what a pity, I am gonna be banned by you.

   As is known from news, Monte Sant’Angelo Mercy College in Sydney’s north has banned the sale of plastic water bottles, and it maybe cause nation wide imitation of this activity.

   The canteen will no longer stock plastic water bottles and the school also spent $7,500 installing water bubblers for the students to use instead.

   The initiative will be launched today by sailor activist David de Rothschild who this week completed a voyage across the Pacific Ocean on the Plastiki, a boat made from recycled bottles.

   Year 12 student Claudia Saunders says she hopes the ban will do more than reduce the school’s consumption of plastic bottles.

   “It’s also about promoting it to Monte girls and getting the awareness out there how unnecessary these bottles are and the damage they can cause to the environment, both in their production and then in their disposal,” she said.

   The school’s effort has been hailed as a model that can be rolled out across the country.

   Jon Dee, founder of the environment group Do Something, says the campaign will significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste at the school.

  “We’ll have 1,100 girls at this school who won’t have bottled water,” he said.

   “Now if they can do that at Monte Sant’ Angelo there’s no reason why other schools couldn’t follow this example.

   “It will set a great environmental role model for the kids but it will also show kids you can help the environment and you can save money at the same time.”

   Since we can protect the environment, meanwhile, we can save some money, why shouldn’t we promote this good deed? The answer is obvious, we should protect the environment and use the money which we save from this to buy something which is worthy.

Aside from trying to get rid of plastic, creating it can be costly to the environment as well. It takes large amounts of chemical pollutants to create plastic, as well as significant amounts of fossil fuels.

On the other hand, some argue that plastic helps the environment is several ways, as well. After all, plastic has been used to make cars lighter. As a result, less oil is used to mobilize the cars and less CO2 is emitted. In addition, plastic containers provide safe ways for disposing of toxic waste products

The following are some suggestions for reducing the effects on environment:

1. Reduce the use
Source reduction Retailers and consumers can select products that use little or no packaging. Select packaging materials that are recycled into new packaging – such as glass and paper. If people refuse plastic as a packaging material, the industry will decrease production for that purpose, and the associated problems such as energy use, pollution, and adverse health effects will diminish.

2. Reuse containers
Since refillable plastic containers can be reused about 25 times, container reuse can lead to a substantial reduction in the demand for disposable plastic, and reduced use of materials and energy, with the consequent reduced environmental impacts. Container designers will take into account the fate of the container beyond the point of sale and consider the service the container provides. “Design for service” differs sharply from “design for disposal”.

3. Require producers to take back resins
Get plastic manufacturers directly involved with plastic disposal and closing the material loop, which can stimulate them to consider the product’s life cycle from cradle to grave. Make reprocessing easier by limiting the number of container types and shapes, using only one type of resin in each container, making collapsible containers, eliminating pigments, using water-dispersible adhesives for labels, and phasing out associated metals such as aluminum seals. Container and resin makers can help develop the reprocessing infrastructure by taking back plastic from consumers.

4. Legislatively require recycled content
Requiring that all containers be composed of a percentage of post-consumer material reduces the amount of virgin material consumed.

5. Standardize labeling and inform the public
The chasing arrows symbol on plastics is an example of an ambiguous and misleading label. Significantly different standardized labels for “recycled,” “recyclable,” and “made of plastic type X” must be developed.

The following steps are the steps for recycling plastic:

First thing for you to know

 Call your county’s Department of Public Works or recycling center to determine what type of plastic to recycle and where to take it. Also call 1-800-CLEANUP for state recycling information.

Easy plastics for recycle
The easiest and most common plastics to recycle are made of polyethylene terephthalate (PETE) and are assigned the number 1. Examples include soda and water bottles, medicine containers, and many other common consumer product containers. Once it has been processed by a recycling facility, PETE can become fiberfill for winter coats, sleeping bags and life jackets. It can also be used to make bean bags, rope, car bumpers, tennis ball felt, combs, cassette tapes, sails for boats, furniture and, of course, other plastic bottles.

Number 2 is reserved for high-density polyethylene plastics. These include heavier containers that hold laundry detergents and bleaches as well as milk, shampoo and motor oil. Plastic labeled with the number 2 is often recycled into toys, piping, plastic lumber and rope. Like plastic designated number 1, it is widely accepted at recycling centers.

