Plastic Bottle Trash Can

While Surfing on the Internet yesterday, I saw this cool idea for reusing plastic bottles.

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I saw this over instructables.com with instructions on how to do it. The instructions aren't very clear, but the concept of making it isn't very difficult (or so I think).

Now the next question, would I start collecting bottles just so I can make this? I don't drink soft drinks so it would be difficult for me to consume oodles of it jut to make a trashcan. I don't buy that much bottled drinks either. Being able to make this would be a matter of how often you consume bottled beverages, which is, bad for the environment. You could however still make this, let's say, you have the bottles up for recycling, or you had a party of some sort. It's a nice way to reuse plastic bottles nonetheless.

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What the Number Inside the Recycle Symbol Means

Have you ever wondered what the numbers inside the recycling symbol means? As a kid, I used to think that it meant the number of times the item was recycled, but how very wrong I was. It turns out the number inside the recycling symbol is the type of resin or plastic that was used in making the material.

It's important for us to know what these symbols mean so that we can properly recycle items and avoid items that are difficult to recycle. So when buying something, check the code and make sure that it's easily and readily recyclable

Number 1 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyethylene Terephthalate

Found In: Plastic drinking bottles and common food packaging

Characteristics: Lightweight, usually squeezable, thin

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, polyester fibers (used in carpets and other fabrics), furniture, bags

Health Risk: Low

Number 2 Plastic

Chemical Compound: High Density Polyethylene

Found In: Detergent bottles, bleach bottles, shampoo bottles, condiment bottles

Characteristics: Moderate weigh, rarely squeezable, thick

Readily Recycled: Yes

Recycled Into: Bottles, bags, pens, fence

Health Risk: Low

Number 3 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polyvinyl Chloride or Vinyl

Found In: Electronic cables, pipes, toys, furniture, almost in everything
Characteristics: Elastic when thin, very tough when hard. Tough. Not easily weathered. Water- and flame resistant

Readily Recycled: No, very difficult to recycle because it contains heavy metals like lead and cadmium. Very few accept PVC in recycling because of it's environmental and health threats.

Recycled Into: Cables, paneling

Health Risk: Moderate. Do not put near food, especially when flamed.. Do not burn or incinerate. PVC contains Dioxine which is a man-made poison that can kill. It stays in the body for a long time and weakens the body.

Number 4 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Low Density Polyethylene

Found In: Wrappers, grocery bags, sandwich bags, sqeezable wrappers
Characteristics: Very thin, very lightweight. can be crumpled

Readily Recycled: No, very few recycling programs accept it as a recyclable. Probably due to its weak and lightweight characteristic

Recycled Into: Same items as it is found in
Health Risk: Low

Number 5 Plastics

Chemical Compound: Polypropylene

Found In: Condiment bottles, medicine bottles, yogurt tubs, rope, straws

Characteristics: mostly squeezable, heat intolerant

Readily Recycled: No but are slowly gaining acceptance in recycling programs

Recycled Into: Fibers, brooms, brushes, trays

Health Risk: Low

Number 6 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Polystyrene

Found In: Disposable plastic spoons, forks and cups, CD cases, egg cartons, foam food trays
Characteristics: Very lightweight, bulky. Also known as Styrofoam

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to decompose. Very few programs accept it

Recycled Into: Egg cartons, foam packin
Health Risk: Moderate to high. When ingested, can block the digestive system. Production is petroleum based and uses a carcinogenic called benzene

Number 7 Plastic

Chemical Compound: Combination of any or all of the above plastics/resins or other resins that don't fit into the above items.

Found In: bullet-proof materials, 5-gallon water bottles,

Characteristics: Very thick, heavy duty

Readily Recycled: No. Very difficult to recycle because of the diversity of plastics in it

Recycled Into:  plastic lumber,

Health Risk: Low to moderate. Depends on the type of plastic

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the recycle symbol and any of its variants. A watermark is placed in the images to protect my intellectual property right of making the image based on the symbol and it's variants. The watermark is not intended to own the symbol or imply any meeting related to owning the recycle symbol.

Sources:

1. http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/187/1/Recycling-by-the-numbers.html
2. http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321

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Green Bags and Eco Bags for shopping

A lot of supermarkets and retail outlets are taking the initiative to go green. It all started with bio- and oxo-degradeable bags that don't really decompose (or takes a very long time to decompose). Since a lot of people were thinking that the supposed "environment-friendly plastic bags" were a fluke, retailers started to offer more greener alternatives - that is the Green bags or the Eco bags.

Eco Bags are the Latest Fad

Gone were the days when we keep paper bags and nice thick plastic bags for bring our stuff to school or to the office. Having and using green bags is now a fashion statement. I don't know with you, but when I see someone using an eco bag, I smile. It makes my heart happy when someone uses buys an eco bag for their groceries or their shopping. It makes me smile more when I see people reuse their eco bags.

