Cleaning Week - Day 6 - Trash Bags

Today is day six of Cleaning Week and it's also Monday so today's post combines both cleaning and plastic bags in the topic of trash bags.

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Commentary:

Similar to plastic shopping bags, trash bags have a limited useful life (typically a few days before being moved from inside a  home to the main recycling or garbage container outside) and take a long time to decompose (estimated between 500 and 1000 years).  Growing up and during my time in Chicago I thought that trash had to be put into a trash bag or the garbage collector wouldn't take it.  However, when I discovered this wasn't the case in San Diego we stopped using trash bags although I had to do some convincing before Amelia was persuaded this was a good and/or sane idea.  (I think that I having recently had a bag of 1,000 worms delivered to my office had something to do with her hesitancy.)

I couldn't resist.

Stopping our use of plastic shopping bags was a first step, followed by using reusable produce bags instead of disposable plastic, so it seemed like a natural step to stop using trash bags as well.  This has been the case with many things that we've reduced or eliminated: once we get rid of one thing we start to see so many other things we hadn't noticed before.  Often they are things we've simply used without thinking about and don't miss them once they're gone.

Taking out the trash is a chore so often required the marital strife that can result from opposing views of who last took out the trash has become a common joke.  This joke is based in large part on the frequency with which we dispose of our garbage.  (Not to mention the prodigious amounts of garbage we create.)

Consider if a home has a trash and a recycling bin in the kitchen, plus two bathrooms with a bin each.  If each bin is emptied twice a week, 416 bags would be used in a year.  Take those 416 bags, which I think is a low estimate since it excludes yard waste and higher volume trash times like the holiday season, and multiply times the 114 million households in the United States.  That totals 47 billion trash bags used per year.  Even if it's not possible to stop using all trash bags, if just the bags in bathrooms were eliminated the number used would decrease 50%.  That size of a reduction can make a big difference.

Reducing the use of trash bags also helps to avoid infant deaths.  According to the US Product Safety Commission, an average of 25 children in America die each year by suffocation from a plastic bag.  90% of this number are infants under 1 year of age.

Suggested action steps:

1. Consider stopping or reducing your use of trash bags (trash, recycling, bathroom, garage, etc.)
1. For items like scraps of meat, grease, or other items that smell we take them to the outdoor trash immediately to avoid getting the indoor bin dirty
2. Having a composter has helped us to avoid mold or other food issues in the trash, since they go straight to the composter
2. If your garbage collector requires use of trash bags ask them why and to consider changing this policy
3. If you must use trash bags, consider using a biodegradable brand like this one
4. If your trash cans get dirty clean out with water and Dr. Bronner's soap or vinegar.  I set up a calendar reminder on my computer for every 3 months to help me remember.

Mardi Gras = Water Fountain Celebration

Happy Fat Tuesday!  Given the elevated levels of liquid consumption today I thought a beverage topic would be good.  Today's post is about bottled water.
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We are fortunate in the United States to have abundant supplies of freshwater (in most areas of the country) and a safe and widespread system of distribution that allows us to have clean water in our homes for drinking, cleaning, gardening, and many other uses.  Despite the cheap and clean water distribution system present, bottled water sales have skyrocketed in recent years and in 2007 8.82 billion gallons of bottled water were sold in the United States, and 47 billion gallons worldwide.  On a per capita basis, that's about 285 12 ounce bottles per American per year.

In order to help conserve natural resources, and save money, I think it's a good idea to opt for tap water rather than bottled water.

Commentary:

Following are a few reasons I think it's usually a better idea to enjoy water from the tap.

1) Cost - Per this EPA article, drinking 8 glasses of water a day will cost you about 50 cents per year from the tap.  From bottled water the same amount of water will cost you around $1,400.  My own estimate, based on a cost of $10.73 for a 24 pack of 16.9 ounce bottles comes to a grand total of $620 for the year. Calculation noted below - if anyone knows how to easily add tables to Blogger I would definitely appreciate some advice.