Plastics less commonly recycled
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly used in plastic pipes, shower curtains, medical tubing, vinyl dashboards, and even some baby bottle nipples, gets number 3. Like numbers 4 (wrapping films, grocery and sandwich bags, and other containers made of low-density polyethylene) and 5 (polypropylene containers used in Tupperware, among other products), few municipal recycling centers will accept it due to its very low rate of recyclability.

Another useful plastic for recycling
Number 6 goes on polystyrene (Styrofoam) items such as coffee cups, disposable cutlery, meat trays, packing “peanuts” and insulation. It is widely accepted because it can be reprocessed into many items, including cassette tapes and rigid foam insulation.

Hardest plastics for recycling
Last, but far from least, are items crafted from various combinations of the aforementioned plastics or from unique plastic formulations not commonly used. Usually imprinted with a number 7 or nothing at all, these plastics are the most difficult to recycle and, as such, are seldom collected or recycled. More ambitious consumers can feel free to return such items to the product manufacturers to avoid contributing to the local waste stream, and instead put the burden on the makers to recycle or dispose of the items properly.

Check out local requires

Find out if your community requires you to remove labels from plastic containers before you recycle them.

Final step

Crush plastic containers to save space in your recycling bin.

Most plastic bags are heat sealed together. Some are bonded with adhesives or are stitched.

Several design options and features are available. Some bags have gussets to allow a higher volume of contents. Some have the ability to stand up on a shelf or a refrigerator. Some have easy-opening or reclosable options. Handles are cut into or added onto some.

Bag-In-Box packaging is often used for liquids such as wine and institutional sizes of other liquids.

Plastic bags usually use less material than comparable boxes, cartons, or jars, thus are often considered as “reduced or minimized packaging”.Depending on the construction, plastic bags can be well suited for plastic recycling. They can be incinerated in appropriate facilities for waste-to-energy conversion. They are stable and benign in sanitary landfills. If disposed of improperly, however, plastic bags can create unsightly litter and harm some types of wildlife.

Bags are also made with carrying handles, hanging holes, tape attachments, security features, etc. Some bags have provisions for easy and controlled opening. Reclosable features, including press-to-seal zipper strips such as Ziploc, are common for kitchen bags. Some bags are sealed and can only be opened by destroying the packaging, providing some tamper-evident capability.

Bags can be made with a variety of plastics films. Polyethylene (LDPE, LLDPE etc) is the most common. Other forms, including laminates and coextrusions can be used when the physical properties are needed.

Open bags with carrying handles are used in large numbers worldwide. Stores often provide them as a convenience to shoppers. Some stores charge a nominal fee for a bag. Heavy-duty reusable shopping bags are often considered environmentally better than single-use paper or plastic shopping bags.

According to the survey of plastic bag research, nowadays, plastic bags which can be bought by people at supermarket and road are mostly the cheapest ones which can be used for only one time. In order to lower cost, they are not disinfected, so they contain a lot of talcum powder, if we use this kind of bags for a long time, especially use them to contain hot food, they may cause the bad condition of health, and that equals chronic poisoning.

The following ones are the harm of plastic bags, disposable plastic bags contain all kinds of virus, bacteria and carcinogens, because plastic bags contain talcum powder, so if we use plastic bags to pack food for a long time, we will eat a long of talcum powder, and that will cause calcium deposition in body.

Disposable plastic bags pollute environment fiercely, the specific influence is as followed, it will take two hundred years for decaying plastic bags, so it will pollute soil for a long time. But if we burn these bags into ashtray, it will produce poisonous dust and gas, which will pollute the environment for decades. Degradable plastic is hard to degrade, the degradable plastic which we can usually see in market is added starch into it, after it is used and buried, starch will turn sour, bacteria will degrade, big bags will be degraded into small pieces, which can hardly be seen by eyes. Plastic bags will influence the normal breath of soil, plastic bag is not the basic ingredient of soil, if it is abandoned into soil, it will influence grow of plant. We should avoid using plastic bag to pack hot food, according to introduction, plastic bags which we use now contain polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene and so on.

 A lot of restaurants use plastic bags which are made of PVC, and it can’t be used to pack food, if we use it for a long time, it will cause bad health condition. According to health experts’ suggestion, we should decrease using disposable plastic bags for our health and environment, and we can use basket and clothe bag instead.

California is one step closer to a statewide ban on single-use plastic bags.

Last Friday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee passed AB 1998 and will be voted upon this Friday by the full Assembly.

