Last World Cup (2010), for the first time, all of Nike’s national teams, including Brazil, Portugal, and the Netherlands, had worn jerseys made from recycled polyester, which the sports-apparel giant is hailing as the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced kits in football history.
With the recycled jerseys, Nike has diverted nearly 13 million plastic bottles from the landfill. Each shirt comprises up to eight recycled plastic bottles, a move that reduces energy consumption by up to 30 percent compared with manufacturing virgin polyester. Besides saving raw materials, Nike also diverted nearly 13 million plastic bottles (or nearly 560,000 pounds of polyester waste) from the landfill—enough to cover more than 29 football pitches. I did some calculations on my own. 13 million bottles equals to 1,625,000 jerseys! That’s a lot of jerseys for a football event…
They claimed if the recycled bottles used to produce the jerseys were laid end to end, they would span more than 3,000 kilometers (roughly 1,860 miles), a distance that exceeds the entire South African coastline.
If those people can no longer wear the jerseys, I wonder whether it can be recycled back into plastic bottles. All 1,625,000 of them…
Hi guys and gals, how about back to basic living, no rocket science or fanciful gadgets, but mere lifestyles adjustment and habit change.
Trash-free living, a reason not to take out the trash A young couple has made it possible to spend a year living trash-free. Amy Korst, 26, a recently laid-off high school teacher in Dallas, USA and her husband, Adam only bought items they could recycle or compost to avoid adding to landfills. Their trash count for 12 months – about 75 scraps such as 8 used razor blades, a burned-out light bulb, 2 Theraflu pouches and broken Christmas ornament – fits in a shoebox that weighs about 1.8 kg.
The Korsts are among growing Americans trying to reduce their landfill load in a country where the average person generates 2 kg of trash each day.
Recycling rates have skyrocketed, from 6% of solid waste in 1960 to 33% in 2008, the Environmental Protection Agency reports. The amount of trash generated, after increasing for decades, has stabilized since 2005, in part due to recession related phenomena, as people have less to spend.
According to Amy Korst, who began her Green Garbage Project on July 6, 2009 and finished last month, “if we can’t recycle it, we don’t buy it.” Amy started a compost bin in her backyard, grew produce and negotiated with a grocery store manager to be able to take food home from the meat and cheese counters in her own containers. When they go out for dinner, the Korst bring a container for leftovers. And whatever Amy cannot recycle curbside, she takes to the recycling depot.
Long before the Amy Korst zero waste living, a whole community in the hills of eastern part of Japan, named Kamikatsu has been living trash free for many years, where the garbage man never comes.
Living in a world without waste. A small community in the hills of eastern Japan has been practicing "Zero Waste". It was told to BBC News that the residents have to compost all their food waste and sort other rubbish into 34 different categories. Residents say the scheme has prompted them to cut down on waste generally and food waste in particular.
Kamikatsu may be a backwater in the wooded hills and rice terraces of south-eastern Japan but it's become a world leader on waste policy. There are no waste collections from households at all. People have to take full responsibility for everything they throw away.
Kitchen waste has to be composted. Non-food waste is processed either in local shops which accept goods for recycling or in Kamikatsu's Zero Waste Centre. There, people have to sort their unwanted items into 34 different boxes for recycling.
Residents have to sort plastic bottles (used for fruit juice, for example) from PET (polyethylene teraphthalate) bottles (used for mineral water) because PET is more valuable when it is separated out.
There are specific boxes for pens, razors and the sort of styrofoam trays on which meat is often purchased. These have to be washed and dried. The scheme was adopted when councilors realized it was much cheaper than incineration - even if the incinerator was used to generate power.
Winning idea Many locals are enthusiastic participants. Kikue Nii strips labels off bottles then washes and dries them before sending them to recycling. She takes her other everyday waste to the local shop where she receives a lottery ticket in return for a bag of cans. She has won a £5 food voucher four times. It's not a huge amount but it's better than nothing. She is also a big fan of composting. "I think I produce less waste because I have to compost it," she says. "When I can't use the whole vegetable or meat, I try to cook it again with wine and so on. It makes a very good soup.
