the almost impossible mission to buy fruit juice in glass bottles - on Menorca

For quite some time now, as you know, I have been on a mission to reduce the amount of plastic I buy.  One of the main ones has been drinks!  Water is the main one, because the water here is not drinkable and to have one of those osmosis machines at the moment is not environmentally friendly because of the amount of water that I would waste to make 1 ltr of drinkable water.  It is a catch 22 situation, what do I do reduce the amount of plastic I buy or waste water? Until the authorities here get their act together and provide drinkable water to every household on Menorca ,we only have those two choices. Maybe the osmosis machines will improve in the future and not so much water will be wasted. There is the option of the Brida filter but, I am not so sure of how reliable it would be with the water here!

The other bugbear is fruit juice!  I have been around most of the supermarkets here and can report the following:

Diskont: I found 4 juices in glass bottles - Bio Pineapple and orange, a white grape and a purple grape.

Nou Mercat- the gourmet range -  3 - orange, peach, pineapple

Eroski Syp - only white and purple grape juice

Spar Allorens - the clear winners with their fantastic bio range - more or less 10 different types, the prices are fair too.

Here is their webpage: https://www.allorens.com/es

Lidl - sadly Zero

Dia - the same as Lidl

Mercadona - I don´t shop there at all.

 The great thing about the Spar shop is that it is a Menorcan family owned chain of stores.  They have a great range of bio products and their fruit and vegetables are very good. I really like the bakery section, especially the cakes! They also offer a loyalty card. I try to support local businesses as much as possible.

The Consell de Menorca have launched a great scheme to try to give support to local producers and businesses on the Island, Its very easy to join.  Register and download the coupons which can be spent in many businesses on the island, there is a minimum amount of 34euros you need to spend to get 10euros off, however I think it is a very good idea and I have already downloaded my coupons.

  visit the website to find out more!

https://consumenorca.cime.es/es

The blog song for today is: " Golden touch" by Razorlight

TTFN

The World is Not Enough - more about Earth Overshoot Day

Here is a report from https://www.statista.com , very informative, it looks at life from a different angle.

When it comes to living sustainably, the world is only about halfway there. Today marks Earth Overshoot Day, the date when the world's citizens have collectively used up their allotment of natural resources for the year. After a brief breather in the pandemic year, Earth Overshoot Day returns to its 2019 date - July 29 - in 2021.

If the citizens of the world lived like those of the United States, the resources of five full planets would be needed to satisfy the global need for resources every year.

This data is highlighted annually by the NGO Global Footprint Network, which also publicizes the date on which all humans on Earth have collectively used up more natural resources than mother nature can reproduce in a year. The so-called Earth Overshoot Day happened later than usual last year - on August 22, 2020 - due to the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, it falls on July 29, the same day as in 2019. Before, it had moved forward gradually from August 18 in 2009.

Industrialized nations have the biggest share in pushing the date forward. Qatar, Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates are actually even bigger offenders than the U.S. The lifestyle in these countries would use up between 5.5 and 9.1 Earths if the whole world lived it but because of the small size of their populations, they actually have less of an influence on global resource depletion than bigger developed countries like the U.S.

Other industrialized nations in Europe and Asia would use between four and 2.5 Earths if their lifestyle was universal. Chinese living standards meant 2.3 Earths would be used up. Indonesians, with a local Earth Overshoot Day on Dec 18, 2021, were about on track of using up exactly the resources allotted to Earth citizens.

People in several countries also used up less than their allotment of resources, for example in India, where the equivalent of 0.7 Earths were used in 2019.

Emissions, but also the use of resources like wood, fish and land for crops are among the things counted in when calculating Earth Overshoot Day.

 

 Also, try this site out!

https://www.overshootday.org/

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. In 2021, it falls on July 29.

We know it can be overwhelming to think about the various impacts of global ecological overshoot such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and extreme weather events (to name a few). However, thriving lives within the means of our planet are not out of reach.

For 100 Days of Possibility, we’re highlighting ways for each country, city, or business to ready themselves for a world increasingly defined by overshoot. These responses also #MoveTheDate of Earth Overshoot Day. Check out the solution-of-the-day, or explore solutions from 100 Days of Possibility that have already been unveiled 

We are entering a ‘storm’ of climate change and resource constraints. The earlier we start preparing ourselves for this predictable future, the better positioned we will be.

