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single use plastic

Words: Say No to Plastic, graphics of plastic cups, bottles, containers

There’s a New R in Town

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Words: Say No to Plastic, graphics of plastic cups, bottles, containersYou’re probably familiar with the 3 R’s — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – and maybe you can sing along with Jack Johnson’s song that introduced the concept to kids in a cool way.

But there’s a new R in town:  Refuse!

Yes, reducing and reusing are still vital activities.  It’s the effect of recycling that’s being scrutinized.  Things have changed since we first met the green “chasing arrows” on the bottom of a plastic item to suggest that it’s recyclable or made from a recyclable material.

According to MIT Technology Review, July 11, 2024, “Those little arrows imply a nice story, painting a picture of a world where the material will be recycled into a new bottle or some such product, maybe forming an endless loop of reuse. But the reality of plastics recycling today doesn’t match up to that idea. Only about 10% of the plastic ever made has been recycled; the vast majority winds up in landfills or in the environment.”

While recycling was a way for municipalities to make money in the past by selling waste to be recycled, there are fewer markets for the recycled material, and it’s costing local governments money to collect and transport recycling.  Many have discontinued curbside recycling programs.

This is where Refuse comes in.  We have the ability to choose which products we use or purchase and which ones we refuse.  Single-use plastic (SUP) items have an average working life of 12 minutes, according to most sources.  That means there’s only about 12-15 minutes from the time you open the plastic fork or straw from its plastic wrapper, use it, and throw it away.  If you refuse the plastic utensils (and there are some cool reusable utensils to have on hand, including second-hand metal ones from the thrift shop) or drink your soda without a straw, you’re refusing to add to the SUP problem!

You can refuse to use disposable plastic cups for use around the house, and choose products you purchase that offer alternatives to plastic, such as food containers made from cardboard, six-pack rings that are compostable, bulk food products instead of individually plastic-wrapped items.

I hope you’ll give a warm welcome to the new R in town when you can carry your own refillable water bottle,  bring your own produce and grocery bags, use cloth covers instead of fighting with plastic wrap on leftovers, and refuse to be part of the plastic problem.

It’s good for the environment and good for you!

Two boys using cans and string to talk

Can We Talk?

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Two boys using cans and string to talkOne of the simplest things you can do to help Virginians live a more sustainable lifestyle is free and easy:  talk about it.  We can improve the natural and scenic environment of Virginia by taking some steps ourselves to live more sustainably, then get others on board by simply talking about it!  Not in a confrontational, bullhorn, annoying kind of way, but in a conversational way with your friends and family.  When taking steps to reduce waste daily becomes the level of normal behavior, we all win.

Here are some ideas to start:

  • Mention your choice to take the slow path, traveling by train, instead of flying to a destination. Not only is taking the less stressful mode of transportation rewarding, telling others that it’s a normal option is a good message.
  • Proudly display your team’s mascot on your refillable water bottle at work or volunteer meetings. Mention how great it would be to have refillable bottles with the company or organization’s logo to get others to kick the single-use plastic water bottle habit.
  • Offer your extra reusable grocery bags to the neighbor in the apartment across the hall after noticing they have an armload of the store’s thin, stretchy, plastic bags.
  • Ride your bike to work one day a week. Your co-workers would probably notice and ask you about it, and maybe be encouraged to try it themselves if it’s feasible.
  • The next time you host or attend a book club night or football watch party, bring a plant-based snack to share. You can say it’s Meatless Anyday.  Food Network has recipes for some tasty options!

Having these kinds of conversations is a way to contribute to a healthier environment in your community.  According to Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr, “Research demonstrates, however, that the traditional approach of using ads, brochures or websites to encourage behaviour change simply doesn’t work.” He suggests that getting the community to view sustainable living habits as a normal and do-able option is the best way to move the needle towards the goal.

Let’s talk about it!  Connect with us on our social channels:         

Words "Plastic Free July" on the globe, surrounded by plastic trash

It’s Plastic Free July

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Words "Plastic Free July" on the globe, surrounded by plastic trashAccording to the Keep America Beautiful 2020 nationwide litter study, litter made from plastic comprises 38.6 percent of all litter across waterways and roadways combined.  Plastic films, both general use films and food-packaging films, such as candy wrappers or snack bags, represent the second and third most littered items in America.

The most common single-use plastics are plastic bags, water bottles, takeaway coffee cups, and plastic straws. Take a peek in your recycling bin to see if you’re using a lot of those items.  And if you have to look into your trash can to check for those items, please educate yourself about recycling!

Plastic Free July is a key initiative of the Plastic Free Foundation that has a goal to see a world free of plastic waste. From humble beginnings in 2011, the award-winning Plastic Free July campaign is the result of years of hard work. They believe, as do we, that small changes add up to a big difference.

