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Green
Confusion
Prepared by William M.
Eberle, Extension Specialist, Land Resources
Efforts by manufacturers to respond to our
desire to buy products that are less damaging to the environment has resulted in
what has been called a green revolution. Waste reduction is one of those
activities. From the paper you write on, to the car you drive, manufacturers are
increasingly using recycled materials. Green is becoming a heavily used color on
the packaging of many products we routinely purchase. In addition, many labels
are printed with environmental claims that can confuse even the most savvy
individual.
What can the wise consumer do? First
grasping an understanding of what key environmental terms mean or do not mean
could be helpful. (see list below). What is the definition of words such as
recyclable and biodegradable.
Consumers must continue to think and ask
questions. Think about the products you are using? Reevaluate the necessity of
some products you select and use routinely. Are there ways to reduce the amount
of waste you actually create? What impact is your action having on your family's
resources, the community, the state, the country, and the world as a whole? Ask
yourself what you would do if you could no longer buy a particular item.
Finally, what can you do at the community level that would help others reduce
the amount of waste generated and the number of items they consume?
Meanings of Environmental
Terms
RECYCLABLE-- the container or
item has the potential to be recycled. It does not mean that an item is
automatically collected for recycling in your community. Most communities
target selected items for collection in their recycling programs. While many
items have the potential to be recycled, the question is whether they are
being collected for recycling in your area. Many plastic items just are not
being recycled by manufacturers in great quantities. Some items are made of
several different kinds of materials that are nearly impossible to separate
for recycling into new products.
RECYCLED--this means that the
product contains some recycled fibers or materials that were once considered
waste. This waste could be pre-consumer waste or post-consumer waste. Pre-
consumer waste is the scrap or waste from production processes or waste that
has never actually been used by a consumer. Actually, manufacturers have been
doing that for a long time. Much pre-consumer waste never has really reached
the waste stream. Post-consumer waste is that has been through the hands of
consumers. Examples include the newspaper that you read each day, the empty
aluminum can that contained your beverage, and the glass jar from the jam you
finished at breakfast this morning. Unless a manufacturer prints on the label,
the type of recycled fibers (pre- or post-consumer) a product's packaging
contains and the percentage of the recycled fiber, we can only guess as to the
amount included with any virgin materials in the product.
BIODEGRADABLE--an item will
decompose or break down (rot) into simpler components under natural conditions
usually with the help of microorganisms, such as bacteria. Modern landfills do
not have those conditions (air and water) for microorganisms to do the work
necessary for biodegradation to occur. If your waste is going to a landfill,
chances are the items will not biodegrade (at least not as rapidly as you
might think). Most items might take several decades to decompose. In addition,
decay may produce other byproducts that can be just as much of a contaminant
to the environment.
PHOTODEGRADABLE--means that
sunlight is necessary for a product to break down into simpler components.
Kansas State University Cooperative
Extension
Adapted from: Cathy F. Bowen, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor, Agricultural and Extension Education, Family Public Policy
and Consumer Issues, Penn State University, October 20, 1993
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