Five Things We Can All Do!

1. Don’t Wash Your Hands with Plastic!

<-- Behold pure evil

Many hand washes and bath gels contain tiny plastic beads to exfoliate the skin. When I first read about this, I was absolutely dumbfounded. These little plastic beads wash right down the drain and into our water supply. How can such a thing even be legal? Lately, I’ve been finding out that many outrageously polluting products are legal. The biggest purveyor of water polluting, plastic hand wash is Bath and Body Works. Sure Bath and Body Works may look pretty, and the candy colored products are oh-so enticing, but the Deep Cleansing Hand Wash is pure evil! Bath and Body Works, sadly, is not the only plastic laced product. Look for the ingredient polyethylene as an indicator that your soap or scrub is polluted with plastic. Bath and Body Works prefers not to list their ingredients on the side of the bottle. Now I know why! If you are as outraged as I am, see below to send Bath and Body Works a message. As an industry leader, maybe if Bath and Body Works changes their ingredients, other companies will follow suit.

2 Give Up Bottled Water

Sorry, but even if you recycle the bottle, bottled water is still an ecological nightmare. First, something I recently learned – plastic does not recycle indefinitely. Plastic loses its structural integrity each time it is recycled. Eventually it is no longer useful and must be landfilled. Furthermore, recycled plastics are melted down and formed into plastic pellets, or nurdles. If there’s one thing our world doesn’t need more of, it’s nurdles! I discussed how catastrophic nurdles are in my previous post, so please take a look. Finally, please consider the most compelling argument. We live in a world where clean water is growing increasingly precious. Do we really want Nestle and Coca-Cola pumping out our water and reselling it to us at an enormous mark up? Personally, I don’t like the idea of our best water sources in the hands of private corporations.

3. Say No To Plastic Bags

Everyone has one in their house, a drawer or cabinet stuffed with dozens of plastic bags. There are also more plastic bag recycling bins available than ever before. Do the recycling bins negate the damage done by taking home dozens of new plastic bags each week? I’m afraid not. Plastic bag recycling is plagued with the same troubles as any other plastic recycling. Plus the lightweight bags are notorious escapees from recycling trucks and recycling centers. If you absolutely must have plastic bags for chores around the house, please consider bringing home the absolute minimum. I have given up plastic bags as trash can liners, and I have not noticed a decrease in my quality of life. One thing I have recently learned is that in just using up things I have had around my house from before I decided to deplasticize, I wound up with dozens of bread bags, tortilla bags, etc. to use for general purposes. Most people would end up with ample plastic bags to use, even if they never brought home another grocery bag.

4. Go Back to the Bar

Thinking about plastic pollution would make anyone want to go to the bar for a stiff drink. Just contemplating the plastic bits I washed down the drain when using up a container of Bath and Body Works hand soap has me hankering for a shot of tequila. What I’m really talking about, though, is bar soap. I remember a time before a hundred different bath gels were available for purchase. Now, nearly every shower in America has a plastic jug of fruit punch scented bath gel. The showers in my new built home didn’t even come with soap trays built in! There are dozens of great smelling, fancy soaps that are packaged in simple, paper sleeves. Switching to bar soap is one simple change we can all make.

5. Think Twice Before Buying Plastic Gadgets and Other Unnecessary Plastic Crap

I have been using my time off over the holidays to clean out my kitchen cabinets (I know, will the excitement never end?). As I do so, my husband frequently hears me scream out, “why did I even buy this useless piece of crap?” I have bought things that I never use and don’t have room to keep. I have bought things that can’t even recycle and will forever sit in a landfill:

The plastic veggie chopper—I couldn’t just use a knife?

The plastic apple slicer—As if this will make me eat more fruit?

The plastic garlic crusher thingy—Didn’t work; probably got carpal tunnel syndrome trying to use it

And, I am only halfway through the cabinets…

There we have it. These five things are so simple that everyone can do them. I guarantee that just questioning the amount of plastic in your life will make you more mindful about the amount you use.

Consider taking a moment to send Bath and Body Works a letter expressing your concern over the use of polyethylene beads in their products. Feel free to copy and paste the form letter below.

