Recycling Archives | Judith Dreyer

Blog: 10 Facts You Need to Know About Plastic Bag Use Today.

by Judith | May 29, 2020 | Recycling

My podcast guest this week, Nate Liebenberg, from South Africa reminded me how important our recycling efforts can be. They make an impact on so many lifeforms especially those in the ocean where the effects of our use of throwaway plastics are not so readily visible. So I am reposting the efforts two University of Connecticut students contributed to creating zero plastic waste on a college campus.

Students at the University of Connecticut are making a difference one issue at a time. Over this past year, the PIRG chapter volunteers got plastic bags banned from dining services. It’s all part of UConn PIRG’s zero waste campaign. Can we make a difference by decreasing plastic bag usage? These students, 2 of whom are my podcast guests this week and next, said yes. They researched the issue, offered education, got students and faculty to sign petitions, and basically got the job done. I’m proud of them for their efforts, their enthusiasm, and their willingness to create change, one that promotes sustainability and takes care of the earth for the future.

However, I wondered about the facts around our use of plastic bags today? So, I decided to look into the issue more deeply. It’s simply astounding. And I feel saddened to think we have waited so long to take action over a serious problem that has shown us the error of our ways so graphically. Why are we taking so long to make a difference for us and all species?

Let’s look at the UK: Anna Schavorion who writes in Forbes magazine:

England’s single-plastic bag use before 2015

“The use of plastic bags in England’s supermarkets was out of control in 2014. More than 7.6 billion carrier bags were handed out to customers that year and that figure had been on the rise for the previous four years.

England was the last country in the U.K. to introduce a charge for single-use plastic bags. Wales was the first to do so, in 2011, followed by Northern Ireland in 2013 and Scotland in 2014. All saw plastic bag use decreased by 70-80% year-on-year.”

That translates into a huge decrease in personal usage of plastic bags which means a huge decrease in production. Let’s look at more facts:

10 Facts About Plastic Bag Usage

1. Ireland alone reduced plastic bag consumption by 1 Billion bags between 2001 and 2011 by imposing a bag tax of $.37
2. We use 1 trillion plastic bags worldwide, a product that consumes resources, contributions to species deaths, adds to pollution.
3. The European Union is beginning to get behind promoting a decrease in plastic bags due to the great harm seen in our oceans and other waterways.
4. Plastic bags contribute to malaria in Kenya.
5. Camels and other animals such as cows and sheep die from plastic bag ingestion.
6. “100,000 marine creatures a year die from plastic entanglement and these are the ones found. Approximately 1 million sea birds also die from plastic. A plastic bag can kill numerous animals because they take so long to disintegrate.”
7. “There are 5 ocean gyres in the world where plastic gathers due to the current circulation. These gyres contain millions of pieces of plastic and our wildlife feed in these grounds.”
8. According to National Geographic: 18 billion pounds of plastic waste flows into the ocean every year from coastal regions. That’s the equivalent of five grocery bags of plastic trash sitting on every foot of coastline around the world. And 40% of plastic produced is packaging, used just once and then discarded.
9. How does the US rate in recycling plastics? We recycle 9% compared to Europe at 30%. Here in the Us, we throw away 100 billion plastic bags annually. That’s about 307 bags per person.
10. If a ton of plastic bottles is recycled, the energy that is saved is the same as the amount of energy used yearly by a two-person household.

5 Simple Ways to Reduce Using Plastic Usage

Simply stop using plastic bags and get reusable grocery bags,
Stop using straws and be mindful of packaging.
Put all items into your cart, take to your car and bag them there when you forget to bring your reusable bags into the store.
Bring your own coffee mug to the coffee shop and have them fill it up without using their cups.
Ask the coffee shop not use the little plastic stopper (the coffee will stay warm for a while)

Got any great ideas for zero waste? Let me know. Thanks. Judith

Podcast: Holistic Nature of Us: Meet UConn Student Kelly Rafferty

by Judith | Mar 19, 2019 | Earth Day, Holistic Nature of Us, Podcast, Recycling, sustainable landscapes

Description: Students are making a difference. The University of Connecticut is in my backyard. I receive a newsletter that highlights important work being done across campus. It is here I found Kelly Rafferty and the UConn PIRG chapter tackling ‘zero plastic bags’, taking practical action making this a reality. How did they do? They were successful! The dining Department has done away with plastic bags. Kelly and her group of volunteers polled, presented and accomplished the task of taking plastic bags out of dining services. She and her team offered practical tips, education, and alternatives to students and faculty. After 8 months of diligent work, ‘no plastic bags’ through dining services is now a reality.

Join us for her insightful discussion on the detrimental effects plastic bags have on our health, the environment, how the use of plastic bags depletes our resources and wastes taxpayers money.

About My Guest: Kelly Rafferty is a junior English major student at the University of Connecticut. She is a member of UConn PIRG, a student-run, non-profit advocacy group. In particular, she has been the campaign coordinator for the “Zero Waste” on campus whose mission is to eliminate plastic bags. Join us for an insightful discussion where students such as Kelly are making a difference one school and one town at a time to reduce waste which helps clean up our environment. Actions we desperately need today.

Transcript: #55 Kelly Rafferty

Podcast: Holistic Nature of Us; Meet Kyleigh Hillerud, Campaign Coordinator for Zero Waste at UConn

by Judith | Mar 12, 2019 | Earth Day, Holistic Nature of Us, Podcast, Recycling

Description: Kyleigh Hillerud is a sophomore at UConn,a Fine Arts major studying visual media and design. She is also UConn PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Campaign coordinator for PIRG’s Zero Waste Campaign. PIRG is a student advocacy group, non-partisan, non-profit, one where students can join and make a difference in a variety of ways. Zero Waste is an option. Kyleigh, as Coordinator, and her team are celebrating a huge success on campus, taking practical action over the past eight months to effect change. Because of their efforts, dining services have adopted zero plastic bags. Today she and her team are poised to work with our state’s Legislative body to enact legislation for ‘zero waste’ particularly, ‘no plastic bags.’

Join us for an insightful discussion and practical tips.

About My guest: Kyleigh Hillerud is a sophomore at UConn, studying visual media and design, a Fine Arts major. She is also UConn PIRG Campaign coordinator for PIRG’s Zero Waste Campaign. PIRG is a student advocacy group, non-partisan, non-profit, one where students can join and make a difference in a variety of ways. Zero Waste is an option. Kyleigh as Coordinator and her team are celebrating a huge success on campus, taking practical action over the past eight months to effect change. Because of their efforts, dining services have adopted zero plastic bags.

Transcript: #54 Kyleigh Hillerud final