We hope that you’re already aware of things you can easily do to avoid single-use plastic immediately, such as carrying a refillable water bottle and using recycled bags for groceries and other shopping.  But if you or someone you know needs help getting started, here’s a guide.

If you’re ready for the next step, you can start with some personal care items.  Ditch the bottle of shampoo for a shampoo bar.  Check your local farmers market for hand-made bars in wonderful scents that you can just lather up in your hands and use to wash your hair.  Same with the liquid hand soap and body gels – the bar soaps offer quality ingredients with paper or cardboard wrappers that can be recycled.  You can even get shaving bars to use with safety razors, which are generally made of stainless steel and have replaceable (and recyclable) blades.

Plastic Free July was started by Rebecca Prince-Ruiz and a small team in local government in Western Australia, and is now one of the most influential environmental campaigns in the world.  We hope you’ll join millions of people across the globe to make the commitment to reducing plastic pollution in July, AND all year round!

Keep Middlesex Beautiful Logo

Keep Middlesex Beautiful Awarded $1,000 Green Grant

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Keep Middlesex Beautiful LogoKeep Middlesex Beautiful is awarded a $1,000 Green Grant to improve Recycling at community gatherings, as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Keep Middlesex Beautiful (KMB) is a volunteer committee chartered and sponsored by the Middlesex County Board of Supervisor, established to serve, support, and inspire a litter-free and beautiful Middlesex County. Their initiatives for this year are to reset waste management culture within the County by implementing county-wide clean ups and reinstating recycling programs at events in the County. KMB serves a rich diversity of people in small villages, towns, and rural farmlands throughout Middlesex County.

Plastic plate of oyster with drink in aluminum canFunds provided by the Green Grant award will be used to purchase recycling receptacles to be used at major events in Middlesex County, including the Urbanna Oyster Festival, Wings and Wheels, Arts in the Middle, and Deltaville’s Groovin’ Concert Series. They will also install visual aids at each recycling bin to identify which items are recyclable, as well as entryway signs at the event venues to help patrons understand the importance of recycling. These efforts will make a significant impact on the overall reduction of recyclable items being sent to county landfills.

Keep Middlesex County Beautiful plans to implement and record the amount of items recycled at each event.  A secondary goal will be to, where possible, eliminate single-use plastic items, and where not possible, ensure proper selection of plastics to improve overall recycling rates.

Logo for Carroll County, Virginia

Carroll County Awarded a $500 Recycling Green Grant

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Logo for Carroll County, VirginiaCarroll County is awarded a $500 Green Grant in the Recycling Category as part of our 13th Annual Green Grants Program.0

Every year, government, non-profit, civic, and service organizations in Virginia are invited to apply for grants ranging from $500 to $1,000 that will help address an environmental concern in their community. Grants must focus on one of the following priorities: Litter Prevention, Recycling, Cigarette Litter Prevention, or Community Beautification.

Carroll County is a local government organization located in the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains in far Southwest Virginia.  The County offers an array of activities, scenery, and has deeply rooted Appalachian culture. Their recreation department offers programs and facilities to improve the quality of life for all citizens of Carroll County along with our visitors.

Brick wall construction of restroom facilities at Carroll County Splash Pad Recreational ParkThe focus of their Green Grant application was to reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles of water used at the new Carroll County Splash Pad / Recreational Park. With many citizens visiting the park daily, they will install a water refilling station and encourage guests to bring reusable water bottles. Funds from the Green Grant award will be used toward the purchase and installation of a water refill station near the restrooms.

Congratulations Carroll County!  Thank you for tackling the statewide concern of over-use and improperly disposal of single-use plastics.  Offering a bottle refill stations gives residents and guests at the Splash Pad an opportunity to get needed summer hydration in a responsible way!

Earth shaped like a heart

Wouldn’t You LOVE to Live More Sustainably?

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Earth shaped like a heartWe sometimes hear people say they’d like to live a more sustainable lifestyle, but it seems like it might be hard to live with, and they don’t know where to begin.  We want to help with that!

We want to give you a sample of some of the products you can use at home to avoid some of the single-use plastic items that we see every day.  You don’t have to dive into the deep end – even just a few swaps like these can have an affect on the amount of waste you produce.

The 2020 National Litter Study conducted by Keep America Beautiful revealed that plastic is the highest littered material.  According to National Geographics, Americans use an average of 365 plastic bags per person per year.4

Here are some products that we hope will help change the way you think about all those single-use plastic bags, and maybe even change your behavior.  If you do, you’ll probably find that you’re saving money too!

