What is "Plastiglomerate"? Not the Legacy We Want to Leave

A new material called plastiglomerate has been discovered on Hawaii's Kamilo Beach. The rock is the result of melted plastic trash on beaches mixing with sediment, basaltic lava fragments and organic debris, such as shells. Shown here, a type of plastiglomerate called clastic, found on Kamilo Beach.
Credit: Patricia Corcoran.

According to the EPA:

Plastics play an important role in almost every aspect of our lives. Plastics are used to manufacture everyday products such as beverage containers, toys, and furniture. The widespread use of plastics demands proper end of life management. Plastics make up almost 13 percent of the municipal solid waste stream, a dramatic increase from 1960, when plastics were less than one percent of the waste stream. The largest amount of plastics is found in containers and packaging (e.g., soft drink bottles, lids, shampoo bottles), but they also are found in durable (e.g., appliances, furniture) and non-durable goods (e.g., diapers, trash bags, cups and utensils, medical devices). The recycling rate for different types of plastic varies greatly, resulting in an overall plastics recycling rate of only 9 percent, or 2.8 million tons in 2012. However, the recycling rate for some plastic products is much higher, for example in 2012, 28 percent of HDPE bottles and 31 percent of PET bottles and jars were recycled.

Just the Facts

• 32 million tons of plastic waste were generated in 2012, representing 12.7 percent of total MSW.
• In 2012, the United States generated almost 14 million tons of plastics as containers and packaging, about 11 million tons as durable goods such as appliances, and almost 7 million tons as non-durable goods, such as plates and cups.
• Only 9 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2012 was recovered for recycling.
• In 2012, the category of plastics which includes bags, sacks, and wraps was recycled at about 12 percent.
• Plastics also are found in automobiles, but recycling of these materials is counted separately from the MSW recycling rate.

How Plastics Are Made

Plastics can be divided in to two major categories: thermosets and thermoplastics. A thermoset solidifies or “sets” irreversibly when heated. They are useful for their durability and strength, and are therefore used primarily in automobiles and construction applications. Other uses are adhesives, inks, and coatings.
A thermoplastic softens when exposed to heat and returns to original condition at room temperature. Thermoplastics can easily be shaped and molded into products such as milk jugs, floor coverings, credit cards, and carpet fibers.

So what is  Plastiglomerate? Plastiglomerate is the first type of rock formation influenced by humankind.  It is the fusing of man made plastic to rocks.   So far, it has only been found on Kamilo Beach,  a remote Hawaiian island known for its accumulation of plastic garbage, due to the currents of the ocean.  It is likely in existence elsewhere.

According to LiveScience:

Plastic pollution is a worldwide problem affecting every waterway, sea and ocean in the world, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. First produced in the 1950s, plastic doesn't break down easily and is estimated to persist in the environment for hundreds to thousands of years. Plastic debris is also lightweight, allowing it to avoid being buried and becoming a part of the permanent geological record.

How can we help this not happen?

• Consider and re-evaluate your use of plastic - especially single use plastic. 
• Make sure your garbage makes it into a secure garbage can, so it doesn't end up in an waterway.  
 

 

"One day in the future, people can look at this material and use it as a marker horizon to see that in around 2010, humans were polluting the planet with plastic," Corcoran said. "But that's not a legacy we really want."

Excess and Trash - A Review of the Book "7: An Experimental Mutiny on Excess"

A few months ago I picked up a book on a whim.  It was on a special offer for my kindle, and the description of the book intrigued me.

7: An Experimental Mutiny of Excess - By Jen Hatmaker
7 is the true story of how Jen (along with her husband and her children to varying degrees) took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against the modern-day diseases of greed, materialism, and overindulgence.

So I will admit - this is not my typical book.  I'm more of a chick-lit kind of girl.  My time to sit and read is limited, so I mostly choose light books that let me escape into the carefree lives of the characters.

In any case, the author lured me in within the first few pages.  It is a casually written book  that reminded me of emails my friends and I might exchange.  At times I thought she tried a little too hard to be funny, but then sentences later, she grabbed me with deep thoughts about the values of America, and how it relates to modern religion.

Each month she and her family took on an "excess"  and stripped down to the bare minimum.

• Month one they eat only seven foods
• Month two they only wear seven articles of clothing
• Month three they rethink their possessions 
• Month four is a media fast
• Month five  was a focus on waste (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
• Month six focused on spending
• Month seven was a focus on stress and simplifying day to day life

She realized many things along the way;  We are incredibly lucky to live in such a rich place.  But our richness also seems to come with greed waste and misplaced values.

With some help she planted a garden that produced a good amount of vegetables and fruit.  She found that donating unwanted items directly to organizations that could use them (Think homeless shelter - instead of Goodwill), she felt a better connection and fulfillment in her giving.  She realized that today's consumption is undermining the earth's environmental resource base.

Hatmake has quite a following of readers.  I was quite happy to see her rethink disposable water bottles and embrace buying items from local sources.  Her family bought an more environmentally sound vehicle, and are now trying to reduce their waste footprint.

I appreciated that her book called on religious leaders to take care of the earth.   I also liked how she seemed to not be afraid to roll up her sleeves and serve those who were lacking resources and needed help. 