Fighting the climate and resource crisis will be easier with international cooperation. Without it, the need for companies, cities, and countries to prepare themselves for the future becomes even more existential.

Let’s #MoveTheDate!

For 100 days, from Earth Overshoot Day 2021 to COP 26, we’re showcasing many ways we can use existing technology to displace business as usual practices we can no longer afford.

#MoveTheDate

13

Days

If we reduce our Footprint from driving by 50% around the world and assume one-third of car miles are replaced by public transportation and the rest by biking and walking, Earth Overshoot Day would move back 13 days.

Nordbahntrasse, Northern Railway Line

Case Study

What is the solution? 

23 km of a railroad line, which was closed to rail transit in 1999, were converted into a walking, cycling and inline path. 7 tunnels, 23 bridges and viaducts, as well as more than 200 supporting structures were rehabilitated with €23.75 million in funding from the EU, federal and state governments.  

How does it #MoveTheDate? 

The proportion of cyclists in Wuppertal has risen from 2 to 8 percent of commuters in the last 10 years. This is largely due to the expansion of the Nordbahn route, which runs right through the city.

How is it scalable?“Since the route has been in place, children in Wuppertal have been learning to ride bicycles,” is the local moto. A connecting path in the direction of Langerfeld was developed and opened at the end of 2020. This extension has connected additional neighborhoods with about 50,000 citizens to the Nordbahntrasse and other leisure routes.

 

What a very good site, it is full of ideas which are in place all over the world!  

The blog song for today is: "I´m a believer" by the Monkees

TTFNN

We’ve Been Sold Disposability; We Can Demand a Material Change

Here is a great report from a lady called Dune Ives

Executive Director, Lonely Whale

 

Our “throw-away” culture first developed during the 1918 pandemic, when disposable items were sold as the safe option to protect against disease. Today, in the face of another global pandemic and rampant plastic pollution, the plastics industry is taking advantage of the crisis, putting profits over people and the planet.

 

One of the reasons the 1918 pandemic spread so rapidly, killing 50 million people worldwide, was due to a common practice of the times: drinking free water from a communal cup known as a “tin dipper.”

Ten years before the outbreak, Boston attorney Lawrence Luellen had created a different type of cup—the “Health Kup”—made from paper. For just a penny per cup, people could get their own individual cup and then throw it away, preventing the spread of disease. Market adoption had been slow over its first 10 years of production, but the pandemic created the perfect conditions for the Health Kup to take off. It was quickly renamed the “Dixie Cup” and is still hailed as a “life-saving technology” today, commonly used in school classrooms and doctors’ offices.

Market copycats soon followed the Dixie Cup, as did other disposable items including Kleenex tissues and paper towels. Importantly, our “throw-away” culture was born. 

With the world’s first plastic, celluloid, having been invented by John Wesley Hyatt in 1869 and repeatedly refined since then, disposable plastics quickly became a key part of this throw-away culture. Items such as plastic straws, cups, and lids were introduced to a growing consumer base whose new normal was becoming one of single-use and throw-away both to keep their families safe from disease and to support a new promise of convenience.

 

An intentional, profitable plastic path

Since its initial introduction, the production of plastics has grown exponentially. Today more than 350 million metric tons of new plastic are produced every single year. And stakeholders in the plastic industry have steep growth plans—from the oil, gas, and petrochemical companies that fuel the manufacturing of plastic, to the consumer packaged-goods companies that use plastic for packaging their products. A new study by the Pew Charitable Trusts predicts that, with those growth plans, production will increase to 400 million metric tons of new plastic by the year 2040. 

Plastic is derived from by-products of oil and natural gas.

These by-products are used by the petrochemical industry to create highly profitable plastic polymer-based items that we now rely on to make our lives more convenient, to ensure products have greater “shelf lives” in supermarkets, and to keep healthcare workers safe from the spread of disease in clinics, to name only a few applications. 

But despite its many uses, there is significant evidence that the growth of the plastics industry is not driven by end-customer demand, but rather by the oil and gas industry’s need to offload supply. As renewable energy options become increasingly competitive with fossil fuels, oil and gas companies are saddled with a surplus of ethylene that they need to convert to a sellable product. Ethylene is the foundational petrochemical for plastic bags and bottles.