To Whom It May Concern, Bath and Body Works:

I am writing because I am deeply concerned about the use of polyethylene beads in your Deep Cleansing Hand Wash. Polyethylene is a plastic and will never biodegrade once it is washed down the drain. Water is the most precious resource on Earth, and polyethylene does not belong in rivers and streams where it will eventually become a public health hazard.

Bath and Body Works promotes its products as healthful and natural. This ingredient is a violation of the public trust as most consumers would never suspect that such an ecologically damaging ingredient is present in hand soap. Bath and Body Works needs to take responsibility for the ingredients in its products, and until the products ingredients are ecologically sound, I will no longer purchase from your store.

Sincerely,


Customer Service Bath and Body Works

The Making Of The Monster: Plastic Production Is Scary Stuff

They're called nurdles, and I almost wish I didn't know about them. Nurdle sounds so innocent, almost like a cuddly cartoon character, but there's nothing cute about them. Nurdles are pre-production plastic pellets the size of a grain of rice. They are the first stage in the creation of the myriad plastic products that we buy every day. These little pellets made out of virgin plastic resin are melted and molded into any form that the manufacturer desires. Nurdles are the beginnings of our water bottles, plastic bags, and containers. Lightweight, shippable, and endlessly malleable, nurdles are easy to transport and easy to lose.

60 billion pounds of nurdles are produced and transported in the United States every year. When that many lightweight plastic pellets are on the move, it's a guarantee that a portion will end up escaping into the environment. Nurdles spill out of packing crates, are dumped out of improperly packed trains, , and are often poorly contained at the manufacturing site. Because they are so lightweight, they have a tendency to blow on the wind and accumulate in waterways. Eventually, much of the debris ends up in the ocean where fish and birds mistake nurdles for food. Now they are also in our Great Lakes. From the remote shores of Lake Superior to the beaches of Lake Huron, millions of tiny plastic pellets are becoming mixed with the water and sand. The picture I have posted above is recent; these pellets washed up in October on Lake Huron beaches near the town of Port Albert, Ontario.

As a lifelong resident of Michigan, some of my most memorable days have been spent along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Pre-production plastic nurdles have combined with unfathomable amounts of plastic debris to turn our oceans into a plastic soup; the latest research suggests that there is six times more plastic in the ocean than algae. I have seen evidence of the our plastic oceans with my own eyes. I have walked a Florida beach and held handfuls of sand that were speckled with thousands of plastic bits. Are our Great Lakes headed for this fate? I certainly hope not. The Great Lakes are the the world's largest fresh water system, and I shudder to think that they will soon be full of plastic.

It was always easy for me to justify my plastic purchases by telling myself that I would dispose of my plastic responsibly. I thought my plastic would either be recycled or safely tucked into a landfill. Disposal, though, isn't the only problem. By purchasing plastic, I was authorizing more manufacture, more nurdles, and more opportunity for those little, evil pellets to enter our lakes. Before I buy any new plastic, I must now ask myself is it worth it? It saddens me to think that I might be the last generation to sit on a plastic free beach.

Links to articles regarding plastic nurdles on our Great Lakes beaches:
Lake Superior's Plastic Pellets
Lake Huron's Plastic Problem

A link that explains the gargantuan plastic problem in the ocean:
Nurdles and Other Plastic Pollutants

This is a link to the foundation founded by Charles Moore, a recreational sailor who discovered the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Algalita Marine Research Foundation

Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau, speaking about the tremendous plastic problem in our oceans.
Fabien Cousteau

Cleaning with Less Plastic

I used to think that people who made their own soap and cleaning products were artsy-craftsy types with way too much time on their hands. Not being the artsy-craftsy type, I would spray down my entire bathroom with Scrubbing Bubbles, open a window, and hope that I could clean the tub before I passed out from the fumes. Invariably, by the time I finished, I would be lightheaded and would collapse on the couch to recover. Eventually, I began to associate the cleaning product dizziness with virtuous housecleaning. It seemed that dizziness and nausea were necessary sacrifices for a clean tub, and I would feel peculiarly satisfied with my labor. In my chemical fog, I concluded that the dizzier I became, the cleaner the bathroom would be. However, from this point forward, I renounce all vertigo inducing cleansers! I have given up my chemical dependence and am making natural cleaners that also drastically reduce my plastic consumption.

