Our world is increasingly full of single-use plastics (SUPs) that are intended to be used once for a short period of time and then thrown away. These SUPs can then become microplastics. Microplastic is defined as a small piece of plastic, less than 5 mm (0.2 inch) in length, that occurs in the environment as a consequence of plastic pollution. These plastics come from a variety of sources, including fragments that erode from car tires, plastics that shed from clothing, microbeads in personal care products, or any aging plastic object that is exposed to the sun’s UV radiation or ocean waves.

In our modern era microplastics are found throughout the natural world. They are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat—children and adults might ingest or breathe in anywhere from dozens to more than 100,000 microplastic specks each day. How these particles effect human health is not yet thoroughly understood, but plastics are known to contain dangerous chemical substances—in the lab microplastics have been shown to cause damage to human cells. Studies have found microplastics in our blood and deep in our lungs, as well as in human placentas.

Microplastics also effect wildlife—they are found in the stomachs of animals, particularly marine life, from plankton to whales. In 2012, the Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal declared that all seven sea turtle species, 45 percent of marine mammal species, and 21 percent of seabird species were affected by eating or becoming entangled in plastic. When ingested, plastics can block the gastrointestinal tract or cause cuts and irritation. Plastic provides no nutrition, so animals that consume it may have a false sense of fullness. There are many nuances to how microplastic affects different species, including what type of plastic they are exposed to, the size of the particles, and the concentration of microplastic.

Tea bags are really just the start when it comes to the ways we are exposed to micro plastics, but they’re also a good starting point if you’re looking to reduce your exposure to these plastics. Steeping a single plastic teabag at brewing temperature (95 °C) releases approximately 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of the beverage. This data is for a plastic teabag, not the kind made of mixed materials that I have been using– I could not find good data on those. Cutting out teabags made with any type of plastic, and using loose leaf tea instead will limit your exposure. Other tips to avoid microplastic include microwaving food in ceramic or glass containers; BPA and phthalates in plastic leach more easily into food when heated. Avoiding store-bought plastic water bottles and takeaway cups will also help you avoid microplastics. 

Of course, the best way to avoid microplastics is to reduce or eliminate your use of plastics altogether. Use reusable take out containers, thermoses, tote bags, straws, you name it! You can also use refillable bottles for personal care products and bulk foods. If you buy any plastic, pay attention to what number it is. Look at the recycling triangle, often found on the bottom, to check. Plastics that have a #1 or #2 must be recycled in Vermont, and are generally the most commonly recycled plastics. Avoid other numbers when possible, and always avoid black plastic, which cannot be recycled in Vermont. 

According to the IUCN, at least 14 million tons of plastic are introduced into marine ecosystems each year. Over time, larger pieces of plastic are fragmented into countless, nearly microscopic bits of microplastic, which are now endemic to oceans, and the bodies of marine organisms, throughout the world.   Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen on Unsplash

What Can You Do?

• Visit https://dec.vermont.gov/content/how-can-i-waste-less for ideas on how to use less plastic
• Pick up litter and participate in Green Up Day (May 6, 2023) to reduce plastic pollution: greenupvermont.org
• Learn what materials can and cannot be recycled by visiting the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District’s website, where there is an A-Z guide of what to do with different materials: www.guvswmd.org
• Register to watch the free film screening of A Plastic Ocean April 24th-28th, hosted by Sustainable Woodstock and Pentangles Arts as part of our Climate Change & Sustainability Film Series: plasticocean.eventbrite.com

The post Microplastics Pose a Big Problem appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Give Sustainable Gifts

You’ve heard it before, but it bears repeating: shop locally! In doing so you’ll be investing in your community and local economy. Many of our local small businesses are selling items made locally, from cheese and jams to wooden cutting board, pottery, and clothing. Some examples of gifts I have given in the past include a wreath made of organic dried flowers from Wood Frog Flowers, jams from Blake Hill Preserves, Darn Tough socks, and a hand-painted lampshade from Lampscapes. There are plenty of online Vermont gift guides if you’re lost for ideas, or head to your town’s local holiday market. As a side note– studies reveal that at least 25% of returned items are thrown in a retailer’s dumpster. They lack staff and time to reshelve their products. It’s better to give a gift card so the recipient gets something they will keep.