In short - if you are looking for a book that both playfully and thoughtfully looks at how you love more sustainably and less wasteful,  this book might be a good read for you. It was (at least to me) an interesting experiment that showed we can all do just fine with more thought and less waste. 

20 Positive Steps to Celebrate Our Earth

Today is Earth Day.  It is the one day a year when everyone is encouraged to treat our earth kindly.   Today,  I encourage you to do something kind for our environment:

1. Reduce - do you really need it?
2. Refuse - You don't really need it!
3. Reuse - You got it?  Use it again and again.
4. Recycle - After you are done with it - Recycle it.
5. Upcycle and/or repurpose
6. Get outside - relish the wonder that is nature
7. Go to a farmers market (with your own bags)
8. Remember to use your reusable cups / bottle
9. Bake something from scratch
10. Plant a garden
11. Install a rain barrel
12. Ride your bike to the store
13. Plan your errands to reduce driving
14. Turn over that paper and use the back side
15. Set your printer to two-sided printing
16. Take old batteries to be disposed of properly.
17. Ditch the paper towels for cloth. 
18. Take a shorter shower
19. Consider products like LUSH - solid shampoos with no packaging!
20. Try very hard to stop using disposable products, even just perhaps one.  

Want to learn more about Earth Day?  Attend an Earth Day event.  Roseville has one on Saturday in Mahany Park.   Come by The ReCreate Booth and make a boat from "junk" and see if it sinks or floats!

I leave you with this quote from John Muir:

“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”

 We only have one earth.  Let us take care of it every single day.

Green Cleaning - Eco-Friendly and Clutter Busting Recipes

My favorite part of making less trash is finding ways to have less clutter.   Over the past year, we have pared down our cleaning supplies to a few items, by making some of our cleaning supplies.  I used to think this would be time consuming - and depending on the concotion you choose to make, it can be.   but, I have found you can make very effective cleaners with just a few minutes, a few supplies and an empty container to hold it.  

Many people think a place isn't clean unless you can small the chemical cleaners - but that really isn't true.  You can have a clean and nice smelling house - with a few simple ingredients.   In the past,  I have made a simple counter-top cleaner  and our own laundry detergent, both work really well!

You can make virutally any type cleaner with these ingredients:

• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Peroxide
• Castile soap 
• Borax 
• Essential Oils
• Olive Oil
• Lemons

You can make furniture polish with olive oil and lemon juice!  Essential oil is optional.   Click on the image to link to the recipe.

There are literally thousands of recipes out there to try for all purpose cleaner, anti-bacterial  cleaner,  bathroom cleaner, glass and mirrors and more.  Apartment Therapy has a compilation of 25 recipes here.   Keeper of the Home has a list of over 67 recipes here. 

My favorite "cleaning" tip is for hotel rooms - I used to always wake up in hotel rooms with a sore throat and stuffy nose from the air fan.  Now - I grab a tissue the minute I check into my room, and I put about 10 drops of lavender essential oil on the tissue.   and I stuff the edge of the tissue into the vent.  The air is cleaned by the anti-bacterial and antiseptic qualities of the essential oil.  And the room smells like I am on a spa vacation.  I usually add more drops to the tissue just before bedtime. 


 What is your favorite DIY green cleaning tip?

Food Waste - A Month of Trying Harder

As you can see in the previous post, my intent had been to take a picture each week of any food that we let go bad at our house, and didn't eat due to spoilage.  The last few weeks got away from me, so this post is a catch up.  The first week, we did not do terribly.  Below,  you will see the ends of a loaf of bread that went bad.  I was mad about wasting the squash, because I forgot I bought it.

After Week One I realized that much of our food waste comes from lack of organization.  When things are in glass containers,  we see it and tend to eat it.  When leftovers or purchased food is in opaque containers, or is put in the wrong place, we end up with waste.

Week Two we did much better.  We did toss a few things.  There was a small amount of sour cream that was past its expiration date, and didn't look right.  We also had an apple and a few stalks of celery that went south before we ate it.  We also had some shredded cheese that my daughter forgot to put back into the refrigerator, so we had to toss that.

Week Three - Life got crazy and so did our waste.  We went to a restaurant, and forgot our reusable leftover containers.  Luckily, our leftovers were put into a compostable container.  We did eat part of it, but left some in the fridge, and that ended up being tossed.  We also wasted some mushrooms.  I thought we would use the package I bought,  but when it got busy, we ate out.   I need to plan better when I know it is going to be busy, and not try and convince myself that I can juggle a busy schedule and cook every night.  That error caused double waste.   I also found two mushy sweet potatoes and the last sandwich slice of ham that was no longer fresh.   

All in all, I feel like we are doing a decent job in our food waste, it may be because we all know we are measuring it.  We are questioning "fresh by" labels, and taste testing things before tossing them.   We are also buying smaller quantities of the things that perish quickly  knowing that we are at the grocery story often, so we can always replenish if we run out.

Looking for more tips on how not to waste food?  Check out this PDF made by the Natural Resources Defense Council. 

What are your tips to not waste food?