This post was published @ PlanetThoughts not too long ago.

Not too long ago, I asked “What’s the most “ungreen” thing that you do?” and today, I’d like to ask what is the most recent “green” thing that you have done :D

Image credits: 1. West recycles, 2. Grand Street: Texting, 3. img_3376, 4. 100_0783

Did you recently:

• clean your toilet with natural ingredients such as vinegar, baking soda, etc.?
• switch off the electrical appliances after using them?
• remove the stain from your shirt using eco-friendly stain removal ingredients?
• switch off the toilet/bedroom light when you left?
• call up the catalog companies and request that they remove you from all mailing lists?
• buy a 100% CFC-free refrigerator?
• install CFL light bulbs in your house?
• ride the bicycle to work?
• use your cloth bag for grocery shopping?
• talk to somebody, e.g. your neighbour, siblings, friends about recycling?

This article was posted in PlanetThoughts.

A San Francisco man has saved over a year of trash because he ran an experiment in consumption. For one year, 35-year old professional caterer Ari Derfel kept every tissue, receipt, food wrapper and plastic bottle inside bins located in his kitchen and living room apartment. Ari even organized the trash by type, so it could be “seen, felt and understood more clearly.”

What started out as dinner with three friends ended up with him collecting his trash in his kitchen closet. His original intention to get two 96-gallon bins from the local waste management company did not get through because “it was illegal to keep trash in bins and not have it removed regularly.”

So what has he learned from his project? In his own words:

1. The vast vast vast majority of trash comes from food packaging.
2. When I ask people to put prepared food in my own containers it disrupts their flow and makes them think.
3. Saving trash leads to increased consciousness of what I consume.
4. Recycling sucks.
5. It doesn’t take much to make a big difference.
6. Trash sucks.
7. Changing is fun, much more fun than it is stressful.
8. Cleaning out food packaging takes time and is necessary to get rid of odors and to ensure bugs and rodents are not attracted to it.

Ari is planning to start a second year to see if he could make less trash then he did the first year. He also hopes to attract some other people to do it with him, “perhaps make it a national competition for fun to see who can make the least amount of trash in a year”. On top of that, he also plans to film the second year and to make a fun, interesting, funny, informative documentary about it. So if you want to help out, now is the time.

This guest-post is brought to you by ColourfulWorld.

It is undeniable that plastics is our way of life. From food containers to industry parts, we rely heavily on the strength, durability and convenience of plastics. A world without plastics would be incomprehensible indeed. However, improper usage of plastics, especially those dealing with food and water, would mean potential health hazard to our body.

Image source: Univ. Cambridge.

Currently there are a total of 7 categories of plastics according to the resin identification code developed by the Society of Plastics Industry in 1988. How to identify what type of plastics you are using? Just turn your plastic items upside down and you will see an universal recycling symbol with a number (1 to 7) in the middle. If you can’t find any symbols and numbers, you can always use the interactive polymer identification chart.

It is important that we understand the concept of plastics formation and types of plastic (resin group and associated household products) possessing the potential health hazard if misused. Generally, the everyday consumer household products that we use such as water bottles, plates, bowls, cups, containers, water pipes etc. are formed using thermoplastic. A thermoplastic is a plastic that is influenced by temperature change. When heated sufficiently it will melt into liquid form and when cooled sufficiently, it will freeze into solid form. With this unique property, thermoplastics can be reshaped upon reheating. The following chart from University of Cambridge sums up the thermoplastics that we use daily:

Image source: Plastic sorting chart @ University of Cambridge.

The advantages of thermoplastics to the manufacturing and recycling industires are, at the same time the disadvantages to the consumers. Heat transfer through conduction (solid), convection (liquid and gas) and radiation (solar radiation consisting UV, visible light and IR) will provide the required energy to excite the plastic particles until the thermal energy is high enough for the particles to overcome their bonding energy, breaking away from the chain. Put in simple terms, sufficient ambient temperature, sunlight or a combination of both will cause thermoplastic to degrade progressively. Once degraded, the “loose” portion of plastic polymer will blend with food / water which is stored inside of the plastic container. These culprits are the cause of many known health issues such as genetic mutation, cancer and hormone disruption.

There are many ways to determine if the thermoplastics you use are degrading. If you detect tiny scratch marks, multiple hairy crack lines, dented / uneven surface due to heating, discolouration (decreased transparency, colour fade), on any part of the thermoplastic after multiple usage, chances are the thermoplastic is no longer fit for use. If you are daring enough, you can always go for the tasting / smelling method (for plain water only). If you don’t know the exact plastic taste and smell. Here’s a way to learn it. Boil the water and pour it into a plastic container, let it cool down for a few minutes then taste or smell it. Prevention is better than cure. Therefore, in order to use thermoplastic products safely, we should follow some rules of thumb:

1. Avoid exposing any containers (especially Type 3 PVC) under direct sunlight for long duration. This is to prevent solar UV from damaging the polymer chain.
2. Avoid exposing any containers in high temperature environment for long duration. The heat will breakdown the polymer chain.
3. Avoid using any containers to store hot water, especially boiling water. The logic is the same as rule no 2.
4. Avoid using polystyrene container at all times. Polystyrene is specially reactive towards fat. According to an article in Grinning Planet, the higher the fat content in food, the higher the rate of polystyrene migration into the food itself. Watch the following video and you will know how hazardous polystyrene is to our health.
5. Not all thermoplastics are microwave-safe so avoid using them in microwave oven even though the one you use is labelled “microwave-safe”. Further details can be found here.

Theoretically if you could keep the thermoplastics away from heat and solar radiation, the lifespan of thermoplastics will be prolonged. However due to complexity of condition where the thermoplastics are in constant contact with various kind of food,liquid and cleaning agent, various chemical reactions might take place accelerating the degradation of thermoplastic itself. If possible, replace all plastics with more environmental friendly matter such as ceramic, stainless steel or glass.

ColourfulWorld is a 24 year old confident and imaginative Leo who likes to explore almost everything in the world he is currently in. Being verbally and cerebrally quick, he often thinks too much and likes to break rules. Nevertheless, he understands that there is no limit to gain of knowledge and wisdom therefore he’s now actively seeking what he wants though sometimes procrastination could get the better of him.