If you have a crafting talent of your own, try making homemade gifts such as ornaments, soaps, cookies, jams, scarves, artwork, potted plants, pottery, woodworking… the list goes on. Or, gift an experience– think of all the local BnBs, theatre, films, music, restaurants, and activities to experience. Lastly, the gift idea that truly gives back: donating to charity. There are so many charities in the Upper Valley and Vermont as a whole, and you’re sure to find one that fits the person you’re giving to. 

Recycling and Wrapping Paper

Please, for the sake of our recycling centers, do not recycle your wrapping paper until you have examined what it is made of! It may be called wrapping “paper” but if you look at the actual materials that go into most wrapping paper you’ll find glitter, laminated surfaces, plastic, foil, and other non-recyclable materials. Buy recyclable wrapping paper, or look out for wrapping paper made of 100% paper (100% recycled paper is event better!). Never try to recycle wrapping paper with sparkles, fuzzy material, foil, or anything that feels like plastic. 

Or, you can skip traditional wrapping paper altogether. Go outside the box and try other materials such as: plain brown or white paper, the comic section of your newspaper, old maps, a reusable cloth bag, or a bandana or scarf. Your presents don’t have to be boring to be sustainable– try decorating with evergreen sprigs, pinecones, and dried flowers. 

The Holiday Tree

As someone who celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, and has a birthday directly after Christmas, a “Christmas” tree can represent many things, all of which are celebratory and joyful. But a tree is only as good as its environmental impact. If you want your tree to be the most environmentally-friendly it can be, first thing’s first: Artificial trees may reduce your pre- and post- holiday stress, but there is little about them that’s environmentally friendly. They’re manufactured with PVC plastic and metal, and are typically shipped from places far from the U.S. They can be reused year after year but eventually they will end up buried in a landfill.  As far as we know, there is nowhere locally where they can be recycled.

Photo caption & credit: Harvesting a locally-raised Christmas tree is a tradition that supports local growers and can be done sustainably when the post-holiday tree is returned to the soil (see suggestions, above).  Photo by Julianna Arjes on Unsplash.

Instead, buy a locally-grown tree to minimize transportation and support the local economy. Holiday trees are grown to be harvested and are continually being replaced with new seedlings. Check with your grower to see if they use pesticides, which can spread to the natural environment where the trees are grown, or buy an organic tree. Another option growing in popularity is a living tree, which can live in a pot in the house for under a week, and can then be planted outside. Either way, don’t forget the LED lights. 

When the holidays are over and your tree’s needles are covering the floor, don’t dump it in the trash! Return your dead tree to nature, if you have a forested area to put it in. You can mulch your garden with the boughs of the tree, chip the wood to use on garden paths, or leave your tree in the yard for critters and birds to take advantage of. The Hartford Transfer Station also accepts trees, if you lack yard space. They are added to the brush pile there, chipped, and stay on site. 

We wish you a happy, and sustainable, holiday!

The post ‘Tis the Season for Sustainability appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

The most popular example of greenwashing is a practice that I had personally never realized was greenwashing to begin with: the “save your towel” sign that is in many hotels. The sign is meant to encourage guests to save and re-use their towels as a way of conserving water. In reality, this practice helps the hotel cut down on staff expenses and makes very little impact on water use. It is a way for hotels to seem like they are doing good for the environment, which appeals to guests, without having to make a meaningful change in their business practices.

What can you do to avoid falling prey to greenwashing? There are some key signs you can pay attention to that will help you determine if a brand is seriously committed to the environment. First, pay attention to the words and images a brand uses. “Eco-friendly,” “green,” “earth-friendly,” and “all natural” are meaningless without a true environmental commitment backing them. Many brands also use the color green or natural imagery to convey a vague sense of being environmental. Instead, look for eco-friendly logos that signify certain environmental standards are being met, and use third-party certifiers. Examples include: LEED, USDA organic, Fair Trade Certified, B-Corp, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Watersense, Seafood Watch, Ecocert, and many more. These aren’t perfect, but are better than meaningless labels. 

