Plastic Fast 2019

April 1 – Natural Fibre Apparel

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Image_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] “I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandal has not worn out on your foot.” Deuteronomy 29:5 More than ever, our clothes are made of plastic. Just washing them can pollute the oceans. How much plastic is your washing machine sending out to sea? Polyester, nylon, acrylic, and other synthetic fibers — all of which are forms of plastic — are now about 60 percent of the material that makes up our clothes worldwide. Synthetic plastic fibers are cheap and extremely versatile, providing for stretch and breathability in athleisure, and warmth and sturdiness in winter clothes. Every time we wash clothes made of plastic tiny micro fibers end up in the water. Estimates vary, but it’s possible that a single load of laundry could release hundreds of thousands of fibers from our clothes into the water supply. And these tiny fibers — less than 5 millimeters in length, with diameters measured in micrometers (one-thousandth of a millimeter) — can eventually reach the ocean. There, they’re adding to the microplastic pollution that’s accumulating in the food chain and being ingested by all sorts of marine wildlife, and even us. Most of the plastic that’s in the ocean, in terms of number of pieces, is not in the form of whole products like cups or straws, but instead broken-down shreds of plastic. Consider the lint you collect in the dryer. That lint is tiny bits of thread from your clothing that have become dislodged and are caught by a mesh screen. Similarly, synthetic fibers come off in the wash — but they’re so small, and there’s no filter inside the machines to catch them. Instead, these tiny plastic fibers pass through to sewage treatment plants, which often don’t have filters fine enough to catch them. (And if they do, the fibers may end up in another sewage byproduct: fertilizer.) Treated wastewater is then often dumped into rivers or the sea, carrying plastic clothing fibers with it. So what can we do? Buy second hand: All garments shed more when they are new. Wear clothes for longer. Check the label and avoid synthetic textiles such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. Look for organic cotton products. Wash cooler:  you can wash at  30°C/86°F is sufficient. Water in combination with heat weakens the yarn, resulting  in much more plastic ending up in our oceans. Wash less frequently. Air your clothes out and wash out stains by hand to avoid unnecessary laundering. Reduce the spin – lots of friction happens during the spin cycle. Skip the spin if you can or reduce the RPM (rotation per minute)  – your clothes will also last longer and reduce plastic fibrers coming off. Don’t tumble dry. The heat and the mechanical forces inside a tumble dryer are also a culprit of microplastic pollution. Synthetic clothes dry super fast anyway. Air-dry your clothes. If you have to use a dryer, please make sure to filter the condensed water. Use the shortest possible  wash cycle. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/9/19/17800654/clothes-plastic-pollution-polyester-washing-machine https://www.stopmicrowaste.com/tenfortheocean Choose natural fibres. Synthetic fabrics create microfibre pollution when washed. Look for organic cotton, wool, and other natural fibres. 2 Old Shoes and Clothing into New. Take clothes to a tailor for alteration if thet dont fit/arent in style rather than throwing them away. 3 Buy clothing second-hand clothes. This not only saves you money but ensures that the clothes you purchase have an extra long lease of life. Do a clothes swop. 4 Avoid bargain plastic items. These often break easily, like cheap accessories.  

April 1 – Natural Fibre Apparel Read More »

