There has been a lot written about plastic lately. Not only is it harmful to the environment but overwhelming studies are finding plastic harmful to your health. Consider these facts;
Plastics production produces 14 percent of toxic air emissions in the U.S., and each plant emits an average of 300-500 gallons of contaminated wastewater per minute. (It’s Easy Being Green book)
100 million plastic bottles dumped in US every year. Each bottle will take over 1,000 years to biodegrade. (SIGG)
BPA (a plastic hardening agent prevalent in bottles, cups and lined tin cans) is so prevalent in food packaging and other consumer items that prior research has detected its presence in at least 90% of Americans. A group of 20 San Francisco residents had 66% less BPA in their urine after three days on a diet of fresh, organic and unpackaged food, scientists found. (Silent Spring Institute)
500 billion plastic bags or wraps are thrown away in America each year and are created with 12 million barrels of oil. (DropthePlasticBag.org)
Find out the facts about plastic for yourself with these resources;
Plastic Disclosure is a great website that offers facts and information about the harmful effects of plastic.
GreenBiz released this article a few weeks ago about the plastic use in corporations.
New York Times released this article on the issue of plastic and waste
If you want a more lighthearted approach, view the movie Bag It, that was released early in 2011. It discusses all the issues with plastic. For a review, go to this blog entry.
Energy management software is a way for companies to track energy usage and waste. This is a growing and changing market and industry with a large part of company’s sustainability strategies focusing on energy conservation.
Here are some resources and articles to learn more about energy management software:
An interesting blog post on Discovery News talks about the massive Garbage Patch located in the Pacific ocean that could be turned into an ‘recycled island’. Designed by Whim Architecture, the entire island would be floating and be made from all the plastic waste that is currently in the ocean. These innovative ideas to how to deal with the increasing waste stream is a start in the right direction. Check out their website, Recycled Island, that gives more details to the idea and concept.
Can your waste earn your company money? For some companies it has. Over the past four years, Kraft Foods employees reduced net waste from manufacturing plants by 30 percent from 2005 levels, exceeding a goal of a 15 percent reduction by 2011 which has lead to significant savings.
Sunny Delight laid out its zero waste goals in 2009. The company hoped to reach the goal by 2013, but has already achieved the goal at all six of manufacturing sites. Overall, the company’s plants delivered 63 percent less waste to landfills generating a net savings of $165,000 in 2009.
A study by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering found that about 93% of the material we buy and consume never end up in salable products at all. There is a lot of waste in manufacturing products which essentially is good money being thrown away.
Most offices have a janitorial or custodial vendor who cleans offices. It is important to have your vendors support your organizations sustainability program.To encourage ‘green’ cleaning ask your vendor for the following;
Use green cleaning supplies. Make sure cleaning supplies are non-toxic and eco-friendly. Seventh Generation and All Green have a great line of cleaning products.
Turn off lights. Ask your janitorial staff to turn off all lights upon leaving the building. This supports accountability with this simple energy saving action.
Provide recycling and waste data. In order to improve recycling and waste management it is important to get data from your janitorial staff on the usage of receptacles along with rate of recycling. Make sure your janitorial staff is managing waste responsibly.
Health & Wellness, Packaging, Waste Management, Waste Reduction | eco-officiency September 27, 2011 | 
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