Just over a quarter of all plastics are used for packaging and approximately 95% of the plastic used in packaging is disposed of after one use. One-third of this packaging is not collected, becoming pollution that generates significant economic costs by reducing the productivity of vital natural systems such as our oceans. This damage to our natural systems exceeds the profit of the packaging industry according to a report by McKinsey.
What You Can D
Push back on the amount of plastics used in grocery stores. Consider purchasing food items from a local farm co-op or farmers market. If you go to the grocery store, bring your reusable bags and produce bags. Let grocery store management know how you feel about the amount of plastics being used.
Collect your packaging materials (plastic air bags, Styrofoam peanuts, bubble wrap, etc.) and bring them to a shipping and mailing service that accepts packaging materials for reuse. The Postal Center USA in Lee is one example.
Bring your single-use plastic bags (and other plastics that stretch) to the Dover Chamber of Commerce. They accept single-use plastics that will be later turned into Trex decking.
Source: MIT Technology Review
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Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com
Not sure if an item can be recycled? Click HERE.
Want to know more about the Swap Shop? Click HERE.
DID YOU KNOW? 🌎 – Reducing Single-Use Plastics
Currently, about 430 million tons of plastic is produced every year. One-third of this total takes the form of single-use plastics, which humans interact with for seconds or minutes before discarding.
Most of the plastic we make, 72%, ends up in landfills or the environment, according to a 2022 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (See report HERE). Only 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled, and 19% has been incinerated. Some of it reaches the sea; estimates suggest that between 8 million and 11 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean each year. According to the National Academy of Sciences, that’s the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic into the ocean every minute.
It may appear that buying single-use plastic items is the cheapest, easiest way to go, but the toll on our health and the health of our environment leads to a very costly outcome indeed.
Solutions such as recycling cannot deal with this much waste. Instead, we need to find alternatives to buying single-use plastics in the first place. Only then, will plastic production be reduced.
Although daunting, there are many things we can do to help turn the tide on the damage single-use plastics leave behind. As part of IWMAC’s on-going education campaign, we will share with you some simple changes you can make for positive change.
START NOW!
Get in the habit of using a water bottle for your beverages and frequent businesses that will re-fill your reusable coffee cup.
When you order take-out, tell the restaurant you don’t need the plastic cutlery. Ask for your food order to not be put in plastic bags for pick-up.
If you forget your reusable grocery bags, ask for paper bags and reduce our dependence on plastic.
Source: MIT Technology Review
Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee
Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com
DID YOU KNOW? 🌎 – Fall Decorations
Fall decorations are often completely compostable but unfortunately never make it to a compost pile. Instead, they end up in trash bags and trash cans heading directly to the local landfill. In fact, by some estimates, three-quarters or more of all compostable fall decorations end up in a landfill each year! This costs our town (and us) money in landfill tipping fees to dispose of the waste and leads to more methane gas emissions.
From pumpkins, gourds and squash, to corn stalks, flowering annuals and container plants, fall decorations are the perfect ingredients for filling a compost bin.
In particular, not only do (unpainted) pumpkins, gourds and squash break down quickly, their larger size adds a tremendous amount of bulk material to a compost pile. In addition, they are an excellent source of nitrogen, and add beneficial bacteria to the compost to help break it down fast.
Source: Oldworldgardenfarms.com
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Consider Composting!
Composting is one of the most effective and impactful ways to be sustainable. If you’re looking to make just one sustainable change in your life, consider composting!
Here are a few tips from Durham residents on what helps make composting work for them.
If you have a backyard compost:
“I rotate 2 bins in order to have good compost for my garden. I leave one to rest and decompose for a season while I fill the other.”
“In the winter, when my bin tends to freeze shut, I bag my compost and take it to the transfer station.”
“My Autumn pumpkins will complete their life cycle in our yard next to our leaf pile. “
If you bring your compost to the transfer station:
“I live in town, so I don’t have a yard big enough for a backyard compost. Instead, I keep a 3 gallon ceramic compost bin under my sink for my compost. The bin has a filter, which keeps it odor-free and it’s easy to fill with food scraps during food prep. When the weather gets warm, I store my full bags of compost in the freezer until I bring them to the transfer station for drop off.”
