BethTerry
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@AStrandintheWebofLife @BethTerry I don't think they want this stuff in the regular trash because of things like syringes and other potentially hazardous items.
@sybren Thank you for finding this! Great information to have on hand. And stated very clearly in the text that manufacturers do not disclose their proprietary recipes.
@Stace We actually used big plastic bags that were provided by the park department. That is what our group was required to use. If I were to do it on my own, I would probably just bring a big reusable tub and dispose of the non-recyclable contents in the regular trash bin. I don't know of a better way to deal with them. I figure, it's better than having them loose in the environment. And instead of worrying about what to do with that stuff, I just redouble my efforts to encourage people to reduce the amount they consume in the first place.
@Jack @BethTerry Hi. Sorry if there was a misunderstanding. Actually, the FDA does not require those ingredients to be disclosed to the public. Gum manufacturers can just call it "gum base" and do not have to tell us what ingredients are in it. And there are quite a few questionable chemicals that are allowed in food contact plastics. BPA, for example.
I was using an extreme example to point out the flaw in your logic. Your premise seems to be that since polymers are in other things I eat, it's okay to chew gum made from synthetic polymers. But just as some chemicals are toxic, some polymers are toxic. And manufacturers are not required to disclose the additives, of which there could be any of several thousand, in synthetic plastics.
Jack, by your logic, it's okay to eat cyanide because cyanide is a chemical and chemicals are in everything.
Sure, there are both natural and synthetic polymers. Most chewing gum is made from synthetic polymers with undisclosed ingredients. I'm not going to put it in my mouth. What you choose to do is your business.
@freestyle_josh95 Hi Josh. I forwarded your question to the artist. Hopefully, she will reply here. Cheers! Beth
@sybren That's cool. I know I can get beeswax in bulk without plastic. I wonder how chicle is sold.
Hi all. I have chosen a random winner for the book and am waiting for them to get back to me. Thanks for participating!
@chicknlil Hi. You are the random winner of the book! But you are signed in as a guest, so I don't have your email address to contact you. Please email me at beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com with your contact info. Congratulations!
Fabulous discussion. I came in during the second half because I had an appointment earlier, so I missed the technical difficulties. What I saw was really inspiring! Thank you you!
My latest conversation: Plastic Challenge: Natalie, Week 2
Thank you. I am totally forwarding this comment to Michael.
@Chelsie J Causes.com is working on creating other ways to login. Yes, I agree that you shouldn't have to have a FB account. Originally, they were only a FB app and have broadened out since then. There will be other ways to join the campaign. I'm going to work with the Plastic Pollution Coalition (the organization that posted the TJ petition) on this.
@RuaLupa Hi. Actually, you can fill it BEFORE you get on the plane so you don't have to use bottled water from the plane. Just fill from water fountain inside security gates. Some airports even have bottle filling stations.
The plastic in the ocean comes not just from seaside communities, surprisingly, but from everywhere because no matter where you live, you are uphill from the ocean and all of our creeks, streams, rivers, etc. lead to the ocean eventually.
When it comes to recycling, sometimes the number doesn't even matter. Some communities, for example, only accept narrow-necked bottles, no matter what the number is. So it's important to check with your community.
@Sian Thank you!
@Without Conclusion @BethTerry Okay, great. Please do send me pics/info. The turtle thing is horrible.
@girloffthegrid Yep. You are right. But it's a step in the right direction. Instead of plastic that lasts forever in the ocean, this is plastic that will last a few years and then completely biodegrade. Yes, it will still harm sea animals, but not as many and for not as long. The point of this post was not to promote this product but to thank a company that was making a worse product for listening and taking a step forward.
@Mike Hi Mike. There are different kinds of compostable cups. Are you talking about the paper cups with compostable lining or the corn plastic cups? The paper ones will compost. The plastic ones may not. And they are not allowed in Certified Organic compost anyway.
The reason that it's harder to recycle some plastics is that they are often made of composite materials and can't easily be recycled. Also, recycling is a market, and if there is no market for a particular material, it will not be recycled. It might interest you to know that in communities that accept plastics #1 through #7, they often don't actually recycle all of them. #1 and #2 are the most valuable. Many times the other plastics will be landfilled or incinerated. What's more, most plastic recycling is shipped overseas to countries like China. I have a whole chapter on the pros and cons of plastic recycling in my book if you'd like to know more.
@Daniela Hi. Do you know what the actual floss is made of? The page does not say if it is Nylon or cotton or some other material.