You can enter our “Sustainability Sampler Kit – At Home” during the month of February.  Ten names will be chosen, and we’ll ship the kits at no cost.  All we ask in return is that you use the items, and answer a short three-question poll to tell us what you think about the products.

Stasher reusable sandwich bags, washable sponges, mesh produce bags, and cloth bowl coversHere is a list of the products that are included, along with links to the vendors we used:

  • STASHERS – EcoManiac.com
    This reusable sandwich baggie is dishwasher safe, and keeps food fresh or small items corralled. Use this instead of single-use, disposable baggies.
  • WASHABLE SPONGE – Etsy Green Spot Shop
    Use this sponge in the kitchen or bathroom, and wash it in the dishwasher or washing machine instead of throwing away plastic sponges.
  • MESH PRODUCE BAGS – 3bbags.com
    Pass up the single-use plastic baggies at the grocery store or farmer’s market. These mesh bags won’t split with a heavy load, and can be washed and used many times.
  • CLOTH BOWL COVERS – EcoManiac.com
    Instead of struggling to tear off a piece of plastic wrap, these bowl covers are easy to slip on to keep items fresh on the shelf or in the fridge. Just put in the wash and they’re ready to go again.

You can begin to live more sustainably with just a few swaps!  We hope you’ll submit an entry to be included in the drawing to receive a Sustainability Sampler Kit to help us learn what works for you!

Hand reaching out of pile of plastic

What’s SUP?

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Hand reaching out of pile of plasticSo, what’s SUP?  It’s the acronym for “Single-Use Plastic” and the source of much of the litter in our landscape.  A 2020 nationwide litter study conducted by Keep America Beautiful determined that plastic is the most littered item by material group.  It includes plastic water bottles, plastic produce bags and store shopping bags, straws, plastic utensils, sandwich baggies and many, many others.

In 2022 OpinionWorks, in collaboration with the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program and Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood University, conducted a representative statewide sampling of 901 Virginia registered voters March 8-13, 2022.  It concludes that 55% of those surveyed believe “Plastic floating in the ocean” was second on the list of top concerns, and 24% believe that “Trash and litter in your community” is a “very serious concern.”  The study also showed broad support among voters for laws that would decrease litter and marine debris.  You can read more about this Virginia Voter survey:  2022 Public Perception Survey Plastic Pollution

SUP is a huge problem.  Single-use plastics are items that are made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals).  They become discardable almost immediately, once the candy is popped in your mouth, the fork for your take-out food is being used, the wrapper on a pack of almost anything you buy.  SUP is unsightly on the side of the road, it clogs storm drains, it pollutes waterways, and it’s harmful to wildlife.

But there is much we can do to help.

Although many plastic items are technically recyclable, there are fewer opportunities to recycle with some businesses being unwilling or unable to offer to collect and sort used plastic, and some residents can’t locate facilities that accept all forms of plastic.  If you are on a litter cleanup, it’s often necessary to dispose of items that can’t be recycled — such as a bottle that has been run over by a car or has been lying in the mud  for a year — because it is no longer a viable product to be recycled.

The best plan of action is to stop using SUP when possible.  Arm yourself with a few items daily, and you’ll be prepared to say “No thanks” to SUP throughout the day.  Get yourself a refillable water bottle – with your favorite color, sports team, nonprofit cause, pooch, or alma mater; a metal or silicone straw you keep in your purse or pocket; a bamboo or metal spoon and fork will help you avoid plastic utensils at lunch time when you dine out, as will reusable Stasher bags eliminate the need for SUP sandwich baggies if you like to brown bag it.

So know what’s SUP in your life that can be replaced with reusable items.  Besides not adding to the SUP problem, you’ll most likely be saving money!  It’s good for the environment, and it’s good for you.

Lady shopping for bulk food

Tips for a Plastic Free July

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Lady shopping for bulk foodYou may have heard the reference to “Plastic Free July,” but are you wondering what you can do about it within the constraints of your time and budget?  There is significant amount of plastic waste comes to and from our homes that we do have control over.

According to the 2021 Keep America Beautiful Litter Study, plastic films, both general use films and food-packaging films, such as candy wrappers or snack bags, represent the second and third most littered items in America.

You can choose to keep plastic waste from coming into your home by being selective of how your food products and take-out food are presented.

First and foremost, BE PREPARED!

  • Put reusable shopping bags and mesh produce bags in your car, ready to use!
  • Carry a reusable bottle of water with you to work, school, errands, or wherever life takes you. Many public places now offer water refill stations.  Hopefully that trend will continue to increase.
  • Find some beautiful mismatched stainless-steel cutlery to take with you when you pack your lunch, or keep them at your desk ready for a soup or snack. Wash, rinse, and repeat!
  • If you want to use a straw, there are many alternatives available to the plastic throw-away ones restaurants offer. Or you can get a ready-to-go kit of utensils and straw here.