Make no mistake, this industry is entirely focused on profitability. 

Earlier this year, Mother Jones reported that ExxonMobil executives had assured shareholders that the company could offset falling fuel demands from electric cars with growth in petrochemicals. And in 2018, the International Energy Agency found that petrochemicals were slated to be the largest driver of global oil consumption, ahead of cars, planes, and trucks. It is clear, the oil and gas industries are increasingly relying on plastics to make their profits.

Never let a good crisis go to waste

Today it is estimated that between 8 and 12 million tons of new plastic enter the ocean every single year. The Pew Charitable Trusts estimates this figure will increase to 29 million metric tons per year by the year 2040 if we continue to operate under a business-as-usual scenario—meaning all current policies to prevent plastic pollution are enforced, but we do not expand these policies or take additional preventative action. 

And this was before the pandemic. We now know that, in 2020 alone, plastic polymers will be used to produce 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves every month to keep frontline health care workers safe. None of these items are recyclable.

Yet beyond these essential items, the modern plastics industry has been taking advantage of the pandemic to further increase its profits, strategically planting unfounded fears and exploiting concerns over surface transmission to encourage greater consumption of all single-use plastic items. We’ve seen pressure by the industry to delay, hinder, or even roll back single-use plastic bans in favor of disposables, especially as restaurants prepare to re-open for business and offer meals to go.

Therefore, it is paramount that we reject the business-as-usual scenario and expand policies that can push back against industry efforts.

Sabotaging its own recycling fairytale

In the 1980s and 1990s the plastics industry was well aware of the mounting waste problem caused by its products. In response to public outcry, the industry spent millions of dollars launching campaigns through the Ad Council and organizations such as “Keep America Beautiful” that told Americans—once we can put our trash in the recycling bin, the waste problem will disappear.

 

Yet after four decades of campaigning, our global recycling rates have hovered around just 14 percent (13 percent in the US).

 

This low rate is due in large part to industry itself. During the same time period that they were pushing recycling campaigns, industry continued to produce increasingly more complex and harder-to-sort plastics that most collection centers cannot accept, simply because there are no buyers for the recycled materials. Simultaneously, the plastics industry began a multi-decade lobbying effort to prevent bans on single-use plastics such as bags and bottles, which it knew were poised for significant growth and profit.

 

 

And didn´t we all fall for it, hook, line and sinker.  I have been faithfully recycling for over 30 years and when I found out that the companies responsible for the next stage were not doing their part, to say I was a bit angry was an understatement.

 

I totally agree with everything that this lady has written about.  The piece was written so well and explained everything  I have been trying to say in one go about this terrible situation that we find ourselves in. 

I have been reading about how the production of plastic will be reduced but we should use what has already been made, however if we buy more then they will make more, it is a catch 22 situation, but if the supermarkets (this is just one area that we can make a difference) are left with large quantities of plastic containers etc, and we buy more products in glass or tins for example,then maybe they will see the benefit of stocking more environmentally friendly packaged items,which should bring the prices down and enable more people to buy them. We have to think like they do, it´s all about money.

Bit by bit we can make a change!

The blog song for today is: " Our house" by Madness

TTFN

Marine litter: the issue

Here is an interesting article I found, I hope you find it informative too!

Litter is found in all the world's oceans and seas, even in remote areas far from human contact and obvious sources of the problem. The continuous growth in the amount of solid waste thrown away, and the very slow rate of degradation of most items, are together leading to a gradual increase in marine litter found at sea, on the seafloor and coastal shores. It is an economic, environmental, human health and aesthetic problem posing a complex and multi-dimensional challenge.

Marine litter results from human behaviour, whether accidental or intentional. The greatest sources of it are land-based activities, including: waste released from dumpsites near the coast or river banks, the littering of beaches, tourism and recreational use of the coasts, fishing industry activities and ship-breaking yards. Storm-related events, like floods, flush the resulting waste out to sea where it sinks to the bottom or is carried on coastal eddies and ocean currents. The major sea-based sources include: abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear shipping activities and legal and illegal dumping.

