No Plastic, People

Today, California became the first state in the nation to ban single-use plastic bags. Watch for other coastline states to follow, starting in the West. Why? California alone spends $25 million a year to collect and landfill the 14 billion plastic bags we use. A paltry 5% is recycled; it’s not energy-efficient and it encourages more plastic use. Plastic bags make up 2% of the overall waste in California, but they are the predominate form of marine debris. The ultimate destination for much of the plastic waste here is… (wait for it…) the North Pacific Central Gyre, where researchers say more than 300,000 plastic particles are found per square mile.

Garbage Patch Twins?

Sail the Gulf Stream from Bermuda to the Azores and what do you think you'll find? Miles and iles of plastic pieces suspended near the water's surface stuck in wads of seaweed and ocean debris. You've stumbled onto The Great Pacific Garbage Patch's eastern twin: The North Atlantic Subtropical Convergence Zone. Otherwise known as the Great ATLANTIC Garbage Patch.

Though the dimensions have not yet been determined, the area is known to be vast, centered in the Sargasso Sea, which is bounded by ocean currents. The highest concentrations of plastics are found between 22 and 38 degrees north latitude. Due to the stormier nature of the Eastern Seaboard and Atlantic, the garbage there is thought to be more diverse. Charles Moore, the ocean researcher credited with discovering the Pacific Patch, agrees that with the higher population on the East Coast and more rivers flowing south, comparable amounts of plastic can be expected. "Humanity's plastic footprint is probably more dangerous than our carbon footprint," he said.

Earth Day Every Day

Throwing away those little plastic bottle caps is so much better than throwing away the whole bottle; there's an almost-gratifying feeling tossing the tiny lid in the garbage knowing the rest will be properly recycled. But thanks to the efforts of Anna Chan (aka The Lemon Lady), NONE of that bottle need be landfill-bound.

Her new campaign, "Earth Day Every Day. Recycle Plastic Caps and Lids," gives new momentum to the push for recycling plastic bottle caps. SF Bay Area residents are particularly fortunate to have several drop-off spots available at nearby Whole Foods and Aveda locations. Aveda accepts any rigid plastic bottle caps that must be removed for recycling as well as other caps with a threaded neck: caps on shampoo, milk and other beverage bottles, flip top caps on tubes and food product bottles (such as ketchup and mayonnaise), laundry detergents and some jar lids such as peanut butter. Whole Foods accepts bottle caps and other plastic #5 containers such as yogurt cups, hummus tubs and Brita water filters. They work with the organization Preserve who turns the recycled plastic into toothbrushes and razors.

See the Lemon Lady's site for more on recycling caps in Central and East Contra Costa Counties, or for a link to search recyclers near you.

Smoke My Curtain

Of all the great hemp products currently available, the shower curtain is worth considering as it is both utilitarian and an improvement over the plain plastic sheet. Known for its durability, hemp is one of the strongest fibers, yet the shower curtain gets softer each time it is washed. It does not require a vinyl liner, and water does not leak through. The cloth dries quickly to inhibit mold growth and is naturally resistant to mildew and bacteria. It can be machine washed. Simply hang the curtain up to dry, and any wrinkles will disappear during showering. Good green doesn’t come cheap, but hemp curtains are highly reusable, plus they keep unnatural plastics out of our landfills and toxic fumes out of your clean space. Prices range from $59 to $89. World of Good: http://worldofgood.ebay.com/Hemp-Shower-Curtain/250332167953/item

Garbage Patch Kids?

Snappy new name for a top-selling candy, right? Yes, and also our all-too-real legacy. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a real place – a giant, floating field of debris about a thousand miles off the coast of California. It is estimated to be up to twice the size of Texas.

Composed mostly of bits and pieces of plastic, researchers believe this enormous trash zone accumulated over many years. It is made of trash that was dumped off boats and ocean-going ships, or that washed into the ocean after accumulating in storm drains and on beaches. It is a zone of mostly smaller bits and pieces of plastic, mixed with some large pieces of plastic and fishing nets. The plastic bits float just under the water’s surface like confetti. PCBs, DDT and other toxins cannot dissolve in water, but get absorbed by plastic. As the toxic plastic slowly degrades and turns into smaller pieces, seabirds mistake it for food and dive down to eat it. Skeletons of birds found in this area are said to have guts filled with plastic. Fish that feed on plankton ingest the tiny toxic bits, and toxins get bio-accumulated up the food chain.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or North Pacific Ocean Gyre is located in the northwest Pacific Ocean, roughly between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N . It is located within the North Pacific Gyre, one of the five major oceanic gyres. It was first documented by Charles Moore, a California-based sea captain and ocean researcher. Moore came upon the patch while returning home from competing in the Transpac sailing race in 1997.

A gyre is a large, clock-wise circulation of currents driven by the wind that causes the garbage to mix together in convergence zones, with movements comparable to a whirlpool. As material is captured, wind-driven surface currents gradually move floating debris toward the center, trapping it in the region. It is said to move as much as a thousand miles north and south in the Pacific seasonally. Currents carry debris from the west coast of North America to the gyre in about five years, and debris from the east coast of Asia in a year or less.

An estimated 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships. A typical 3,000 passenger cruise ship produces over eight tons of solid waste weekly, much of which ends up in the patch.

To learn more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch try these two sites: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/recycling-design-technology/great-pacific-garbage-patch-research-461109#ixzz0X3CVQWLu

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/11/09/science/11102009_Garbage_index.html

Pour Some Soda on Me

Kudos to the Cloroxes of the world for jumping on the eco-bandwagon and introducing new lines of green products. But has anyone noticed that despite supposedly being simpler and safer, they are usually more expensive than their toxic counterparts? So time for a reminder on DIY cleansers. Mix baking soda, water and vinegar for a super-simple cost-saver that cleans just about everything. For more ideas on make-at-home cleaners, get over the name, and visit treehugger.com.