http://www.easternecho.com Environmental news, tips and updates for Eastern Michigan University and beyond. en-us Gryphon 2.3.1-dsw (pewabic)/Foundry5 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:47:40 -0400 webmaster@easternecho.com http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1726 Plastics made from oil can be fully bio-degradable. These are known as oxo-biodegradable plastics and follow a process of degradation, reaching a state of water, carbon dioxide and biomass which is then ready to be absorbed by microorganisms. Symphony Environmental produce an additive called d2w which turns ordinary plastic at the end of its useful life into a material with a completely different molecular structure. At that stage it is no longer a plastic and has become a material which can be bio-assimilated in the open environment in the same way as a leaf. For a video of oxo-bio plastic film degrading, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3TGqcpWJTM Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:45:07 -0500 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1726 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1729 I invite anyone being interested in sustainability and comprehensive scientific reports to look at the recent published report from UK Environment Agency and Carrier bags single use, reuseable etc. This is very interesting reading http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/static/documents/Research/Carrier_Bags_final_18-02-11.pdf Good Luck! Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:45:46 -0500 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1729 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1730 We agree that consumers should be skeptical and ask a lot of questions. Many of the “green” plastics on the market today seem like they solve a problem such as the sourcing issue but still end up using just as much fossil fuels to process and provide lower performing physical characteristics. The lower performing characteristics are a big problem for manufactures and limit the shelf stability of the product. Looking at the end-of-life issue they end up in recycle bins or mostly landfills. In recycling infrastructures the material has to be separated which leads to more fuel, time, money and sometimes contaiminate plastics that are recycled. In a landfill these plastic last forever. What we are finding is that bioplastics manufactures are mixing in standard polymers to increase the characteristics. ENSO plastics are designed to be fully recyclable and will naturally break down by microbes. We don’t think it a fix all to our plastic pollution issue but it is the best solution we have today. You can learn more at http://www.ensoplastics.com Max Clark ENSO Plastics Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:02:46 -0500 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1730 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1795 Like “Organic” foods Green has become a label that a company will put on a product just to sell something. As for recycling the one material that we can recycle that actually save energy and resources is METAL. Metal has to be mined out of the ground which is very labor intensive, causes a environmental impact. Then that ore has to be refined with is very energy intensive. The only real reason to recycle plastic is to keep it out of landfills which should be left for garbage that rots and produces METHANE. A natural gas we can use a a fuel source Biggest problem with plastics is that large garbage patch in the Pacific ocean they we need to clean up. Paper we are better off burning it, as paper comes from trees grown in tree farms. The paper comes from the sawdust and scraps that are left over when those trees are turned into lumber. Paper is the hot dogs of the lumber industry. Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:47:40 -0400 http://www.easternecho.com/index.php/comment/view/1795