March 30 – Catering without bottled water

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

“We have to pay for our drinking water: Lamentations 5:4 Cater without plastic Our churches should be models of sustainability. When we have a function let us model ways of being environmentally conscious so that people can copy those ideas for events in their own families. No bottled water Look at other ways of serving water  – large dispensing containers with filtered or boiled water. Put some ice and lemon in to make it taste nicer if there is fluoride in the water. There was a time when it was safe to drink the water from our faucets. But for the past 50 years, pollution has become a concern that people became afraid that the toxins were seeping into our water system, especially in the cities. The past 20 years has seen a surge in people’s desire to be healthy and drink safe water… and the bottled water became a regular and popular commodity. But is drinking bottled water really a health solution, or is it adding to our environmental problems, or maybe masking a problem that most people are not aware of? Is bottled water really safer than tap water or is it just commercial propaganda? The facts Here are some bottled water waste facts that you need to know, so you can make an informed decision when it comes to choosing the water you drink. Most of the bottled water you buy is just glorified tap water. There are a few brands whose water really comes from springs and mountain streams, but most are just tap water that’s been purified. Only 1 out of 5 plastic bottles is recycled. The rest just becomes litter or get buried somewhere. (1) It takes 1 PET plastic bottle 700 years to start decomposing. Bacteria, which usually helps in breaking down organic materials, don’t like petroleum based plastics. Technically, they can last forever. More than 100 million plastic bottles are used worldwide every day! (2) 90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the packaging, not the water quality. (3) 3 liters of water is used to package 1 bottle of water. Plastic water bottles are petroleum based. In the U.S alone, it takes 1.5 million barrels of oil to meet the demands. An estimate 1,500 plastic bottles end up as waste in landfills or thrown in the ocean every second. There’s an area in the Pacific Ocean the size of Texas – known as The Great Pacific Garbage Patch – which is composed of plastic. (2) Plastic is listed as the number one threat to our marine ecosystem. The energy used to manufacture bottled water can power 190,000 homes. Antimony, which causes dizziness and depression and even death can be found in PET plastic bottles. (4) Plastic bottles also contain Bisphenol A which has been linked to obesity, diabetes and cancer. The plastic bottles may be BPA-Free but there are chemicals in the bottles, such as phthalates, can seep into the drink and be harmful to your health. From these data, it’s clear that bottling water is not a health solution, but an illusion that needs to stop. Due to these environmental issues, some countries are thinking of banning the manufacture of water bottles. From your end, how can you do your share in stopping the accumulation of plastic wastes? References http://thewaterproject.org/bottled_water_wasteful.asp http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/how-long-does-it-take-for-plastics-to-biodegrade.htm http://www.safebottles.co.nz/News/Plastics+and+the+Environment.html http://greenupgrader.com/3258/plastic-bottle-facts-make-you-think-before-you-drink/ http://www.banthebottle.net/bottled-water-facts/  

March 30 – Catering without bottled water Read More »

March 29 – Say No to Cling Film

1 Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

It is time to destroy everyone who has destroyed the earth.” Rev 11:18 Cling wrap (Plastic wrap) is not only bad for the planet, it is bad for your health. What is the threat to human health? Plastic is made up of chemicals, and there has long been concern surrounding the leaching of these chemicals into the natural environment, and transference of them into our food and drink. This worry has led to the recent popularity of ‘BPA-free’ plastics for food and drink storage. However, the main problem with cling film occurs when it is heated up: “New evidence suggests that heat makes chemicals in plastic storage boxes and bottles leach into food and drink: two major reports last year linked 175 compounds to health problems connected to cancers, fertility and foetal development. “Even Cancer Research UK, which has so far been sceptical, is now warning that cling film should not be allowed to touch the food it is covering during microwaving.” – Mail Online How does cling film impact on the environment? Like other non-recyclables, plastic food wrap ends up on landfill at best, and as litter on land and in the sea at worst. On landfill it will sit and possibly leach its chemicals for years, not degrading, and elsewhere it will do the same, whilst also being a risk to wildlife or fish who may get caught up in it or eat it. How to replace cling film in the kitchen Replacing cling film in the kitchen is easier than you might think. Here are some simple ideas on how to do it: Use reusable containers with lids instead of covering plates and bowls with cling film to refrigerate food Place sandwiches in lunchboxes instead of wrapping with cling film Pour unused liquids into containers with lids instead of covering a pouring spout with cling film Use ceramic or glass containers to reheat food in ovens or microwaves, and cover with a plate if required Use a cake tin for storing cakes, muffins, biscuits, etc.   Have a look for beeswax covers, you might be able to purchase them in your area – they make a great gift! Beeswax wraps are made by infusing pieces of cotton with a mixture of food-gradebeeswax, pine rosin and oil, usually jojoba or coconut. The waxy coating makes the cloth waterproof, but breathable. While you can make wraps without the rosin, it’s the key ingredient that makes them “sticky”, like plastic wrap. https://www.forgerecycling.co.uk/blog/ditch-cling-film-2/

