Plastic - Get Smart

So I'm posting on the weekend because some days I just want to shout to the world about things that bug me.  And lately it's plastic.  It is such an integral part of our lives.  Look around.  Where don't you see plastic?  And yet, most of us don't realize it is not good for us.  Not in any way, shape or form.  Plastics are derived from chemicals.  Chemicals and our bodies?  Not good.

I gave up bottled water at the beginning of the year.  It was my way of using less (and heck, I've got perfectly good tap water that I buy a filter for), and I know that plastic leaches chemicals into anything it comes in contact with.  My usual thing was to buy those half-size bottles (aren't they cute!) and sneak into the movie theatre because I wasn't about to lay out $3.50 for their bottled water.  Well, now I have a Klean Kanteen and stick that in my purse when I go to the movies.  

If you do one thing good for yourself today, get yourself a stainless steel water bottle and stop using plastic bottles.  And check for a reputable manufacturer like Klean Kanteen.  Their bottles are not lined with BPA (as some are; you can't buy just any old steel bottle from Walmart).  BPA (Bisphenol A) is another of those nasty chemicals that is in the process of being banned from baby bottles.  It is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies.  (It is linked to breast cancer, Type 2 Diabetes, and insulin resistance)   Yet BPA is used in an epoxy-liner by food manufacturers that puts their product in plastic or metal to line that container to make the food come out easier.  Seriously.  ALL metal cans, such as pop, canned veggies, beans, etc., are lined with BPA (or similar chemical)  Eden Foods is the only manufacturer (at present) that does not line their cans with BPA (except for their tomato products).  

Okay, back to plastics.  So do you really want to toss yet another plastic bottle into the trash?  Didn't think so.  And if you absolutely cannot kick the habit, then recycle.  But next time you take a swig from a plastic bottle, take a moment to wonder about the various chemicals used to create that plastic and what, exactly, those chemicals do inside your body.

Now a primer on plastic numbers:

#1 PET - Polyethelene terphthalate.  It is used most often in soda bottles.  It is designed for one use only, and does leach BPA. 

#2 HDPE - high-density polyethylene.  This one is considered a 'safe' plastic (though, seriously, I wouldn't put that label on any plastic).  Milk jugs and water bottles, and shampoo and detergent bottles.  This are made of harder plastic and are not supposed to leach BPA.  

#3 V or PVC - polyvinyl chloride.  The dreaded PVC that is the worst of the numbered plastics.  Avoid at all costs.  It is used for plumbing pipes and shower curtains and some clear food packaging.  These plastics can be made soft and are used in children's toys.  Very toxic and designed, generally, for one usage before they must be tossed.  Difficult to recycle.

#4 LDPE - low-density polyethylene.  Usually you'll find these as bread bags and in packaging materials.  (Received anything from Amazon lately, it probably had those blow-up, pillow packing bags.)  Can easily be recycled at sites that take plastic bags.  Check the numbers on all your grocery products.  You may be throwing away #4s that can be recycled!

#5 PP - polypropylene.  This one is considered the next 'safe' plastic after # 2.  You'll find this holding yogurt, margarine and TV dinners.  It should not leach, either.

#6 PS - Polystyrene.  Styrofoam-like plastic product that most recyclers dread because this ends up in landfills and animals' tummies far too often.  You'll find it in take-out food containers.  

#7 OTHER - The dreaded OTHER plastic.  Don't buy this stuff.  It's got a mix of chemicals and could be made of literally anything.  Obviously plastic manufacturers are so baffled by what it contains they just call it 'other'.  It does contain BPA.  Doesn't make you feel too good, eh?  Know where you'll find it most often?  Holding your freshly-bought roast beef.  Yep, you heard that right.  The sturdy plastic meat trays that you can often put directly in the oven.  Ugg.  I've stopped buying meat in plastic.  Buy it fresh from the butcher's counter and give your body a break from those chemicals.

Now, of the above plastics, you can easily recycle #1 and 2 at your curbside.  So what do you do with the others?  Check your city recycling programs.  Most will take #1-6.  Our city does.  I make a run there about once very two months with the numbers you can't recycle at the curb, including plastic bags.  Unfortunately, no one takes the dreaded OTHER #7.  Sigh...  

And a note about the plastic caps and covers.  Most recycling plants remove the caps and toss them.  They jam up their machines.  So there's a huge pile of plastic not getting recycled.  Did you know the Aveda salons will take those caps?  Yep!  Yay, for them!  So save your plastic caps and make a run to the salon every other month.  You can recycle all hard plastic caps, including shampoo caps, juice, milk, detergent, peanut butter, etc.  You can't recycle the flexible covers like cottage cheese or cream cheese covers (unless the cover has a number; check all plastic for recycle numbers!).

So I'm not trying to freak everyone out with messages of doom.  You do the research.  You decide for yourself what is good for you and yours.  I dropped my plastic bottle habit this year, but I admit, it's very hard to buy groceries NOT in plastic.  So now I'm always careful to check the number before buying that product.  Lots of deli meats are packaged in #7!  But many are also packed in #5, which I consider a lesser of the evils.  :-)

Anyway, why not start getting plastic savvy?  The trip to the grocery is tedious, but you can add a little plastic sleuthing to shake up the dreary trip.  Oh, and just because it's in the organic section doesn't mean you have to be less leery.  I've found organic products in #3 plastics.  It baffles me. And you're not carrying home your groceries in plastic, I hope. Start carrying your own bags to any store you shop in. Today. Once it becomes a habit, you'll never grab a plastic bag again.

Here's a great blog to add to your blog crawl in the mornings if you want to begin to learn more about your health, food, and the products we use every day, and how they are all connected: Enviroblog

Now here's a trailer for a new film TAPPED that is fascinating in and of itself.  I hope you'll watch the whole thing; it is five minutes long.  It's interesting!

So what about you? What's your take on plastic?
Michele