October 2016 - Plastic Waste Solutions
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The faces of South Australia’s cash for cans
Posted on October 31, 2016 by DrRossH in GeneralIn Adelaide, Joan collects bottles and cans, earning $50 a week to supplement her pension, so she has a little extra for coffee, cigarettes and giving to charity. Source: The faces of South Australia's cash for cans Diane: "So I...
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Can, bottle, bag litter fight ready to ramp up – Australia
Posted on October 31, 2016 by DrRossH in GeneralDrinking container deposit scheme headed for NSW but Victorians warned they will be penalised if they seek refunds Source: Can, bottle, bag litter fight ready to ramp up Refunds will be offered on drink containers between 150ml and three litres but not for most milk...
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Brigantine may do more than ban release of balloons – USA
Posted on October 31, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsA story in Atlantic Monthly last year pointed out that volunteers collected more than a 100 balloons at the Forsythe Wildlife Refuge during a cleanup. Source: Brigantine may do more than ban release of balloons Dennis Allen, owner of Ashore Realty,...
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Inside California’s Plastic Bag War
Posted on October 25, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsHow competing forces are shaping the debate over a statewide plastic bag ban – and what the ... Source: Inside California’s Plastic Bag War Opposite the APBA is Yes on 67, a coalition of environmental groups, grocers, elected officials and consumer...
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Tanzania Bans Plastic Bags, Urging Biodegradable Bags Use | Special Report News Journal,Stocks News
Posted on October 24, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsTanzania Bans Plastic Bags, Urging Biodegradable Bags Use Source: Tanzania Bans Plastic Bags, Urging Biodegradable Bags Use | Special Report News Journal,Stocks News Mpina said plastic bags are causing devastating pollution and since 2006 the government has been trying to...
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Poor recycling market, lightweighting cited in PET recycling drop – Plastics News
Posted on October 16, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Waste NewsPostconsumer PET container recycling dropped in 2015, most likely due to poor recycling market conditions as well as the impact of lightweighting of bottles, a new study reports.Numbers from the National Association for PET Container Resources and the Association...
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Rahm pushes for tax on plastic bags – Chicago
Posted on October 12, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsChicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel wants to add another layer to the city’s plastic bag ban – a 7-cent tax – despite the ban’s unintended, harmful consequences. Source: Rahm pushes for tax on plastic bags As part of his 2017 budget introduced...
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Seattle, can you tell the difference between these bags? (Apparently not)
Posted on October 5, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsSeattle will be the first city in the nation to take a citywide plastic ban ban to another level, and ban plastic bags in the produce aisle. Seattle Source: Seattle, can you tell the difference between these bags? (Apparently...
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Proposed ban on plastic grocery bags in Springfield challenged as false, misleading by industry official
Posted on October 5, 2016 by DrRossH in Plastic Limiting RegulationsA proposal to ban single-use plastic bags at Springfield retail stores has triggered strong opposition from a plastics industry representative. Source: Proposed ban on plastic grocery bags in Springfield challenged as false, misleading by industry official Industry trying to keep...
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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?