Companies also inflate the environmental benefits of their products, or fail to disclose qualifiers to environmental claims, to make them seem more sustainable. For example, labeling a plastic package containing a shower curtain as “recyclable” makes it unclear as to whether the package, curtain, or both are recyclable, which is deceptive to a consumer who may then buy the product thinking the shower curtain is recyclable. Other examples include irrelevant labels, such as paper made with “all natural materials” (most paper is already made with the natural material we commonly call wood), or labeling laundry detergent as “phosphate free,” since phosphates were phased out of laundry products years ago. These advertising techniques lead consumers to believe that a purchase is better for the planet when it clearly isn’t, and are difficult to spot if you’re not looking for them. 

The last trick to avoiding greenwashing might be the most elementary of environmental principles: reduce, reuse, recycle. One of the most important questions we can ask ourselves as consumers every day is where will the product I am buying end up? When possible, always choose the product that is part of the circular economy. This means that it will not end up in a landfill after one use, like a chip bag, but can be reused (like a refillable water bottle) or recycled. First reduce the amount you consume, then reuse what you can, and finally recycle if you have no alternative. Many products, even those with truly good intentions, must be immediately disposed of after one use– think “compostable” plastic cutlery that cannot go in at-home compost systems, and that larger compost companies in Vermont do not accept. This is not a truly sustainable product, regardless of whether the intentions behind it are pure.

Of course, not all green marketing is greenwashing; many companies are truly dedicated to sustainability and are walking the walk when it comes to their practices. Patagonia has long been known as a sustainable brand. The company offers a repair and reuse program, which repairs and sells used Patagonia clothing, and has published a free repair guide. Recently the founder Yvon Chouinard transferred his ownership of the company, valued at 3 billion, to a trust and nonprofit organization. Rather than sell the company, he and his family made this choice so that company profits will be used to combat climate change and protect land. They received no tax incentives in return. 

Many folks struggle to base their purchases on environmental concerns alone– convenience, accessibility, and cost are huge factors that cannot be ignored. However, if you are someone with the means to prioritize the environment in your shopping, watch for greenwashing. Choose companies you know and trust, and choose to buy local when you can. In the Upper Valley we have the amazing opportunity to walk into many of our grocery stores (or farmers markets) and buy local products and produce, no green label needed.

A little forethought goes a long way toward choosing everyday items that can be reused again and again, rather than being discarded or recycled. Reusable straws come in several long-lasting materials, including glass (left) and metal (right). Bamboo straws (not shown) are reusable and are made from that renewable, fast-growing member of the grass family. This striped paper straw (middle) can be recycled or composted, but can only be used once. Plastic straws are manufactured from polypropylene (for which petroleum is the raw material), cannot be recycled and often end up in a landfill, on the side of the road or in the ocean where they sicken and kill marine wildlife when they are ingested.

The post Greenwashing: What to Look Out For appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

About 20% of equipment collected by Good Point is refurbished for reuse. Some TVs and computers are wholesaled to Vermont stores that sell restored second-hand equipment. Parts and working machines are sold nationwide. Good Point also partners with a job training program based out of Addison County that teaches skills for repairing and refurbishing used electronics.

Electronics that cannot be refurbished are responsibly recycled and much of the material is processed for reuse. Good Point disassembles components by hand and sorts plastics according to type for recycling, including ABS, HIPS and LDPE. Glass, tubes, circuit boards and monitors are used domestically and overseas. Raw materials—aluminum, steel, copper and iron—are sourced to spot markets. This mitigates harm done to the environment by reducing the need for virgin resources extracted from the Earth.

Good Point is a primary sponsor of Fair Trade Recycling through WR3A (World Reuse, Repair and Recycling Association). Fair trade upholds ethical export standards for e-waste issues, including fair treatment of importers and safety standards for management of toxins in the waste stream. (fairtraderecycling.net) Good Point also supports using recycled gold from circuit boards.