All this can cause serious economic losses. Coastal communities are facing increased expenditure on beach cleaning, public health and waste disposal. The tourism sector has to deal with loss of income and bad publicity. The shipping industry is impacted by higher costs associated with fouled propellers, damaged engines, removing litter and managing waste in harbours. The fishing industry faces reduced and lost catch, damaged nets and other fishing gear, fouled propellers and contamination, which also affects fish farming and coastal aquaculture.

Marine litter can also lead to loss of biodiversity and of ecosystem functions and services. For instance, discarded, lost, or abandoned fishing gear are continuing to fish and trap animals, entangling and potentially killing marine life, smothering habitat and acting as a hazard to navigation.

Microplastics are also raising concerns. Toxins including DDT, BPA and pesticides adhere to these tiny particles of plastics that can be accidently ingested by small aquatic life. Once ingested, the toxins biomagnify as they move up the food chain, accumulating in birds, sea life and possibly humans.

Causes of marine litter are both cultural and multi-sectoral, resulting from poor practices in managing solid wastes, a lack of infrastructure, insufficient understanding among the public of the potential consequences of its actions, inadequate legal and enforcement systems and a shortage of financial resources.

As you have probably read on one of my earlier blog (s) this is a terrible crisis that the planet is facing at this very moment, it does seem that it is out of our control, but it is not!  Don´t give up.

The blog song for today is : " Do you remember" by Pulp

TTFN

 

 

Global Earth Challenge Most of the air pollution we breathe indoors comes from outside

 

We usually think of air pollution as an outdoors issue — something we should worry about while outside. But that’s a common misconception; the vast majority of our exposure to the most harmful outdoor air pollutants actually occurs indoors. This has important implications for how we think about — and act on — both indoor and outdoor air pollution.

What is fine particulate matter and how does it affect our health?

Fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, is a collection of tiny particles that are 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter. These particles are so small that once inhaled, they can penetrate our lungs and even get into our bloodstream.

Chronic PM2.5 exposure is associated with a number of symptoms and health issues. Short-term effects include irritation of the eyes, nose, throat or lungs; sneezing; coughing; shortness of breath; and worsening of asthma.

Long-term exposure can lead to stroke; ischemic heart disease; chronic respiratory diseases and infections; neonatal disorders; vision loss; and tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer. And unfortunately, even low levels of PM2.5 (at concentrations below current national standards) have been linked to greater mortality.

Exposure to PM2.5 indoors

Infographic of sources of PM2.5

Outdoor air is not limited to just the outdoors. It gets inside through windows, doors and HVAC systems, bringing pollutants along with it. Most of our exposure to ambient (outdoor) PM2.5 actually occurs indoors — and over two thirds (67%) occur in our homes.

This has devastating health consequences: we now know that indoor exposure to outdoor PM2.5 is responsible for about half of all deaths associated with PM2.5 pollution.

Sources of outdoor PM2.5 include vehicle exhaust, burning of fossil fuels and firewood and non-human activities such as wildfires and dust storms. Roadway traffic is a significant source of ambient air pollution. 15% of schools in the U.S. (6.4 million children) are located less than 250 meters (820 feet) away from a major roadway.

Fortunately, traffic-related air pollutants decrease with increasing distance to major roadways, with many pollutants indistinguishable from background levels at a distance of 250 meters or more. However, schools located closer than that may expose students to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution, which has been associated with increased asthma diagnosis and decreased working memory scores.

Some particulate matter can also be generated indoors, from smoking, cooking, cleaning, burning candles and using personal care products. However, indoor-generated PM2.5 accounts for a smaller proportion of our overall exposure to PM2.5 (in developed countries).

How can we reduce our exposure to air pollution while indoors?

While the effects of PM2.5 pollution may seem daunting, there are steps that we all can take to breathe cleaner — and easier.

• Increase outdoor air ventilation rate. Whether through mechanical ventilation systems or opening windows when outdoor conditions are good, ventilation is an effective way to improve indoor air quality.
• Use an air quality monitor to track air pollution levels. Many consumer-grade monitors are available online.
• Get an air purifier. Use of portable air purifiers in homes, offices and schools has been found to reduce PM2.5 by up to 92%. During wildfires, the use of air purifiers can help reduce PM2.5 exposure by 55–92%. Delos offers an array of advanced air purification solutions. The Delos Compact, which uses patented disinfecting filtration system (DFS) technology, is able to remove 99.99% of particles 0.3 microns in size, which is more efficient than the HEPA standard testing efficiency requirement.
• Stay informed about outdoor levels of air pollution in your area, or buy your own outdoor air quality monitor. If the outdoor air quality is poor, keep your windows closed.
  
