Plastic...so much plastic...

[Putrefaction]

For those of us who work in fields where plastics are involved, do any of you get really sad? A few nights ago it felt as if a hammer hit me in the heart. I work in Pharmacy and a LOT of plastic is involved. I'd say, 90% of it is plastic. Some companies have started shipping in glass bottles, but predominantly plastic. Not only the manufacturer bottle, individual bottles and caps and bags. It makes me so sad when we do such a thing, that it will never decompose and the Earth can do nothing about it. Same with styrofoam and others, really...

I recently read up on recycling, but I'm still unsure if it's solely the recycling bins that get recycled or if the government has set up where trash is collected, then separated. No medical waste is recycled as far as I know, sensitive information is collected in bins where both paper, plastic, metal, glass goes into. Perhaps I'm just a naive college student caught up in the green craze (though it does make perfect sense). I've done my part by asking everyone if they want a bag, but I still feel as if each time I litter the Earth is hit with the same hammer that's hitting me...

[Derfel]

The Earth isn't hit with a hammer, really. While I believe its in our best interest to preserve the Earth in a shape we may enjoy it, but at the end of the day, it matters so very little. Even if we pollute our world to oblivion, we only prepare the stage for different lifeforms to populate it, or a pause.

[Putrefaction]

I can't help but completely disagree with you...it is hit with a hammer. I don't think it matters very little at all, we are more educated about consequences and effects since industrialization...I'm really not this intelligent to make arguments against it.

[Derfel]

We know about the consequences, but the question here is not whether we know, but whether said consequences are of any importance or relevance.

[Half-n-Half]

I used to work in the plastics department at a car parts factory. I did get really sad, but not because of the environmental effects; the job just sucked :blush:

For those of us who work in fields where plastics are involved, do any of you get really sad? A few nights ago it felt as if a hammer hit me in the heart. I work in Pharmacy and a LOT of plastic is involved. I'd say, 90% of it is plastic. Some companies have started shipping in glass bottles, but predominantly plastic. Not only the manufacturer bottle, individual bottles and caps and bags. It makes me so sad when we do such a thing, that it will never decompose and the Earth can do nothing about it. Same with styrofoam and others, really...
I recently read up on recycling, but I'm still unsure if it's solely the recycling bins that get recycled or if the government has set up where trash is collected, then separated. No medical waste is recycled as far as I know, sensitive information is collected in bins where both paper, plastic, metal, glass goes into. Perhaps I'm just a naive college student caught up in the green craze (though it does make perfect sense). I've done my part by asking everyone if they want a bag, but I still feel as if each time I litter the Earth is hit with the same hammer that's hitting me...

I am not deeply saddened by the pollution that is going on, although I do feel it is a problem that should be fixed. There's nothing wrong with getting caught up in the "green craze." It's good to want to cut down on pollution, waste, and start recycling. If we want to continue living on this planet for a long time we have to take these steps.

An important thing about causes is motivation. It's good you have "done your part," but there really is no such thing. It's a little dangerous to believe this, for you might feel content with any other actions you make, even if they go against your cause, simply because you already "did your part."

[SSJ Light]

Current research is making way for bioplastics, plastics that will decompose. They will be a useful application to help protect the environment as well as in the medical field so that implants utilizing plastics in a patient for a temporary amount of time will be degraded by the body rather than left in the body or requiring a need for surgery to remove them. However the sad part is it will be a awhile till we see any change. But I sympathize with you. Many of the plastics deemed recyclable I have discovered many years ago are not in fact recyclable. It seems like such a waste. All the resources for producing the plastics could have went to producing more fuel. Even then still that would not really be a plus.

[Tsuyoiko]

Supermarkets here on on a drive to stop us using disposable carrier bags. They're pretending it's because they care about the environment, but the real reason is that the government has threatened to levy a tax on carrier bags if supermarkets don't prove they are committed to reducing consumption. If it leads to a reduction in carrier bag waste, then of course that's a good thing, whatever their real motivation.

What really bugs me is that the supermarkets are shifting the guilt onto the consumer, making us feel like criminals if we ask for a carrier bag, when the amount of plastic packaging on everything you buy is ridiculous. I buy four-tin packs of baked beans, and six-can packs of pop, which are shrink-wrapped in plastic, when they could easy be in a recycled cardboard sleeve.

