07/15/24 - 152 New Stories - REAL Environmental & Conservation Leadership In PA: http://tinyurl.com/45529742
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Spotlight- Less Is More In Packaging And Disposal
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By Jill Brubaker Reigh, PROP Communications February is all about Presidents and Cupid coupled with the growing anticipation of spring thaw. In honor of all things February, let’s honor country with love by showing a renewed respect for the beauty of Pennsylvania that even now is sprouting under the late winter snow and ice cover by being less of a disposable society.
Our Keystone State is resource rich with trees and green fields that accommodate a myriad of farm animals. Beneath the green earth, Pennsylvania is rich with anthracite, oil, iron, limestone and other valuable minerals. Above that green earth, however, are landfills that grow daily with one-time-use disposables we too easily discard.
During the most dreadful circumstances, war-torn Pennsylvanians learned to ration valuable resources in order to survive. Even in wartime during the 20th century, people learned to ration available resources in order to survive. Though thankfully, circumstances are not that severe today, placing a higher value on available resources is an honorable practice for those who care about this great state.
For every person you see today, there will be another five pounds of trash headed for your local landfill. Sadly, almost half of that supposed “trash” is actually recyclable. Where does this trash come from? It starts with your disposable razor in that impossible to open plastic container, that disposable morning serving of caffeine and carbs, the junk mail at work, your disposable lunch containers, and so on throughout your day. Packaging accounts for 33 percent of that waste, and nearly 65 percent of that packaging ends up in a landfill.
If Abe Lincoln believed “a penny saved is a penny earned” then we should adapt his philosophy to “less is more.” Less packaging means more for your penny spent and less for your local landfill. According to Mother Jones November/December 2009 issue, nearly ten percent of a typical product’s price is packaging. On the flipside, they reported that Hershey Foods downsized packaging of their Special Dark chocolate bar by 15 percent recently. That would be a good thing, but unfortunately, for less product and package, the price didn’t drop.
Here in the Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania office, we recently received a letter questioning the validity of saving our resources and whether there truly are definable benefits to recycling. The bottom line is that by learning simple lifestyle-changing practices, recycling DOES make a difference in saving our state’s finite resources. Along with that, becoming more aware of packaging when shopping goes hand in hand with our daily recycling efforts.
Many of you are probably familiar with the “Three R’s of recycling:” Reduce the amount of waste we produce, Reuse as much as possible, Recycle the recyclable.
With recent emphasis on the growing trend toward Product Stewardship, it’s time to push for higher expectations. The Pennsylvania Resources Council, Inc. offers two additional “R’s” on their website:
-- Reject over-packaging and products that are hazardous to the environment
-- React by joining with other consumers to let manufacturers and government know your views.
These last two are important points to consider under the title of Product Stewardship, which simply put, places responsibility for decreased packaging and easier access to recyclability of products on the manufacturer.
As consumers, we have the power to improve product stewardship by rejecting over-packaged items and by calling manufacturers and government leaders when we see excessive packaging and lack of recycling services for products.
Many products that you buy have toll free numbers that consumers can call to express dissatisfaction with the amount of non-recyclable packaging. Contact your local government leaders about making government operations less wasteful.
The next time you go shopping, even for a few items, take along your own reusable bag. Retailers readily accept consumers who bring their own bags these days. If you run in for a pack of gum and a magazine, do you really need to have it in a bag? Many cashiers automatically place that jug of milk in a bag. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell them you don’t need a bag. Did you leave your bag in the car? As long as you have your receipt, you CAN walk out of the store without your purchase in a bag.
Plastic bags are a nuisance when they’re decorating the trees along the interstate or clogging streams. If you must use plastic bags, please take one more step and return them to the grocery store for recycling on your next trip for gum! Most grocery stores have the plastic recycling bins just inside the doors where the carts are stored. It only takes a minute to make so much difference.
As spring approaches, you can help Mother Nature transform your slice of the Pennsylvania landscape into a greener scene by rationing your contribution to the trash can. With just a little bit of attention to the packaging you choose, you will discover that “less is more.”
Jill Reigh is the Communications Manager for PROP and she can be contacted by sending email to: jreigh@proprecycles.org. PROP is the state recycling association located in Bellwood, Pa. PROP’s mission and purpose is to operate a nonprofit nonpartisan statewide association of recycling professionals dedicated to promoting and enhancing the recycling, organics management and waste reduction programs in Pennsylvania. To learn more about PROP or recycling and organics, visit PROP online or call us weekdays at 1-800-769-7767.
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2/12/2010 |
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