“I keep a colander with a plate under it on the counter when I prepare meals. That way, I can just toss scraps in the colander while I’m working, let any liquid drain out, and then, at the end of the day, I empty the colander into the bin we keep under the sink. The colander fits easily in the fridge during the summer, so we don’t invite fruit flies.”
“Ever since I’ve been composting, my trash bin is so light and easy to wheel to the curb.”
Join us on Wednesday, October 25 at 6:30 PM at the Durham Public Library to learn more about composting, and how you can benefit from its advantages.
Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee
Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com
DID YOU KNOW? 🌎 – Recycle Right
Durham’s curbside recycling program does not currently accept plastic bags, film, or wrap of any kind – not even if plastic bags are placed in curbside bins filled with recyclable items.
Why can’t I put my plastic bags in my curbside recycle bin?
Plastic bags, wraps, and films get tangled up in the equipment in facilities that serve curbside recycling programs, causing problems for recyclers. After this, they are landfilled. Make sure flexible packages don’t make their way into your curbside recycling bin!
Where can I bring my plastic bags, films and wraps?
Store drop-off programs have been the primary means of recovering clean and dry bags, film, and wrap for more than 20 years. Retailers usually consolidate the material with other film like pallet wrap at their distribution centers and then sell the material to companies making products like composite lumber, bags and film, containers, crates and pallets.
Hannaford on Grapevine Drive in Dover, Hannaford in Durham, Market Basket in Lee and the Dover Chamber of Commerce are all local establishments that accept these items. To find other local stores that accept plastic bags, films, and wraps, please check out the following link HERE.
DID YOU KNOW? 🌎 – Recycle Right
In keeping with IIWMAC’s September sustainability theme, “Recycle Right”, we’d like to answer a few more common questions we receive about recycling.
Did you know that Amazon’s plastic packaging is recyclable with plastic bags at Hannaford Supermarkets in Dover? All paper labels must be removed from all plastic bags and plastic mailers.
Did you know that when recycling a plastic container, if the cap for the container is smaller than 2”x2” it should be kept on the plastic container when recycled? Any cap smaller than 2”x2” will fall through the filters at the recycling facility and be thrown in the garbage if not attached. For example, single use water bottles should have their caps kept on when recycled.
Did you know that currently, waxed cartons of milk, juice, broth and soup, etc. are not recyclable? They should be thrown in the garbage along with their plastic caps. Keep in mind that, due to the ever-shifting market for recyclables, this could change in the future. If so, we will let you know! In the meantime, milk and juice jugs are recyclable as well as cans for soup and broth.
Join us on Tuesday, September 19 at 630pm at the Durham Public Library for a panel presentation and discussion debunking the myths around recycling. This presentation is in collaboration with the Department of Public Works and the Durham Public Library.
Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee
Questions about recycling or composting? Email us at DurhamRecycles603@gmail.com
DID YOU KNOW? 🌏 – Optical Brighteners
There are some ingredients that product manufacturers are not required to list on their labels. One of these is optical brighteners, which are often included in conventional laundry detergents.
What are Optical Brighteners?
Optical brighteners are chemicals that conventional product manufacturers use in their detergent formulations to make laundry look whiter and brighter. They do this by absorbing UV rays from the sun and radiating them back to the human eye. They don’t actually remove discoloration or stains or help the cleaning process at all—they just cover them up by enhancing the whiteness of the laundry.
The problems with optical brighteners.
Optical brighteners pose a number of potential environmental and health problems, and the long-term effects of these chemicals are still unknown. Some of the concerns are:
- They can cause skin sensitization & allergies. Over time, people can develop skin sensitivity to the synthetic dyes and optical brighteners, causing skin irritation, rashes, and other allergies.
- They are bad for the environment. Optical brighteners are not easily biodegradable – meaning they go from your washing machine into our rivers and oceans where they are toxic to aquatic life.
What can I do?