• Consider switching to a hybrid or an electric car to help reduce the amount of particulate matter your vehicle emits into the air.

So as you can imagine, this is a big problem in the cities all over the world.  We are fortunate here in Menorca in the fact that it is such a small island and we can walk and use bikes a lot.  We are over-run in the summer with hire cars, but the goverment here are taking steps to reduce the amount of hire cars on the island.  In 2019 it really was quite ridiculous the amount of cars here.  There was nowhere to park for the residents and workers because all of the tourists wanted to park near to where they were staying and there was nowhere left for the people who live and work here.  

The blog song for today is:"Cars" by Gary Numan

 

TTFN

End Plastic Pollution Plastic-free living for the whole family

Here is a little bit of information from Earthday.org!  I have found it very informative and helpful. The person who wrote the article is based in the United States, but the contents can be applied to anywhere in the world.  I have taken bits out of it and applied it to here in Menorca.

"Making the change to plastic-free living can be difficult as an individual, and can be even more difficult when living at home with others. Routines and habits are often passed down from older family members to younger ones, which can perpetuate certain lifestyle habits that are plastic heavy or unsustainable.

Engaging family members or roommates is an important step toward building plastic-free habits.

While changing your shower and sink routines is a highly personal action that is dependent on each individual person, household-wide changes including food shopping, household cleaning and food storage can encourage a group to participate together.

The key to saving our oceans and local marine ecosystems is to reconfigure our personal waste habits and limit our plastic use.

Need an extra push to get started going plastic free? I’ll show you just how I did it by starting small and thinking big.

After transitioning to a plastic-free shower, I moved onto making my sink-based routines plastic free. Looking at the overwhelming amount of plastic on my sink worktop, I realised that I needed to do something about it. Many of the products that we use for hygiene purposes — toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, deodorant, hand sanitiser — are packaged in single-use plastic containers.

Oftentimes, people don’t recycle or don’t do so correctly because it’s confusing to understand what can or can’t be recycled and how. For example, some containers for deodorants must be disassembled and toothpaste tubes mailed back to manufacturers in order to be properly recycled instead of trashed. An easier solution is purchasing products that are entirely recyclable, compostable and plastic free.

I purchased glass bottles that can be reused for hand soap by using water-activated tablets, natural (paraben, sulfate and aluminum free) deodorant sold in recyclable push tubes and hand sanitiser sold in aluminum cans with reusable pumps. I even discovered a plastic-free toothpaste alternative by using toothpaste tablets that I bite down on and active with water along with my compostable toothbrush. 

Overall, I’m now spending about $276 per year on my sink products versus the $288 per year I spent when they were plastics based. The prices are quite comparable, meaning you don’t have to spend more money to have a plastic-free sink. All it takes to get started is some research and a little bit of trial and error to make an impact.

Up-and-coming companies understand that the plastic-free movement isn’t going away anytime soon, and that to stay in the game they have to adapt their products for climate literate and eco-conscious citizens. You can make a pledge the to switch out one product at a time to a plastic-free substitute. Over time, the benefits will add up and we can begin reducing the amount of plastics we encounter on a daily basis.

Modifying food purchasing habits can go a long way in reducing plastic. Most products we come across in the grocery store rely on plastic in some way — whether that be for transport or packaging. By bringing our own grocery and produce bags, my family has reduced the amount of plastic we use each week.

While we had made plastic-free switches for shopping, we noticed how much food we were still wasting at home. So, we began composting to grow closer to becoming entirely waste free. Composting can reduce the amount of food waste that your household contributes to landfills on a daily basis and create nutrient-dense compost that can be used for gardening. 

Other plastic-free group activities include cleaning and storage of shared groceries. A number of companies have created plastic-free alternatives to cleaning products, including window cleaner, dishwasher tablets and washing machine tablets. All of these products have reduced my family’s plastic footprint.