My Own Bag Wednesday at SM Supermarkets

I love the green initiative SM supermarkets. It's a marketing strategy for their green bags and at the same time it helps the environment.

When you shop at any SM supermarket during Wednesdays, you won't see any plastic bag being used, that's because there's an extra charge if you want to use plastic. Talk about marketing strategies eh? But still, kudos to SM Supermarkets for cooking this up.

I'd love to post a photo of my SM supermarket green bags, but one is already unfit for use, and the other's been given to someone else (it was used like a paper bag, when you return a borrowed item, you return the item with a bag that the person can keep). Those 2 were the old green bags. The first ones released (big and small bag). My new SM green bags were also given away :(

Toy Kingdom Orange Eco Bags

I frequent the huge Toy Kingdom outlet in SM Megamall. I love window shopping for toys and such. Last Christmas, I bought a lot of toys for my brother and god-children, and while I was waiting in line for the cashier, I fell in love with their orange-colored eco bag. It only comes in one size, which is EXTRA LARGE. I usually bring it with me when I plan to shop for a lot of things, or when I need to lug around a lot of stuff.

Pet Express Yellow Eco Bags

I think Pet Express is another branch of SM retailing (they ask for SM Advantage Cards). I usually buy my cat's pet food in Pet Express Cubao, and there was this time that I had an unplanned shopping spree for my pet care needs. I bought their Yellow Eco Bag along with the other pet supplies. I'll try to look for the Eco Bag. Chances are it's also given away already.

Rustans Supermarket Green bag

I rarely shop at Rustans cause it has this stereotype that it's for the rich. Late last year, I decided to check out the supermarket in Edsa Shangri-La and found that a lot of imported food are sold there. I bought a few snacks for the family and saw that they have this nice green bag. It's made of a thick cheese cloth with green prints on it. Their bag looks neat and a little mature. I like how it looks. I will post a pic as soon as I find my bag. As far as I remember, I put some change of clothes there. Have to find where I put it.

National Bookstore Red Eco Bag

It's a big red bag that's made of high quality materials. It's expensive though, compared to the common eco bags that are made of lightweight materials. I love how it looks and I often use it as a bag to carry groceries and other things, especially when I'm going for a trip. I love how National Bookstore designed this bag. It has a sturdy base and top, with a net for the body. It also has a zipper on top! Too bad they're not selling it anymore. They replaced it with the more common lightweight bag.

CVC Supermarket Green Bag

CVC Supermarket isn't as famous as the other supermarkets. It isn't as big either, but there's one near home so I usually frequent CVC supermarket. It's nice to see that despite the size of their supermarket, they still had the initiative to make an eco bag. It only comes in one small size but you can fit a lot in. I usually have one of their eco bags in my bag if ever I have to do spur of the moment shopping.

Freebie Eco Bags
When I was job hunting, I got a lot of freebies and freebie eco bags. I loved receiving Eco Bags and I usually used them to carry my books and my laptop. Eco Bags are so fab right now that even companies give out eco bags on seminars. Here are few of the ones I got from a recent Data Security Seminar.

Reuse Eco Bags

Buying and using eco bags is a great way to reduce the consumption of plastic, but we're wasting more resources if we don't reuse the bags. Sure it's okay to collect the different green bags from different stores, but do make sure that you reuse them when you're shopping. The problem is that we keep on buying new ones and not care about the old bags anymore. The eco bags are created to be reused, let's not waste the energy spent in creating an eco bag. Reuse it.

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Green School Tips for High School Students

Ah, so you're in high school now eh? It's great that at your young age, you're taking the initiative to make this world a better place to live in.

Making the world a greener place is a job that all of us must do. In our own little way, we can all be earth-friendly and save the world


As a high school student, you might feel like you don't have that much power to help save the earth, well you thought wrong. Actually, you can do more, since now you can choose which school materials you'll use in school.

Here are sure-fire ways for you to go green in school

Simple ways to go green in high school

1. Use both front and back sides of your notebook and pad paper. Although writing on just one side makes writing neater, you're teacher will surely understand if you use both sides of your paper, and won't mark it against you.
2. Bring packed snacks and lunch in reusable containers. Although it is easier if you just throw away the wrapper of your snack and your lunch, it's not really helping the environment. You're adding litter to our already garbage-filled world. You should use reusable containers most especially when you're school does not segregate trash.
3. Bring a water tumbler to school. Sure you have water fountains at school, but imagine how much water is wasted when drinking in the water fountain? While you're sipping and swallowing, most of the water is just falling down the drain. You're lucky if you have water dispensers at school, but make sure you bring a water tumbler too, so as not to use too much plastic/paper cups
4. Follow segregation rules. Most schools already segregate; the only problem is that students don't follow it. Follow the rules even if no one else is following. Also, it doesn't hurt to tell your friends to do the same.