(16.9 ounces per bottle x 24 bottles per case = 405.6 ounces per case.  8 glasses x 8 ounces per day x 366 days per leap year = 23,424 ounces per year.  23,424 ounces / 405.6 ounces per case = 57.75 cases needed per year.  57.75 cases x $10.73 per case = $619.67 total cost)

Either way, the cost is far higher for bottled water than tap water.  Additionally, you will have to pay to refrigerate the bottles.

2) Landfill impact - According to the International Bottled Water Association, a bottled water industry group, 30.9% of plastic water bottles are recycled each year.  Using the estimated amount of bottles from the EPA article noted above, that means the average American would send 285 bottles to the landfill each year. Additionally, this recycling rate is from a group organized to promote bottled water usage, so other estimates of the recycling rate are much lower.

3) Incidental costs - Production of water bottles for the U.S. market is estimated to use 17 million barrels of oil annually.  There are 42 gallons in a barrel of oil, so that amounts to 714 million gallons of oil.  In addition to the production of the bottle, there is also the cost to transport the bottles from factories to stores, from stores to homes, cost to refrigerate, and the cost to transport to landfills or recycling centers after use.  Since the majority of bottles are not recycled there is also the cost to cleanup those bottles not directly put into the trash stream, and the landfill maintenance costs for those that do end up there.

4) Bottled water may be tap water anyway - According to the above linked EPA article, over 25% of bottled water is from a municipal water source, the same place that tap water comes from.  Even the esteemed John Stossel has called out bottled water on this point.  It's from 2005, but still pretty entertaining and to the point.

Suggested action steps:

1) Don't purchase bottled water.  This is assuming you are not in a disaster area or developing area without safe water sources.
2) If the taste or quality of your tap water is not up to snuff, install a water filtration system or purchase a water pitcher with a filter (Brita is one brand).
3) Enjoy

Coffee Time - Reusable Mugs

I'm a big fan of coffee, as noted in a prior post, and will likely have a number of posts on the topic of coffee.   This is one of those posts.
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Coffee is enjoyed by millions daily, the majority of whom discard the cup when the drink is finished.  I was one of those people, but purchased a reusable mug for the reasons described below.

Commentary:

Recycling is good, but reuse is better.  Recycling an item takes energy to produce and deliver the original product, then additional energy to collect and re-purpose the item after use, and energy to deliver the new good for future use.  With an item like coffee cups that are used and discarded or recycled on a massive scale, the amount of energy involved in producing or re-purposing those cups adds up quickly.  Cups that go directly to a landfill consume far more energy since producing a new cup takes more energy and resources than recycling a used one.

In many cases, recycling a coffee cup is not an option.  First, many communities in the U.S. do not have a regular recycling service that allows for consumers to recycle their used cups and other refuse, if they are inclined to recycle.  Second, many coffee cups are made from 6 polystyrene plastic (symbol displayed below) that is often not recyclable even if your municipality has recycling services available.  This was a big surprise to me.  My community in San Diego has bi-weekly recycling and before I learned of this limitation on plastic of this type I assumed that if it was in the recycling it would be recycled.  Little did I know that even though it went in the blue bin it would be added to the trash heap.

In addition to being good for the planet, using your own mug will save you money.  Most coffee shops will give you a small discount on each purchase for using your own mug (typically between 10 and 25 cents per purchase).

Suggested action steps:

1) If you drink coffee, purchase a reusable coffee cup and use it on every trip for a cup of joe.  I recommend one with a screw on lid so it won't spill and a non-plastic one so the flavor of coffee won't seep in.  (If you're interested in a Walking Miss Eva branded mug let me know and I can hook you up.)
2) If you forget your reusable mug, request a mug from the coffee shop and get your beverage to enjoy in the store.  Most coffee shops, including all Starbucks I believe, will accommodate this request.

3) If you go out for coffee at home and at work, purchase a cup for both locations to ensure you have one on hand when you head out.


Have a great start to your week!