200kg of garbage in the ocean every second ... do you think it's sad? Me too ! Maybe you will tell me "I make selective sorting" and it's a good step of course but honestly, the truth is that only few waste are actually recycled :(
Of course, the ennemy number one is PLASTIC! 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced each year. It takes 450 years to "decompose" but it's not really a complete decomposition. In fact it becomes nanoparticles and even if we can't see them there are some in the sea, the oceans and the fish of course. And you know what? We eat fish:( The food chain is completely contaminated.
Did you know? it takes 7 liters of water to produce ONE plastic water bottle !!! Mouhahaha, is this a joke? No ... Do you see the irony? And these plastic bottles: 72% will go to the landfill, 14% will be burned, 14% will be sorted. From the 14% sorted, 10% is actually recycled and 2% is recycled more than once. So recycling, recycling hmmmmm, is it THE solution? I don't think so… In addition, the actual time spent on using plastic is often quite short, a few minutes for disposable cutlery or plastic supermarket bag.
Non-recyclable products :
-Plastic freezer bags
-Yoghurt pots
-Wipes and diapers
-Aluminum packaging
-Polystyrene trays for meat or fresh products
-Aluminum / plastic composite bag like the one that contains compote that your child drinks is impossible to recycle because it's a mixture of two materials
-Disposable dishes (and like a good Frenchwoman I prefer to drink my wine in a real wine glass!)
DANGEROUS materials for health :
-Plastic cooking bag: each hot plastic (and aluminum too) gives off dangerous substances
-Stretch film
-Aluminum foil
What about our waste, how do we get rid of it? ==> incineration: which generate dioxin and heavy metals in the atmosphere ==> landfill: pollutes soil and groundwater
Conslusion: We spend a lot of money on waste management but it is far from being a non-polluting solution! And in the world, other countries have neither the possibilities or the money to do it, so a lot of waste goes directly into our oceans due to poor management.
On the other hand, many wealthy countries send their recyclable waste overseas because it's cheap and reduces domestic landfill. The most recycled materials are glass (endlessly), stainless steel and paper.
Did you know that there is a 7th continent of waste in the oceans made up of 80 thousand tonnes of plastic? :(
Few solutions :
Have you thought about compost? 1/3 of our waste can go to compost and you can use it for your plantations! Do you live in an apartment? No problem, I'm composting while living in an apartment, it is possible and fairly easy. It produce a liquid that you can use this liquid for the plants, unclog the pipes ... and when it's full you can throw it in the municipal compost for example or give it to a friend or neighbor who has compost in his garden ;)
Be smart, be inventive ^^
Wait, won’t it smell bad?
Not at all. A healthy compost pile will have an earthy, even pleasant smell.
Link for compost appartement: https://www.greenweez.com/ecovi-composteur-de-cuisine-et-balcon-20l-vert-p22322?esl-k=sem-google|ng|c295599599708|mb|k|p|t|dc|a63030247087|g1568687993&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjPaCBhDkARIsAISZN7S2SWBiyR_u_igVzNddlJ1MZtEdZC0BVEENsIxwZvAYLcYXKFixUR4aAp4YEALw_wcB
Buy unpackaged :
Almost anything can be bought unwrapped, even at the supermarket in the cheese / meat or fish department. You can bring your container and ask to put your things inside, the law does'nt prohibit it. For vegetables you can have your reusable vegetable bags
Links:
-https://cartovrac.fr/ to find the store closest to you
-https://90jours.org/ : an application with challenges to achieve
Buy in all conscience: strawberries in December no! Keep in mind that every seasons are there for a reason and consuming seasonal and local vegetables (or any other product) is important for the planet and for you too!
Seasonal food is fresher, tastier and more nutritious than food consumed out of season.
Nobody wants pesticide strawberries that takes 1 boat, 1 plane and 2 trucks to get to your plate and for the taste you gate it's not comparable believe me!
Big conlusion : « The best waste is the one that we don't produce !!! »
Sources : https://www.camille-se-lance.com/