Semi easy ways to go green in high school

1. Write smaller. If you write smaller, you can use more paper
2. Fold your notebook pages in half. Most of the time, we waste the right side of the page because were just taking down notes or outlines. To maximize the space of you notebook, use steno notebooks or fold the pages in half
3. Buy notebooks that are made out of recycled materials. They look a little "oldish", it's usually brown paper, when I was in high school, I loved the vintage look on my notebooks.
4. Carpool, ride a bus or commute. If you're parents or the family driver is bringing you to school, tell your parents to put you in a schoolbus/carpool or just commute. It saves on carbon emissions from the car. Also, if you can walk or ride your bike to school, the better.

So there you have it! Now go and go green!

 

If you have more ideas on how to go green in school, hit the comment box below and tell us all about it :)

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Paper's Not Really Saving The World

Local Effort
Working in Ortigas Center has it's perks. Everything's near. Malls, fast food, restaurants and hospitals. Another perk is that you get to experience what Pasig City's boasting about. It's the "Green City" of Metro Manila.

Pasig city is now prohibiting QSRs (quick service restaurants and/or fast food chains) to use plastic bags for dry goods, and regulating the use of plastic bags for wet goods. Pasig made the shift from plastic to paper gradual. I'm glad to say that all of the QSRs I have dined-in here in Ortigas is complying. They're now using paper bags for take-out. Styro food containers are replaced by waxed paper bowls and boxes.

Why Paper?
Paper is an abundant material that is recyclable and biodegradable. A lot of paper mills and paper recycling plants are operating because the demand for paper is steadily increasing. Using paper in lieu of plastic will drastically reduce our carbon footprint as like I mentioned, it's recyclable and biodegradable. Our need for paper can be easily replenished, landfills won't have that much plastic bags and stryofoams that won't decompose.

If we use paper, we can throw it away and it will decompose by itself. You can add it to your compost pit if you want to. You can recycle it and use it for a project. The possibilities are endless.

Shapeshifter
Paper is made from leaves, from trees, from natural resources. Increasing the demand for paper will increase the demand for the destruction of our forests. Shifting containers from plastic to paper just changed the problem, but it's still there. We lessened our carbon footprint, yeah, but we lessened the plants that absorb the carbon we're emitting, the plants that keep our air clean, our earth cool. We're lessening the habitats of the other animals that we are living with in this earth. The problem didn't go away, it just changed it's face.

Imagine a world without plastic, that's great, but there's also a chance that that world would also be without trees. I'm not saying that we should revert back to using plastic, no. I have a better idea, which I know a lot of people are already doing it.

What needs to be done
I agree that paper is a great substitute for plastic, and until we come up with a material that can sustain itself that doesn't deplete much of our plant resources, we'll be using paper, but like plastic, we should use it as sparingly as we can.

Here are few things we can do to reduce our "paper footprint"

1. Refuse paper bags if you can carry the product. You have two hands that can carry it, why now use it. I know it's "too" much of an effort but think of how much paper you can save by doing it? It's not really a big effort right? You just don't want to go out of your comfort zone.
   
2. If you can't think of a purpose for the paper bag, other than to carry your food back to your destination, then refuse to use it. Same as with #1, just carry what you bought if you'll throw away the bag after using anyway
3. Bring your own bag. Now's the perfect time to use those stowed away plastic bags that you were saving, or better yet, use the eco bags that you keep on buying for your groceries
4. Dine in. In actuality, dining in will still leave a footprint cause dining in means using water to clean up, but still, it's a way to reduce paper
5. If you have the guts, bring your own container. I wish QSRs would be more accommodating to this idea, Imagine if everyone brings their own boxes for their food, it will reduce the consumption of waxed boxes, which really are paper hogs, since the box needs to be really steady and sturdy

There you have it, 5 ideas to really save the world

Let's help in keeping a sustainable earth. Let's all do our part in saving the world

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Going Green

I've always though of myself as being an environmentalist. I love nature and I do my part in helping preserve it. I feel that it's one of my missions in life. To help the earth sustain itself longer.

How I've helped
For years now, I've been helping in my own way, for a more sustainable environment. I've joined Earth Hour for 3 years already. I make it a point not to use plastic straws for my drinks, yes even for takeouts. Even if I'll drink the bevy during a car ride. No straws for me. As much as possible, I buy green eco bags when shopping, sometimes bring my own bag. When buying food (or anything actually), when I can carry the stuff with my hands or put it in my own bag, I don't let the baggers bag my purchase. I also tell my friends to do the same. Most of the time it works too :)

To the next level
This post however is not meant to highlight what I already am doing for the earth. This post is more of an introduction of what I'm planning to for this blog. I think it's about time that I take going green to next level. It's not enough that I just live a green life. It's not enough that I encourage my friend s to go green as well. I think it's about time I reach a wider audience and go greener. In this blog, I'll post helpful stuff about going green. My going green escapades. In my next posts I aim to have the following:

• Simple Going Green ways
• Going Green recipes
• Green News
• Green stuff that I've been doing
  

So let this post be my "contract" to being green.

This is to a better, sustainable environment! *cheers*

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