Another household change that we decided to make was using plastic-free produce containers for leftover food. By using a mixture of glass containers and reusable produce bags, we have reduced the need for single-use plastic ziploc bags and takeout containers.

It’s important to remember that while living sustainably and plastic free is beneficial to the planet, previously purchased products should still be used instead of thrown away. As we had found new products, we decided to donate the previous products to a women’s shelter. Sustainability isn’t yet accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities and individuals living in poverty, so we made sure that our products would still be put to use by those in need.

For more tips and tricks on how to reduce your overall plastic consumption sign up for EARTHDAY.ORG’s End Plastic Pollution campaign. Become a member to support our work against plastic and to join a growing community of environmental advocates working to protect the planet we all rely on"

 Some of the actions are so easy to do and are so small that we should be able to do at least one of them, which is a start!

The blog song for today is: "Time" by Pink Floyd

TTFN

---

I have discovered a great company that does not use plastic in any way!

 Great news, I have discovered a company that doesn´t use plastic!  It was quite by accident but a gain none the less!  I ordered some Soap Nuts from this company and when they arrived I was very pleasantly surprised to find that no plastic had been used at all !

I have yet to buy other items from them, I will keep you posted on that!

This gave me a great boost!  I have heard about companies who are moving away from plastic packaging but have only encountered a few genuine ones!

I had to find another company that sells those wonderful soap nuts! and purely by luck I found this one!

As you may have read before I am a big fan of soap nuts and all the various uses of them!  All natural!

The blog song for today is: " a little bit of soap" by Showaddywaddy.

TTFN

Forever chemicals’ widespread in disposable food packaging from popular fast-food chains across Europe, new study shows

 

Study in Europe Find "Forever Chemicals" Are Widespread in Disposable Packaging

19 May 2021

Prague/Brussels/London A recent study by Arnika found PFAS in a huge percentage of food packaging materials and tableware in popular fast-food chains across Europe. In cooperation with six other NGOs including IPEN, the study found that 76% of the samples tested were intentionally treated with PFAS, which is a class of chemicals frequently used for their oil- and grease-repellent properties. Additionally, traces of PFAS were detected in all samples, which should not be surprising given how they do not break down easily and migrate into water and the enviroment, earning them their "forever chemicals" moniker. All of the materials tested were items intended for a single use, including items for which sustainable alternatives exist.

“It is high time for the European Union to act and immediately and permanently ban the entire class of PFAS in food packaging, to protect the consumers in the first place. It is clearly not essential to use highly toxic and persistent chemicals, posing such a serious health and environmental risk, in throw-away food packaging, especially when there are safer alternatives,” says Jitka Strakova, the main author of the study and Arnika/International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) science advisor.

Read the press release

Unnecessary uses, double standards, and safer alternatives

Where regulation has been put in place, it has effectively incentivized companies to move away from using PFAS compounds. In Denmark, the use of forever chemicals in paper and board food packaging has been banned since July 2020. The study found that none of the sampled McDonald’s french fries bags bought in Denmark exhibited PFAS treatment. However, intentional PFAS treatment was found for the same items bought in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. This shows that legislation can and does protect people from exposure to harmful chemicals. It also highlights that the lack of EU-wide harmonized regulations for food contact materials results in different levels of protection across countries.

“When Europe's stated objective is zero pollution for a non-toxic environment, we cannot accept that food packaging disposed of within a matter of minutes is treated with chemicals that persist and accumulate in the environment and are increasingly being associated with severe health impacts. The large European PFAS restriction under development is a once-in-a-century opportunity to address such uses and work towards phasing out the production and uses of PFAS, wherever they are unnecessary and it is possible,” says Natacha Cingotti, Health and Chemicals Lead at the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL).

“PFAS pollution is so ubiquitous that we found PFAS even in products which have not been intentionally treated with these chemicals. The same PFAS contaminants have been found in the Arctic air, snow and wildlife. Every year of delay in regulating this group of ‘forever chemicals’ increases the pollution burden for future generations of people and wildlife. A ban on all non-essential uses of PFAS chemicals should be urgently implemented,” says Dr Julie Schneider, PFAS Campaigner at CHEM Trust.