I buy large boxes of lager, which are wrapped in plastic. A cardboard box, glued shut, and then wrapped in thick plastic? Crazy! Cucumbers come in their own "condom", which goes straight in the bin before I put the cucumber in the fridge, because the acid in plastic makes fruit and veg rot faster. Likewise for lettuces, cabbages, cauliflower. I don't see any reason why single items like that shouldn't be sold loose.

I took a photo of all the plastic packaging that came off my shopping as I was putting it away. This is just the outer packaging from one week's shopping, not including individual wrapping that stay on after you put the shopping away.

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2033/dscn1404j.jpg

Scary :souka:

[FrustratedDave]

The Earth isn't hit with a hammer, really. While I believe its in our best interest to preserve the Earth in a shape we may enjoy it, but at the end of the day, it matters so very little. Even if we pollute our world to oblivion, we only prepare the stage for different lifeforms to populate it, or a pause.
I have no idea what you just said???

[MatsuyamaHime]

They make you pay for plastic bags in Korean supermarkets.

[Putrefaction]

They make you pay for plastic bags in Korean supermarkets.

The money is the least of the issues with the over-use of plastic. After seeing that photo, damn!

Likewise for lettuces, cabbages, cauliflower. I don't see any reason why single items like that shouldn't be sold loose.
Longer shelf-life means less profit loss. They don't put pesticides, instead, plastic.

[Mycernius]

I buy large boxes of lager, which are wrapped in plastic. A cardboard box, glued shut, and then wrapped in thick plastic? Crazy! Cucumbers come in their own "condom", which goes straight in the bin before I put the cucumber in the fridge, because the acid in plastic makes fruit and veg rot faster. Likewise for lettuces, cabbages, cauliflower. I don't see any reason why single items like that shouldn't be sold loose.

I usually buy my veg and fruit loose, which cuts down on the amount of plastic. Also we have a saturday market i my town and there are several fruit and veg stalls. They always put there produce into brown paper bags.
Which lager do you buy? I shop at sainburys and when I buy the boxes of Guinness or the four bottles of various lager beers they are just in cardboard, no plastic., although I do usually buy single bottles and beer, wine and cider.

[Clawn]

I think it's very easy for young people to get caught up in a idealistic craze, such as the "green" movement. I'll admit that it caught my interest and for a while I was quite gung ho about it. However, now I've calmed down a little bit and although I still recycle everything possible, I'm much less severe with my family for being overly wasteful. I think I've come to a point where I do what I can to help the environment and take joy from that, but if the rest of the world decides to throw away tonnes of plastic bottles and bags into the ocean and bury it down in the ground, I won't lose too much sleep over it.

[Putrefaction]

I've lost sleep over it, I've also been kind of short with my parents, but it's not really for dumping nuclear waste into the Earth's core, it's been more about also saving money (turning lights off when not using, unplugging / shutting off surge protectors at night, etc).

I just really hope that the recycling I'm doing is actually recycling, not just feel-good actions.

[Half-n-Half]

I've lost sleep over it, I've also been kind of short with my parents, but it's not really for dumping nuclear waste into the Earth's core, it's been more about also saving money (turning lights off when not using, unplugging / shutting off surge protectors at night, etc).

I just really hope that the recycling I'm doing is actually recycling, not just feel-good actions.

Who says we are dumping nuclear waste into the Earth's core? There is already radioactivity there.

[Putrefaction]

Who says we are dumping nuclear waste into the Earth's core? There is already radioactivity there.

I meant it as directly polluting against the earth.

[aardwolf]

Yeah, i totally understand, im starting to wonder if sorting through all our trash and seperating plastic/paper/glass/organic waste actually helps.
The organic matter goes to the compost, and we use a lot of the paper as a sort of kindling in winter, but i dont really know if they really recycle the glass and plastic. i do take all my aluminum to the recycling station next to the local grocery store.

There are certain things you can do, i have a bunch of old grocery bags, i reuse them instead of throwing them away, it gets me a discount at the store. You can choose to buy foods with less packaging waste. I dont know what you can do at a pharmacy, maybe its possible to recycle medication bottles?

"We know about the consequences, but the question here is not whether we know, but whether said consequences are of any importance or relevance. "

what? you've heard of the island of plastic in the pacific right? The consequences of that are not relevant?

I personally care for the planet I live on.