First, I would like to share this fantastic recipe for an all-purpose cleaner that works great in the bathroom. It is also very effective against any type of grime. I used it to clean the textured plastic on my refrigerator handles, which always get pretty gross, and was very impressed with the results.

All-Purpose Citrus Cleaner
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons Citrasolv Cleaner
1 teaspoon Castile soap (I really like the Dr. Bronner's Citrus Castile Soap)
3 cups water
10 drops of lemon essential oil

Mix it all up in an empty spray bottle and shake gently before using.

The Citrasolv and the Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap do come in plastic bottles; however, both products are highly concentrated, so I expect that these two bottles will last for months. We all need to consider the fact that when we buy ready-made products, we are mainly buying water, and it takes a lot of plastic to package all that water! As a bonus, the East Lansing Food Co-Op has big jugs of of the Dr. Bronner's that customers can use to refill their empty bottles, thus reducing plastic waste. The Dr. Bronner's is sold almost everywhere now, so it's not at all hard to find. Plus, the bottle is made from 100% post-consumer plastic. Another plus is that I'm no longer buying spray bottles. I always recycled the bottle, but I wondered if the spray pump qualified for recycling. I suspect that the metal spring inside the pump might be a recycling deal breaker. The Citrasolv may not be completely necessary for the formula, but I have hard water and decided that my cleaning solution needed an extra boost. Citrasolv is made from completely natural extracts of citrus fruits.

This cleaning solution smells wonderful. There is a slight scent of vinegar, but in a good way, like a big citrus salad.

One last consideration is that many ready-made cleaners contain petroleum products that do not biodegrade when washed down the drain. Others contain ingredients that are now suspected to harm human health. One of the scariest is phthalate (pronounced thal-ate). Phthalate is often indicated by the indeterminate title, fragrance. Recent studies suggest that it could act as a pseudo-estrogen in the body. Since my homemade cleaner smells so incredible, I never want to smell the synthetic stuff again.

Coming soon...

Mayday, mayday! I have run out of Pantene! I repeat, I have run out of Pantene! For those of you who don't know, Pantene is a hair conditioning product of great renown. It also comes in a big plastic jug. Making shower cleaner at home is one thing, but I can I fabricate a product that equals Pantene? More to come...

Update on Little Caesars Plastic Pizza Film

I did hear back from Little Caesars customer service via phone. The customer service representative told me that the film was waxed paper. It sure didn't look like waxed paper to me, so I called the restaurant that made the pizza and asked them if the film is paper. The girl who answered the phone said that the box the sheets came in reads "poly film." I'm not a chemist, but usually the prefix poly indicates plastic materials (If anyone knows for sure, please clue me in!). This Caesar's store assured me that I could request a film free pizza, which I most certainly will do.

I think this whole exchange underscores the fact that plastic is so accepted for every conceivable use that companies will use it without so much as a thought as to the ramifications on our health or the environment. The customer service representative did not even understand the material, but that's just a symptom of the underlying disease. The fact is that we use plastic indiscriminately, but we don't understand how it will affect our bodies in the long run.

Pizza Pizza! OR Plastic Plastic?

At our house, we are big fans of Little Caesars Pizza. On Friday night there is nothing better than the Hot and Ready pizzas, but we were astonished to open up our pizza box this week and discover a greasy piece of plastic film on top of our dinner. I realize that Little Caesars probably opens up many plastic pouches of cheese and dough to make our pizza, but a pizza once in a while is something that we just can't give up. I can resign myself to the plastic bags that may go to a landfill to make our pizza, but this plastic film (which supposedly keeps it hot) is a complete waste. It may not seem like a lot of plastic, but on a busy Friday night, every Little Caesars in Michigan probably goes through hundreds of little plastic sheets.

Even more important than the waste is that I don't want plastic film touching my hot food. Plastic is notorious for leaching chemicals into food, and while some studies have shown that newer plastic wraps are far safer than they used to be, I really don't want to take any chances on this one.

Plus, there is nothing more unappetizing than removing a piece of greasy plastic from a pizza. While I know my pizza isn't exactly low calorie, the last thing I want is to be reminded of just how much grease I'm about to ingest. Pizza is supposed to be fun, not frightening.

I've been buying pizza without a plastic accessories my entire life, and I want to continue this trend. I have called Little Caesars to voice my concerns and told them about my blog. Let's see what we hear back!