As shown by the study, alternatives to PFAS-treated take-away packaging exist and are available on the market, including disposable paper and board packaging (e.g., sandwich and fries’ bags, and cardboard bakery and pizza boxes). Durable and reusable alternatives to moulded fibre tableware are also largely available for consumers, restaurants and retailers. The safest way for consumers is to move away from single-use packaging and to bring their own reusable containers when purchasing take-away food, according to the experts. To easily find out the presence of PFAS in fast-food packaging, consumers can do the bead test themselves.

We know that PFAS are used in UK food packaging. We also know that they spread from food packaging into our environment where they can cause harm. But what we don’t know, is how widespread their use is… that’s where you come in!

You can help us ‘Find the PFAS’ using this simple test. Anyone can do it, at home, with nothing more than some food packaging, a pencil and some olive oil. So why not give it a go today and let us know what you find!

For more information, you can check out the results to see where, and in what, other people have found PFAS so far.

What type of packaging should I test?

PFAS are used to prevent oil and grease soaking into paper and cardboard packaging, so focus on these if you can.

For further information:visit this site: https://www.pfasfree.org.uk

The study was conducted in six different countries including United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic between May and December 2020. Samples collected included items such as sandwich and bakery bags, take-away food boxes, and tableware. Participating in the testing were BUND (Germany), CHEM Trust (UK), Danish Consumer Council (Denmark), Générations Futures (France), the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) (Belgium), Tegengif-Erase all Toxins (Netherlands), IPEN (International), and ClientEarth (UK).

 Yet another thing to think about!!!!

Luckily, there are very few takeaway places on Menorca, but they are growing!  The obsession with Pizza here is getting a bit worrying, as far as the health our our young people, as in the growing obesity problem!

The blog song for today is: ¨"Fat Bottomed girls" by Queen

 

TTFN

Consumer goods companies are missing the mark with false solutions to the plastic pollution crisis

June 22, 2021 —- Top fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are churning out plastic pollution ‘solution’ projects that do very little to solve the plastic pollution crisis. The Break Free From Plastic global movement has tracked and analysed projects that seven major companies and eight alliances claim are part of their response to plastic pollution. Titled “Missing the Mark: Unveiling Corporate False Solutions to the Plastic Pollution Crisis”, the report categorizes 265 corporate projects to determine how much attention companies are giving proven solutions such as reuse, compared to false solutions. Out of a total of 265 projects running from 2018 to April 2021, only 39 were focused on reuse and a total of 226 projects were designated as false solutions to the plastic pollution crisis as defined by experts from the Break Free From Plastic movement. The report analyzed the initiatives of  Procter & Gamble, PepsiCo, Mars, Inc., Mondelez International, Nestlé, Unilever and Coca-Cola Company, consistent top polluters in the global brand audits conducted by Break Free From Plastic. 

“The world’s top polluting companies claim to be tackling plastic pollution, but the evidence for how serious they are is in the numbers. These companies are pursuing false solutions that range from potentially damaging at worst, and simple wishful thinking, at best. What the findings reveal is that only 15% of the projects are proven solutions like reuse, refill, and alternative delivery systems. Instead, these companies are investing in projects that do little to eliminate single-use plastics.” said Emma Priestland, Break Free From Plastic Corporate Campaigns Coordinator. 

The report ranked the companies from absolute worst to least worst. It finds that Procter & Gamble is the absolute worst at solving plastic pollution, and Unilever the least worst, but still performing poorly. 

Greenpeace USA Global Project Leader Graham Forbes said: 

“This report offers yet another example of big brands failing to prioritize reuse and the reduction of throwaway packaging. It is clear that reuse-based alternatives are essential for these companies to remain viable in a climate-safe future and end their contributions to the plastic pollution crisis. Instead of working with the fossil fuel industry to promote false solutions, these companies must end their reliance on single-use plastics and scale-up systems of reuse globally.”