And consider making some small changes:

  • Instead of disposable dryer sheets, try Friendsheep Eco Dryer Balls that naturally soften and fluff your laundry by gently tumbling in your dryer. Their movement helps separate your fabrics allowing the heat to better flow between them, reducing wrinkles, static cling, and drying time.
  • Patronize local restaurants that offer take-out food in recyclable or compostable containers.
  • Many grocery stores have sections that offer bulk sales of rice, nuts, and grains that you purchase by-the-pound with no packaging (except for the one you bring to reuse!)
  • Shop at your local farmers markets for unpackaged produce, which you’ll take home in the reusable mesh bags you keep in your car 😉

I hope that you’re finding simple swaps and alternate ways to avoid your reliance on single-use plastic in your life!

Plastic Free Word

Plastic Free July

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Plastic Free WordIn 2011, Rebecca Prince-Ruiz started the Plastic Free July Challenge as a grassroots campaign with a handful of participants in Western Australia.  It has since grown to be a global movement to increase awareness of the problems that are created by plastic waste, especially single-use plastic. 

Do you know the top four plastic items? Shopping Bags, single-use water and soft drink bottles, straws, and coffee and soda cups. The good news is that these are some of the easiest items that we can swap out for a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. 

Hopefully you have a selection, if not abundance, of reusable grocery and retail shopping bags. You can keep them in your car, ready for when you stop by a store. The reusable insulated grocery bags are even better than the floppy plastic ones they hand out at grocery stores because your carton of eggs are zipped in safely, and they keep your cold items cooler until you get home – a real plus in summertime. 

Carrying a refillable water bottle with you to work, school, and other events is not only good for the environment, it’s good for your health to drink water throughout your day, and good for your wallet because it’s a lot less expensive than purchasing bottled water at retail stores or vending machines. More and more schools and public places are installing refillable water stations for public use. Just this year our Green Grants Program funded the Northern Virginia 4-H Conference Center, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and Ridge Elementary School to help them install water refill stations in their buildings! 

There is also some progress being made with disposable coffee cups. Starbucks unveiled the latest steps it’s taking to reduce its disposable cup use. Those include more than 20 different iterations of tests across eight markets to figure out the best ways to ditch the single-use cup. Hopefully others will follow. 

So, if a coffee giant like Starbucks can make the shift towards eliminating the approximately 7 billion single-use cups every year, surely we can all do our part on a smaller scale.  You can even get a jump start by taking Plastic Free July’s Pesky Plastics Quiz Tool to see how you’re doing.

As Rebecca Prince-Ruiz said, “My hope for the next ten years is that we can harness awareness of the plastic pollution problem, and from that, leverage this movement where we have real solutions to match the problem… it’s about creating new habits and new social norms, and I think we’re ready for that.” 

Gloucester Logo

Gloucester Clean Community Bags a $1,000 Green Grant

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Gloucester LogoGloucester Clean Community’s “Bag It Up” campaign was selected as one of the thirty Green Grant Awards we’re announcing each day in June.  Their goal is to offer reusable grocery bags to consumers at the farmers’ market this summer to decrease the amount of single-use plastic bags used during food purchases.

Although plastic produce and shopping bags are popular with consumers because they’re lightweight, and a hygienic way of carrying food item, they can take their toll on the environment.  Many plastic bags are sent to the landfill, fowl up recycling sorting equipment, or end up littering the landscape, becoming a hazard for farming and mowing equipment as well as wildlife.

Clean Community is aiming to help mitigate the use of single-use plastic bags in their community. Through a public outreach program, they plan to provide community members with reusable bags at farm stands in Gloucester.  They want to educate and encourage residents and visitors to think before automatically picking up single-use plastic bags.  They hope to enlist the help of the local 4-H, boy scouts or girl scouts to assist in enlightening the youth and the public by handing out reusable cloth bags at local farm stands.

Green Grant funds will be used to purchase reusable grocery bags to give away for free to the public.

Farmers' MarketClean Community will measure how many bags are handed out throughout the summer. A short survey or outreach will be offered to people regarding their knowledge of plastic pollution and ask why they do or do not use reusable grocery bags. Any leftover reusable grocery bags will be used to hold our Clean Gloucester Day cleanup volunteers’ supplies for our Fall Cleanup.

Gloucester County Clean Community in Gloucester strives to help keep Gloucester County clean and green. They promote recycling and proper disposal of solid waste, facilitates group cleanups and beautification projects, as well as conduct community outreach and education programs for schools.

Way to keep your community clean Gloucester!  Congratulations!

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