Good Point has facilitated meetings between members of the USA National Electronics Service Dealers Association and electronics repair companies and organizations based out of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. These gatherings decide what kinds of repairs are worth making, which electronics can be refurbished for reuse, and which need to be recycled. The company’s strict international standards, and the protocols it uses in audits and permits for the life-cycle of used electronics, made it the first company to be approved by the EPA for such exports.

We interviewed Good Point Recycling founder, Robin Ingenthron. In 2021, Ingenthron was included at #36 on Recycling International’s list of the 100 Most Notable Recyclers in the World. Good Point’s work has been featured in Recycling International magazine, as the cover story for Recycling Today, in WasteDive for their efforts in solar panel recycling, and on NPR’s Marketplace and Living on Earth.

Why does electronics recycling matter?

The most polluting industry on earth is hard rock metal mining. The non-ferrous metals and minerals that make up electronics are mined in rain forests and from coral islands and federal lands at enormous cost. Future generations will be dealing with the fact that 14 of the 15 largest USA superfund sites are at abandoned mines for gold, palladium, copper, mercury, etc. Those generations will be aghast that we threw those metals away, or used them for less than 5 years.

What are the legal standards for electronics recycling? Do you follow EPA rules?

When my wife was hired at Middlebury College in 1998, I was Division Director at Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, with a staff of around 20 and an $8M budget. When I followed her to Vermont, my first jobs were consulting for DEP, EPA, NERC and international software and hardware manufacturers. We helped develop what is now called a “Fair Trade Recycling” standard, and helped EPA develop the “Responsible Recycler” or “R2” standard we are annually certified for.

Vermont is said to be the top state in the USA for e-waste management. How did that happen?

Vermont’s E-Cycles program, which we are the primary contractor for, was established ten years ago. It charges a share of the recycling fees to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and involves the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to oversee our standards and recycling practices, which emphasize reuse, repair and recycling.

You said that Good Point Recycling is considered an expert in “Right To Repair” laws. How are you fighting Planned Obsolescence?

We testified for the Federal Trade Commission, Vermont legislature, New York and Massachusetts, on Right to Repair bills. We pointed out that many of the “planned obsolescence” practices to hinder repair and reuse were already illegal under the 1975 Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. In 2021, President Biden announced that the FTC would start enforcing anti-repair practices in all 50 states.

How does Good Point protect private data on legacy devices?

The R2 standard we are certified to includes background checks on staff, monitoring of hard drive erasure or shredding by third parties, site security, etc. There has never been an actual example of data being stolen from old obsolete electronics; virtually all data theft today is online, via phishing, or theft of devices in active use. 

Does Good Point Recycling pay Vermont’s Living Wage? 

Not only do we make the Vermont Living Wage our base pay, we are a top employer through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the business representative on the Vermont State Rehabilitation Council. We see people for what they can do, rather than for what they cannot do, and that has been the secret of our company’s 20 years of success.

How does a small company like yours stay on the cutting edge of electronics recycling?

We stay involved with top universities who are studying the controversies and debate in the e-waste trade. In 2013, Middlebury College hosted the Basel Convention, EPA, and researchers from MIT, Memorial U, USC and 6 other colleges to discuss “fair trade recycling” and to research our practices. The devices we recycle keep evolving, and we have to keep up in order to future-proof our Vermont recycling jobs.

For more information and articles, visit https://goodpointrecycling.net/.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Participate in Sustainable Woodstock’s 2022 Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding Day.

A portion of more than 9,000 pounds of electronics that were collected for recycling during Sustainable Woodstock’s 2021 Annual Electronics Recycling & Paper Shredding Day. Photo: Michael J. Caduto.

The post Where do Your Recycled Electronics Go? appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.

Welcome to the world of corn-based bioplastic—an alternative to the ubiquitous and environmentally disastrous petroleum-based plastics. Since plastic production skyrocketed following World War II, over 9 billion tons have been produced. More than 200,000 barrels of oil are now required to manufacture the plastic products consumed by residents of the United States alone every day. 