Yuyun Ismawati of Nexus3 Foundation in Indonesia and  a member of the expert panel which analyzed the corporations’ initiatives, said:

“In Asia, we’ve been seeing a lot of these false solutions that these companies and their alliances are peddling. Chemical recycling creates new toxic waste; plastic to fuel or Refuse Derived Fuel is contrary to the circular economy, and plastic offsetting is upsetting because it fails to answer the plastic crisis. These types of initiatives show a lack of ambition and prioritization of alternative product delivery methods. Multinational corporations have more than enough resources to invest in new delivery systems, reuse, refill and redesign, that would allow for a dramatic reduction in the use of single-use plastics. They should change the way of doing business and stop greenwashing.” #ends 

 

Below are the categories of false solutions as used in the report:

Un proven-at-Scale Technology

Technologies that are technically feasible or are operational on a small scale, but have yet to be proven at scale. Often unknown environmental impacts.

Third Party Collect/Dispose

When a company pays another entity to collect a certain amount of waste from the environment and dispose or recycle it. The disposal method is often burning.

False Narrative

When public claims are made or implied by the company messaging around a project that is problematic, such as ‘beach clean ups are a solution’.

Announced-then-Nothing

No information on a project other than the initial press release announcement can be found or projects that were launched but quickly failed.

 We all know about these things don´t we!

As usual, it´s up to us to watch out for these little tricks that they keep pulling.  Keep buying products in glass or cans, anything is better than plastic.

I am still making my own soaps, shampoos, shower gels and all those things, along with cleaning products, we have not bought any of these things now for nearly 10 months! 

Keep up the good work everyone!

The blog song for today is: "Goody Two Shoes" by Adam and the Ants

TTFN

Recycling Mystery: Rechargeable Tool Batteries

 

Many power tools use batteries to run instead of corded electricity or the muscle of the user. You can find rechargeable batteries in a variety of common household power tools such as drills, drivers, saws, blowers, work lights, and trimmers, and more. Most people find it more convenient to use battery-powered tools than to be tethered to an electrical outlet. And rechargeable batteries are easy to charge when their power runs low. However, eventually, these batteries wear out and need to be disposed of. Are rechargeable tool batteries recyclable?

Rechargeable Batteries 101

Rechargeable batteries work the same way that standard batteries do. Both make power by means of an electrochemical reaction involving an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte. In a rechargeable battery, the reaction has the capability to be reversible but a standard battery does not. A rechargeable battery is recharged by reversing the negative-to-positive electron flow that occurs during use. This resets the battery cells’ charge, making the battery usable again.

Common types of rechargeable batteries include lithium-ion (Li-ion), lithium-ion polymer (LiPo), lead-acid, nickel-cadmium (NiCad), and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). But most home power tools use the familiar Li-ion batteries. These are also commonly used in electronic devices such as cellphones, laptops, and tablets. Li-ion batteries use lithium ions to move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during use and then back again when charging. Today, Li-ion batteries hold a charge longer, can be used in a wide range of temperatures, and are lighter than other battery varieties.

The Need To Recycle

It’s very important to recycle spent rechargeable batteries as they can be very volatile. When not properly sorted, carefully transported, and safely taken apart, battery components can easily cause fires and even explosions. To visualize this hazard, watch Mythbusters Junior’s demonstration of how common batteries can cause fires when compacted as could happen in a garbage truck.

Of the more than 100 material recovery facilities surveyed by Call2Recycle, 50% have seen an increase in battery-related fires in 2018. A nonprofit program that encourages businesses and battery users to recycle batteries properly, Call2Recycle runs the United States’ largest consumer battery stewardship and recycling program.

Additionally, batteries contain many reusable materials. Recycled lithium-ion batteries can be made into new batteries, steel, or stainless steel products. Nickel-based batteries can also be recycled into new batteries or products such as cutlery, golf clubs, and cooking tools.

And if you need another reason to recycle your batteries, it is illegal to dispose of them incorrectly in many states in the U.S. and Europe. Some states in the USA  require that producers offer or fund battery collection events, whether that is the case here in Menorca, I´m not too sure of yet. The best place to take them here is the special recycling place on the outskirts of town.

Rechargeable Battery Recycling

Power tool rechargeable battery recycling has become commonplace in much of the U.S.

DeWalt also accepts rechargeable tool batteries from any manufacturer for recycling at their service locations, free of charge. The company designated October as National Power Tool Battery Recycling Month in 2008. But no matter what month it is, recycling your rechargeable batteries is the right thing to do.

 Looks like DeWalt have got their act together, I am sure others will or are already doing the same.

 The blog song for today is"Iron Man" by Black Sabbath

 

TTFN