Recycling of everyday items and the huge problem of disposable nappies (diapers)

 Here´s the latest on my search for good information regarding recycling of plastic!  I have not been able to get a visit to our local recycling plant because it is undergoing construction work, they do not let individual people take tours of the plant but if I can get together a small group it is possible, but not until 2021.

The main problem I have and maybe others too is that there is too much confusion with the triangles, numbers and letters which are embossed in the plastic, if you can in fact see them at all!  I have come across a few products which have made life a bit easier and have actually printed a coloured icon to enable us to easily identify in which container to put the plastic in.

What a great idea!  Come on companies make life easier for us.

From the Recycling Web Site of Menorca ,

BLUE BIN 

 - Newspapers and magazines - Cardboard packaging: from food, shoes, frozen foods, etc. - Printing paper, envelopes, cardboard, etc. - Advertising, such as posters, leaflets, catalogues, etc. - Wrapping paper - Booklets, books, guides, etc. 

 A few tips: - Fold cardboard up. - Don’t deposit paper/ cardboard in plastic bags. - Don’t deposit dirty paper such as tissues, napkins, etc. - Don’t deposit tin foil, laminated paper, fax paper, etc. - Remove all types of staples, paper clips and other metallic elements. - Only deposit packaging displaying the Green symbol.

 YELLOW BIN 

 - Packaging for water, milk, yoghurt, detergent, hygiene and cleaning products, etc. - Tetra Briks for milk, juice, wine, soup, etc. - Aluminium tins and drinks cans - Steel drinks cans - Plastic bags and wrapping - Tin foil and aluminium trays - Polystyrene trays - Aerosols - Deodorant cans and cosmetics containers - Metal caps and lids

 A few tips: - Only deposit empty containers, with nothing left inside. - Reduce the volume of the containers. - Only deposit containers displaying the Green symbol.

 GREEN BIN

Glass bottles: for beer, wine, cava, cider, spirits, liqueur and others - Glass containers: perfumes, cosmetics, cologne and similar - Food containers: yoghurt, jam, preserves, sauces, pulses, vegetables, etc.

 A few tips: - Empty the contents of the containers before depositing them in the green bin. - Don’t deposit plastic bags or lids, lightbulbs, mirrors or ceramics, etc. - Only deposit packaging displaying the Green symbol. - Avoid generating unnecessary waste.

 Some of the items on these lists I have doubts over, for example I did not think that Polystyrene could be recycled, but on this page it seems that it can.

I am still in the dark...looks like I am going to do some more searching..

 DISPOSABLE NAPPIES (Diapers)

One of the bees in my bonnet is:  does anyone remember when disposal nappies were introduced and how they were supposed to be for when mum and baby were out of the house or whatever and cloth nappies were the norm? Well my how times have changed, the situations are reversed now and it seems that if you use cloth nappies you are weird!  

Although they offer convenience, they do have several dangerous environmental drawbacks. Not only do disposable nappies account for a lot of the trash taking over the nation’s landfills, but they also pose serious risks to the environment and people alike. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that about 20 billion disposable diapers are dumped in landfills each year, accounting for more than 3.5 million tons of waste.

Natural Resources

The Good Human, a website dedicated to discussing issues related to environmentalism, points out that more than 200,000 trees each year are lost to the manufacture of disposable diapers for babies in the U.S. alone. In addition, it takes 3.4 billion gallons of fuel oil every year to make diapers. What it comes down to is that disposable diapers use 20 times more raw materials, two times more water and three times more energy to make than cloth diapers. Besides depleting natural resources, manufacturing disposable diapers also utilizes non-renewable energy sources.

Landfills

Although disposable diapers need to be exposed to oxygen and sunlight to decompose, they do not degrade well in a landfill. What's more, disposable diapers take about 500 years to decompose. The millions of tons of untreated waste added to landfills each year through plastic diapers can contaminate ground water. Another concern is that viruses excreted in a baby’s feces could end up leaking into local water supplies. According to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program, landfills are known for producing greenhouse gas emissions, which can contribute to the earth’s climate changes. Decomposing diapers release methane into the air. High concentrations of the gas can be explosive and flammable. Methane is also dangerous to breathe in because it replaces oxygen.