Like conventional detergents, natural detergent products clean your clothes—but unlike conventional detergents, they do it without using toxins or harmful chemicals. Look for all-natural, plant-based formulations that deliver the same cleaning strength as conventional detergents—but without toxins or other harmful substances. - To cut back on plastic packaging, consider reusing your plastic containers by visiting places like The Replenish Refillery in Dover or We Fill Good in Kittery to purchase your laundry detergent. You can also consider using all natural laundry detergent strips.
Sources: Dirtylabs.com, Cleanpeople.com, European Ecolabel Commission
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DID YOU KNOW? 🌏 – REASONS TO START COMPOSTING NOW
It’s good for the environment. About half of what we throw into the garbage bin is food and garden vegetation. Composting reduces greenhouse emissions and reduces your carbon footprint, because when organic waste ends up in landfill, it decomposes without oxygen, and produces methane and carbon dioxide, both of which contribute to Global Warming.
Every bit helps. We generate 21,500,000 tons of food waste each year. If we compost that food it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas as taking 2 million cars off the road.
Compost helps your garden to retain nutrients and water. Compost is a nutrient rich fertilizer that helps soil retain water. Compost also improves soil aeration.
Compost will save you money. It’s economical – you probably already have all of the things you need to make compost, and you’ll save money in the long run by not having to buy soil and plant food. By using the compost that you have made as a soil conditioner or mulch, this will reduce the need to purchase these products, which can lead to significant savings.
No need for chemicals. Compost eliminates the need for chemicals, additives and sulfurs – more organic compost means less chemicals, which equates to a cleaner, healthier environment .
Composting is convenient. No need to bag your leaves and other garden waste and take it to the transfer station. Add them to your composter and watch them turn into compost.
If you have questions about composting and would like to see a bin before reserving it, visit the IWMAC table at Durham’s Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 22, from 10 to 2. There will be a sample bin there, and the members of IWMAC can answer your questions . You can also sign up to reserve a bin and drop off your check at that time.
Please note: The deadline to reserve a bin is Monday, April 24 at 4 PM.
Source: vitality4life.com
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DID YOU KNOW? 🌏 – MORE ABOUT COMPOSTING
There are a number of benefits to compost that not everyone is aware of. Some examples are listed below:
—Organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting food scraps and other organics, methane emissions are significantly reduced.
—Compost reduces and in some cases eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers.
—Compost enhances water retention in soils.
—Compost provides carbon sequestration.
If you’ve been thinking about composting, and would consider starting a backyard compost, there is urrently an opportunity you may want to take advantage of.
The Northeast Resource Recovery Association (NRRA) is hosting their annual backyard compost bin sale. If you would like to reserve a bin, please bring a check for $63 (a great price!) made out to NRRA to the Durham Public Works office.
If you have questions about composting, and would like to see a bin before reserving it, visit our IWMAC table at Durham’s Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 22, from 10 to 2. We will have a sample bin there, and can answer your questions . You can also sign up to reserve a bin and drop off your check with us at that time.
Please note : The deadline to reserve a bin is Monday, April 24 at 4 PM.
Source: http://www.epa.gov
Brought to you by the IWMAC Committee
Think about your daily food decisions
Our daily food decisions can have a significant impact on not only our health, but the health of our planet. Here are some tips to help you eat with the earth in mind and make conscious decisions when it comes to what’s on your plate.
Buy Local
Minimize the carbon footprint of your shopping trips by taking a weekly trip to local grocery stores or combine shopping with other car trips. When in season, check out local farmers markets and farm stands. Not only will you support local businesses you’ll also lessen the environmental impact of your purchases through reduced vehicle travel time.
Start composting today
Composting is an excellent way to re-purpose food scraps, transforming them into nutrient-rich soil for yards or potted plants. Sign up with Mr. Fox Composting for curbside service, or you can bring your compost to the transfer station for drop off. Another idea would be to learn how to start your own compost pile in your backyard.
Save your food scraps
Save your scraps like celery, onions, carrots, corn, bell peppers, and more to make broth for soups and cooking. Frozen tomatoes are great for salsa, overripe bananas for banana breads, and leftover berries for smoothies. Give otherwise overlooked food a second life.
Source: Cariuma
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