Her neighbors Fumikazu Katayama and his wife Hatsue are ardent composters, too. Hatsue says: "I have to do it every day; it's certainly a bit of work. But it's a good idea to send things back to the earth so I support it. I just do it naturally now; it's part of the routine Old curtains or kimonos are expertly converted into bags
The community uses incentives to encourage recycling
Articles extracted from The Star dated 3rd Aug, 2010 by Wendy Koch and BBC news reported by Environment analyst, Roger Harrabin
I was buying a soft drink bottle when I came across the sign labeled at the bottom of the bottle. There are seven different signs that can be seen and here are some that I found out about, hope it is helpful to us in understanding the plastics used in the industry. Actually the signs show the recycling code well let’s check them out
1.Plastics PET or PETE (polyethyleneterephthalate)
Found in: Soft drink, water and beer bottles; mouthwash bottles; peanut butter containers; salad dressing and vegetable oil containers; ovenable food trays.
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs.
Recycled into: Polar fleece, fiber, tote bags, furniture, carpet, paneling, straps, (occasionally) new containers
PET plastic is the most common for single-use bottled beverages, because it is inexpensive, lightweight and easy to recycle. It poses low risk of leaching breakdown products. Recycling rates remain relatively low (around 20%), though the material is in high demand by remanufacturers.
2.Plastics HDPE (high density polyethylene)
Found in: Milk jugs, juice bottles; bleach, detergent and household cleaner bottles; shampoo bottles; some trash and shopping bags; motor oil bottles; butter and yogurt tubs; cereal box liners
Recycling: Picked up through most curbside recycling programs, although some allow only those containers with necks.
Recycled into: Laundry detergent bottles, oil bottles, pens, recycling containers, floor tile, drainage pipe, lumber, benches, doghouses, picnic tables, fencing
HDPE is a versatile plastic with many uses, especially for packaging. It carries low risk of leaching and is readily recyclable into many goods.
3.Plastics V (Vinyl) or PVC
Found in: Window cleaner and detergent bottles, shampoo bottles, cooking oil bottles, clear food packaging, wire jacketing, medical equipment, siding, windows, piping
Recycling: Rarely recycled; accepted by some plastic lumber makers.
Recycled into: Decks, paneling, mudflaps, roadway gutters, flooring, cables, speed bumps, mats
PVC is tough and weathers well, so it is commonly used for piping, siding and similar applications. PVC contains chlorine, so its manufacture can release highly dangerous dioxins. If you must cook with PVC, don't let the plastic touch food. Also never burn PVC, because it releases toxins.
4.Plastics LDPE (low density polyethylene)
Found in: Squeezable bottles; bread, frozen food, dry cleaning and shopping bags; tote bags; clothing; furniture; carpet
Recycling: LDPE is not often recycled through curbside programs, but some communities will accept it. Plastic shopping bags can be returned to many stores for recycling.
Recycled into: Trash can liners and cans, compost bins, shipping envelopes, paneling, lumber, landscaping ties, floor tile
LDPE is a flexible plastic with many applications. Historically it has not been accepted through most American curbside recycling programs, but more and more communities are starting to accept it.
5.Plastics PP (polypropylene)
Found in: Some yogurt containers, syrup bottles, ketchup bottles, caps, straws, medicine bottles
Recycling: Number 5 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs.
Recycled into: Signal lights, battery cables, brooms, brushes, auto battery cases, ice scrapers, landscape borders, bicycle racks, rakes, bins, pallets, trays
Polypropylene has a high melting point, and so is often chosen for containers that must accept hot liquid. It is gradually becoming more accepted by recyclers.
6.Plastics PS (polystyrene)
Found in: Disposable plates and cups, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases
Recycling: Number 6 plastics can be recycled through some curbside programs.
Recycled into: Insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers
Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foam products -- in the latter case it is popularly known as the trademark Styrofoam. Evidence suggests polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods. The material was long on environmentalists' hit lists for dispersing widely across the landscape, and for being notoriously difficult to recycle. Most places still don't accept it, though it is gradually gaining traction.
7.PlasticsMiscellaneous
Found in: Three- and five-gallon water bottles, 'bullet-proof' materials, sunglasses, DVDs, iPod and computer cases, signs and displays, certain food containers, nylon
Recycling: Number 7 plastics have traditionally not been recycled, though some curbside programs now take them.
Recycled into: Plastic lumber, custom-made products
A wide variety of plastic resins that don't fit into the previous categories are lumped into number 7. A few are even made from plants (polyactide) and are compostable. Polycarbonate is number 7, and is the hard plastic that has parents worried these days, after studies have shown it can leach potential hormone disruptors.
Interesting info worth sharing…