March 29 – Say No to Cling Film Read More »

March 28 – Replace plastic with wooden utensils

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10: 31 The key thing in our kitchens is to stop using single use plastic However we still are left with a lot of plastic items which will eventually break and end up in the garbage. Sadly only 14% of plastic is recycled, and even if you put it in a recycling bin, there is no guarantee that it actually  will be recycled. The problem is that it is cheaper to produce an item from virgin plastic than from recycled. Globally 6% of oil sales now go to producing plastic so we are facing a huge oil lobby promoting sales of plastic Avoid the bargain plastic items Cheap plastic containers or kitchen items are not cheap on the planet. They crack or break quickly. If you are purchasing a plastic item ,  for instance children’s drinking cups, buy the best quality you can, it will last longer, save you money in the long run and be less damaging to the environment. Replace with wood, glass or metal when it breaks When an item needs to be replaced – recycle it first, then hunt around for a replacement which is not plastic. You will find many kitchen items can now be bought made from non plastic materials.

March 28 – Replace plastic with wooden utensils Read More »

March 27 – Bin Lining

Leave a Comment / Plastic Fast 2019 / /

You shall not pollute the land in which you live Numbers 35: 33 God clearly commanded Israel to not pollute the land even though He A lot of single use plastic bags end up in landfill, because we use them to line our bins. What can we do to avoid this? With plastic bag bans increasing, and the awareness around the issue of plastic pollution growing, it seems that plastic bags are on the decline. Which is great news, except it begs the question… what is a good alternative to use to line the rubbish bin? As with many of these plastic-free dilemmas, there is more than one solution.   How To Line a Rubbish Bin Without a Plastic Bag Use No Liner At All This might not work for everybody, and it usually isn’t the first step, but have you considered not using a liner at all, and simply rinsing out the bin between uses? The first question to ask is: what is actually going into my bin? Is there food scraps and stinky stuff? Or is it just dry, clean non-recyclables like plastic packaging and mixed-material products? Typically the average household bin is made up of 40% food waste. That’s the wet, gross bit that makes our bin icky. If you can separate your food scraps and dispose of them separately, making compost,, there might be no need for a bin liner.Save If you’re not ready to set up a compost bin, find out if there’s anyone in your area who already has, and who is willing to accept their neighbours (i.e. your) food scraps. If you’d like to set up a worm farm (these are great for small spaces and can be kept on balconies or indoors) you can DIY your own with old polystyrene boxes Whilst you’re getting a food waste recycling system set up – or if you just don’t have the energy for this at the moment – and you have space, consider using a large yoghurt tub with a lid / lidded bucket to collect food scraps and keep in the fridge or freezer until bin day, and empty these directly into the external bin. Line Your Bin with Newspaper Use the free community newspapers or ask your friends who still get newspapers to keep them for you Here is a video about how to line your bin with newspaper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B0GDC8Ln84 Using old newspaper means repurposing something already in existence, and no new plastic is consumed. Line Your Bin with Other Repurposed Materials If you have large paper bags, old cardboard boxes or other packaging, consider using these to line your bin (or to replace your bin). You might find it possible to empty the contents into an external bin and reuse the vessel again. With all paper and cardboard, it is better to recycle than to compost, and to compost rather than to landfill. However, repurposing something that has already been used is better than buying something new. Plastic bags were only actually invented in the 1960s. We managed before, and we can manage again. https://treadingmyownpath.com/2018/06/14/line-bin-without-plastic/

March 27 – Bin Lining Read More »