Living in a Disposable World

 

 

It’s no secret that we live in an increasingly-disposable world. Where once, people would have invested in quality items designed to last for years, we’re now more likely to buy disposable alternatives intended to be used just once or at most a handful of times before being thrown away.

 

It can often seem like there is a disposable version of pretty much everything – from plastic bags and paper plates to disposable razors and contact lenses.

 

Of course, there are many perceived advantages of buying disposable items – such as convenience, cost and choice. Disposable variants of everyday products can often seem cheaper than investing in a longer-lasting product and if you can throw something away after using it, it can often seem quicker and more convenient than having to wash or care for an item.

 

But what is the real cost of our disposable attitude? Well, it’s not difficult to see that disposable products are more harmful to the environment – with landfill sites full of products such as plastic water bottles and disposable nappies. But disposable products can also have an impact on our home environmenttoo. Constantly shopping for replacement products, having shelves bursting with disposable items and the clutter that our disposable world brings can be stressful.

 

Many people are therefore seeking out alternatives to disposable products – not only to help the environment but also to simplify their own lives, homes and shopping habits. Here are some of the common disposable items that you may want to consider swapping to longer-lasting alternatives:

 

Nappies
Disposable nappies get a bad press for the amount of waste that they produce. Of course, they are undoubtedly convenient for parents who may be changing several nappies each day but many are now returning to reusable cloth nappies which can be washed and used again. Some argue that reusable nappies aren’t that much kinder to the environment due to the energy used in the washing and drying process but investing in reusables could save money and many shopping trips as well as reducing landfill.

 

Plastic water bottles
If you like to have a bottle of water to hand, invest in a reusable sports bottle that can be washed and reused rather than buying expensive bottled water that’s packaged in throwaway containers. Prefer coffee to water? Then invest in an insulated reusable coffee cup, rather than using plastic cups from takeaways and vending machines.

 

Cleaning wipes
Ditch the disposable beauty and household wipes and go back to old-fashioned flannels and reusable cloths. Not only will this save money and cut waste but using more durable, robust cloths can often give better cleaning results too.

 

Shopping bags
If you’re still using plastic bags when out shopping, invest in a high-quality reusable shopping bag and keep it folded up in your coat pocket or handbag so that it is to hand when you need it.

 

Even though reusable items may cost a little more than their disposable equivalents in the short-term, they are usually a better quality and will pay for themselves over their lifetime.

 

For more information on how to live a greener life, visit: www.dothegreenthing.com

 

Categories: disposable items, disposable nappies, disposable products, disposable world, longer lasting, plastic bags, plastic water, save money, water bottles

Why Should You Ditch the Plastic in Your Life?

Plastic is both a godsend and a nightmare when it comes to its many uses. There are naturally a number of plastic perks, allowing for lighter-weight car parts that help to boost your mileage, computer housings and even disposable syringes that help to limit the risk of infectious diseases. Even polystyrene is a great insulator and long lasting, so it helps to conserve energy in our homes. However, when we use plastics for unnecessary conveniences, we put the planet and ourselves in danger.

It sometimes harbours other toxic, secret ingredients

A study analysing the black plastic travel mugs that so many people use found that an alarming percentage of them contained brominated flame retardants, which is a toxic class of chemicals that have been previously linked to cancer. Researchers suggest that electronic recycled waste is winding up in our consumer products that we eat and drink from, and increasing our exposure to these chemicals.

It’s exfoliating the Great Lakes

Plastic is added to facial scrubs and personal care products used for exfoliating, in the form of microbeads. This means that they will almost certainly be found winding up in waterways and last for centuries, highlighting the careless way in which we use plastics. A 4.2 ounce tube of facial scrub contains around 356,000 plastic beads – this is as many as 450,000 bits per square kilometre, when sampling the water from the Great Lakes. Using a natural scrub or making your own with sugar and natural oils will save the planet and will arguably be better for your skin.

Your veggies are soaking it up

Plastics are ideal for greenhouses and growing veggies, but they also leech chemicals into the ground and onto the food we’re later eating. Greenhouse plastics are often coated in phthalates to make them last longer in the sun.

It puts guys at risk

Studies have found that a common chemical found in polycarbonate water bottles mimics oestrogen in the body, which could sensitise the prostate stem cells that may promote prostate cancer later in life. Opting for food-grade stainless steel or glass water bottles could reduce this risk.

Some chemicals in bottled water are so potent, they’re like hormone-replacing cancer drugs

A recent study in Germany found 25,000 chemicals in bottled water, some of which inhibited oestrogenic activity by as much as 60 per cent and androgenic activity by as much as 90 per cent. The latter of these hormones is on par with the prostate cancer drug flutamide. Researcher have also found that potent chemicals such as maleates and fumarates are present in some plastic bottles, chemicals used to manufacture the form of plastic resin.

Even fleas are eating it

Plastic pollution isn’t a problem just for humans – it also affects ocean creatures such as sea turtles. Even water fleas are consuming microplastic pollution. Cutting out unnecessary plastic uses could help preserve the planet and all that survives on it, not just the human race.

Plastic chemicals are fuelling adult diseases in kids

According to a recent study, the odourless and colourless plastic additives known as phthalates found in plastics are responsible for the rising blood pressure rates in children and teens. These chemicals are readily available in food containers and mix with the food we eat, meaning its not just the fat and calorie content we need to be concerned about when it comes to our diets. Cutting back on processed foods can help to lower these rates, as well as encouraging a healthier diet along the way.

Categories: bottled water, chemicals, environment, Food, plastic, Plastics, prostate cancer, Water, water bottles

Warning: Plastic Could Put You at Risk of Getting Cancer

The environmental health risks associated with plastic are not new, but there is a lot of confusion surrounding them. Many people are unsure about whether or not plastic genuinely poses a risk to their health, but the latest reports seem to indicate that there could actually be quite a strong link between plastic bottles and cancer.

 

According to many toxicology experts, water bottles that are made from the hard and clear kind of plastic contain a chemical called Bisphenol A, otherwise called BPA, which may be a danger to human health. Studies have been carried out on animals, showing that BPA can be absorbed into living tissues and can then increase the rate of growth of the prostate, leading to prostate cancer. In addition to this, some studies have shown an apparent link between BPA and the onset of early puberty and the development of breasts in girls. This is thought to be a risk factor in the development of breast cancer.

 

The FDA, Canadian government and UK government have all now banned the use of BPA in baby bottles. The National Toxicology Program has been less clear in its recommendations, first expressing concern about the use of BPA in bottles and other packaging and then later redrafting the report and changing the terminology to express ‘minimal’ concern. Some sceptics believe this is because the plastic industry is huge and that big grocery chains have also been instrumental in defending BPA as they stand to lose personal profits if it is banned.

 

Other studies carried out recently have also linked BPA to a plethora of other serious health problems, including to abnormalities with liver enzymes, and to a link between poor cardiovascular health and BPA.

 

BPA water bottles are now available, and the general recommendation is to replace all your bottles with the new versions.

Categories: Bottles, cancer, cancer nbsp, Environmental, health, nbsp, plastic, water bottles