Plastic comprises over one quarter of the volume of trash in our landfills. The remainder ends up in the environment where it persists for half a millennium while harmful compounds leach into soils and aquatic ecosystems. More than 165 million tons of plastic have been dumped into our oceans. 

Along comes bioplastic. Corn is the raw material for making polylactic acid (PLA)—the basic material for producing a biodegradable plastic that is used to manufacture a wide range of consumer products, from cups and films to food containers, drinking straws and garbage bags. During the production process, cornstarch is converted into dextrose, which is then fermented into lactic acid. Lactide molecules are joined to form polylactic acid. 

Manufacturing PLA requires 65 percent less energy and produces just 32 percent of the volume of greenhouse gases versus manufacturing plastic engineered from petroleum. And PLA bioplastic contains no toxic compounds. But there is a downside: Many PLA products begin to melt when they reach about 114°F. Most brewed coffee, however, is served at about 200°F. Many heat-resistant cups that use PLA tend to be laminates of several different materials, which present challenges to incorporating them into into the conventional recycling stream. Some products, such as cup lids and cutlery, are made from heat-resistant CPLA (crystallized PLA) that can withstand temperatures of almost 200°F. So consider the temperature of the food and drink you’ll be serving before buying PLA products.

While producing PLA is more Earth-friendly than petroleum-based plastics, there are always environmental costs when it comes to consuming resources—including issues that arise with products that are designed to be used just once before entering the waste stream. It is estimated that over 3.4 million acres of food-producing cropland will be needed to meet the growing worldwide demand for corn-based bioplastics. There are other environmental issues to consider when raising any crop on an industrial scale, including energy use, carbon emissions, water consumption and contamination from pesticides and herbicides. Most PLA is sourced from corn grown with genetically modified seed.

And PLA will not decompose in your backyard compost bin. An industrial composting facility is required in order to fully decompose PLA plastics, where the plastic is brought up to at least 140 degrees for 47 to 90 days. Only 113 industrial composting plants of this kind exist in the U.S. As a result, a lot of PLA plastic ends up in landfills, or inadvertently mixed in with recyclable petroleum-based plastics (PET), contaminating the conventional plastics recycling stream. It is also estimated that a PLA plastic bottle, if not composted correctly, could last as long as a PET bottle in a landfill or in the natural environment.

Ham Gillett—Program/Outreach Coordinator for the Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District and Outreach Coordinator for the Southern Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District—recommends: “Read the fine print on the packaging. It will often say, ​‘This product is only compostable in a commercial composting facility.’ ​Compostable ware contaminates recyclables because it can’t be recycled. Even regular plastic utensils can’t be recycled. It should all go in the trash. At the very least, ask your hauler or local recycling facility what they accept. When in doubt, throw it out.” 

In our single-use obsessed world where just 9 percent of discarded plastic gets recycled. If a workable recycling system and processing is eventually developed, PLA could take a step toward cutting down on carbon emissions and reducing the huge volume of long-lived plastics that we dispose of, along with their litany of environmental impacts. 

Bioplastics aside, in the long run nothing is more Earth-friendly than those old standbys that are still the best alternatives to any forms of plastic, including real silverware and dishes, as well as reusable bags, drinking straws and food containers.

Picnic backpacks are relatively inexpensive and make it easy and enjoyable to eliminate the use of disposable plastic utensils, paper cups, plates, etc. And you don’t have to keep purchasing items that you use once and throw away.” (Photo: Marie L. Caduto)

WHAT YOU CAN DO: 

• Do not throw PLA bioplastic items into the recycle bin, along with PET plastics. PLA plastics contaminate the conventional recycling stream, forcing large volumes of normally recyclable plastics to be discarded.

•  Ham Gillett recommends: Buy To Go Ware and other Earth-friendly utensils (https://earthhero.com/product-category/to-go-ware/) or buy re-usable ware, available in some local stores and on line. Better yet, go to a thrift store or yard sale and purchase some plates, bowls, cups, and utensils. Use them and wash them. 

The post The Truth About Bioplastic appeared first on Sustainable Woodstock.