Chemicals

A guide published by the Environmental Health Association of Nova Scotia cites a study reported in the “Archives of Environmental Health” which found that diapers release volatile organic chemicals. Toxic chemicals such as toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and dipentene have been linked to adverse health effects in humans with long-term exposure. The inner absorbent layer of a disposable diaper is also treated with chemicals, which can trigger allergic reactions. Disposable diapers often contain dyes and dioxin, which is formed as a by-product of the chlorine bleaching process. Dioxin is a carcinogen, which means it can cause cancer. When released into the environment, the toxin can accumulate in humans and animals.

This was on the way to becoming a huge problem 25 years ago and it seems to be getting worse.

Trying to get people to change back to cloth nappies is nearly impossible, they are too convenient.

I will look into this and see if I can found out if any of the large producers are actually doing anything to solve these issues.

Until the next time.

Here is the blast from the past blog song.  Mud - Tiger Feet

TTFN

Changing my shopping habits to avoid plastic

 I must admit I have changed my shopping habits to use a supermarket that have promised and made changes to their usage of plastic. That supermarket is Lidl.

Here is a section from their website;

"Far from settling for being the first supermarket chain to eliminate plastic shopping bags in Spain, Lidl was also a pioneer in dispensing with plastic bags in the fruit and vegetable section to introduce 100% compostable bags instead. The implementation of this project has meant the reduction of up to 220 tons of plastic per year.

Beyond this, and with the aim of continuing to promote the use of reusable materials, Lidl was also the first company in the sector to introduce a new mesh bag as a test in the fruit and vegetable section of its stores in the Balearic Islands: a 100% recyclable alternative, which can be washed and reused as many times as desired, and which has a resistance of up to 5 kg. Thanks to its great reception, in 2020 Lidl deployed its new mesh bag in the fruit and vegetable section of all its establishments in Spain. Within this same section, it is also worth noting the increase in the number of bulk references and the new 100% compostable packaging of our BIO fruit and vegetables.

Another of the actions included within our REset Plastic strategy is the elimination of all single-use plastic items. In 2019, for example, we already replaced crockery, straws and cotton buds for the ears with other more sustainable alternatives (in the latter case, by cellulose swabs with which we avoid up to 65 tons of plastic per year)"

 

I can confirm that this is exactly what they have done here in the stores in Menorca and the public here have reacted well, what a great idea with the mesh bags, one of our local supermarkets have done the same too!

 

I think they are doing a great job and hope they can introduce more of these innovative ideas.

 

I have been looking into the system of recycling here on Menorca and am waiting for more information.

I hope to be able to go and visit the recycling centre and see for myself how it all works, fingers crossed on that one!  

 

So what we as consumers need to do is to buy less products stored in plastic because even if it can be recycled the oil companies are just going to keep making more.  Just because its got the triangle on the container does not mean it can be recycled.  Trying to find definitive information on what those numbers actually mean is not easy. I thought 1,2 and 5 were good to go and the rest 3,4,6 and 7 were not, if anyone knows any different let me know!

 

 

If you want to read an interesting article go to this page:

 

 

 https://text.npr.org/897692090

 

thats it for today, apart from my blast from the past song - Ballroom Blitz by Sweet

 

TTFN

15th Anniversary of our move to Menorca

A day to celebrate, we have been here 15 years on this very day, what an experience so far.  For us it was a good decision. We came here for the quality of life and we have it.  It has been a challenge to adapt to the Spanish way of life but it is working out well.  

This is such a laid back place, at first it took a bit of getting used to!  Q- How long will it take? A- Not long.  Q- I need this making, how much? A- Not much.  The pace is so much slower than of the UK, but after a while you find yourself answering in the same manner!!  

my blast from the past song today is:  Going for the one by Yes.

I remember trying to copy their yes logo for ages when I was at school, along with Queen!  Also driving my family crazy trying to learn the lyrics to Hotel California, one line at a time on the record player!

Well thats me for today

TTFN