradable, and the cost of disposal is...
Continue reading this entry →

How many people today grab a takeaway coffee cup from the local cafe to drink on the go? We don’t know, but the number must be enormous.. Most every one of the above have a plastic top that will last 100s of years. Some cafes still use plastic cups that last a similar time. Is 10 minutes of coffee worth 100s of years of trash?
These items can be seen littering our gutters and on our streets all over the place. If they were all cardboard, they would still be littered, but they would, at least, be gone in a short time.
They do not need to be made of plastic.
On the way home from the gym last week, a distance of about 1 km (1/2 mile), I counted the items of plastic litter on the curb as I walked. In that short distance I counted 63 pieces of plastic litter. Plastic drink bottles, bottle tops, candy wrappers, plastic film, polystyrene fragments etc. That seemed to be a lot to me. I guess it is a generational thing. Our parents would have been horrified to see that amount, whereas it seems to go unnoticed by our youth of today. In another 20 years how many pieces will there be on this stretch, -- 200? What will today’s youth think of that new amount then when they are older? Will their children be so readily accepting of a higher amount of litter?