If passed, the law would go into effect Jan. 1, 2012. Gov. Schwarzenegger has shown support for the move.

San Francisco made history when it became the first city to officially ban plastic shopping bags in 2007, making it a pioneer of the outlawing of common to-go plastic products.

Other cities in the Bay Area, including Oakland and Palo Alto, shortly followed suit.

However, if passed, AB 1998 would be the first statewide ban in history. Supporters say the bill would support the state’s efforts in reducing its waste.

“This legislation starts breaking our addiction to single-use plastic packaging, which has gotten completely out of control,” Mark Gold, president of Heal the Bay, told the Los Angeles Times.

However, the American Chemistry Council opposes the bill, citing economic reasons. The organization says the move would cost consumers as much as $1 billion in new charges on grocery bags and could lead to job losses across the state.

“The last thing Californians need is something that acts just like a $1 billion tax added to their grocery bills – but that’s what this legislation does,” said Tim Shestek of the American Chemistry Council in Sacramento, an organization that represents plastic bag makers.

“Here we are cutting back on schools, police and health care, so it’s hard to imagine California creating a new million-dollar bureaucracy to monitor how people take home their groceries.”

A heated topic plastic bans may be, both sides agree that recycling and consumer education is the best way to handle plastics in the waste stream.

Due to their light weight, most curbside programs do not accept plastic bags. However, most grocery stores throughout the U.S. now offer plastic bag recycling.

According to the California Integrated Waste Management Board, each year, Californians use 19 billion plastic bags, only 5 percent of which are recycled. The average California resident uses 600 plastic bags per year.

The average American office worker goes through around 500 disposable cups over the course of 12 months. Americans even toss out enough paper and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times.

Much for the common disposable dinnerware, such as plastic utensils, cups and plates, is made from plastic #6. It’s the same resin used to make polystyrene foam, but because these materials are not extremely lightweight, they are easier to recycle.

We are avid touters of using your reusable dinnerware for your next shindig, but if your guest list exceeds your supply and disposable is your only option, look for dishware made from plastics that are recyclable in your curbside program or dishes that can be washed and reused.

Preserve tableware and utensils are a great choice. Made from 100 percent recycled materials, Preserve makes an entire line of dishes, cups and utensils that are sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of everyday use. They have two versions of their tableware, one for regular use in your home and one that more closely resembles the lighter make of disposables for easy transport. Both are dishwasher and microwave safe.

Need a little extra pluck for your thrifty crafts? There’s nothing like a plastic chicken to start off a conversation about saving money through the art of reuse. Photo: WOW Imports
Placemats – How cute are these crocheted placemats from CreativeJewishMom.com? Follow her easy, step-by-step instructions for turning your plain grocery sacks into a kitschy addition to your table.
Rugs and sleeping mats – Tried a placemat and ready to go bigger? Create your own, multi-colored floormat from recycled plastic bags. Or, if you’re feeling philanthropic, expand your floormat project to a sleeping mat that can be donated to a local homeless shelter. We love this project from a church in Illinois and this blanket project by a school in Florida as examples.
Furniture – Check out Ryan Frank’s rad illustration of how plastic bags can be reused in a more durable fashion, such as a chair. This may definitely be one of our most time-consuming projects, but if you’ve got the desire, it’s well worth trying!
Flowers – They may look lovely and fresh, but these flowers don’t need any watering. Check out Sustainlane’s how-to on transforming plastic bags into fresh flora.
A Chicken – We just love this fun reuse craft from South Africa, which made it into our 2008 Gift Guide. You can definitely try your own hand and save a few bucks, or purchase this chicken to support a local group in Cape Town.

Traveling – Avoid using the dry cleaning or laundry service at your hotel by wrapping bottles of shampoo, lotion and the like in an old bag. This is also an easy trick for dirty shoes or any other item in your suitcase with the potential to ruin your silk skirt or fancy tie en route to the next big meeting or family vacation.
Trash can liners – This may seem like a no-brainer, but why buy small plastic bags to line your wastebaskets in your bathroom or home office, when you’re already bringing home grocery bags that fit these smaller bins? Don’t spend money on a redundant product and prevent the need to manufacture more bags as well with this simple idea.
Packing materials – Whether you’re shipping a box to your Great Aunt Dede or simply putting an old purse or pair of shoes in storage, plastic bags offer an easy-to-use material to keep your items safe and in working order. Simply ball them up to use as cushion or filler as needed. The savings? Keeping your items pristine, of course!
Reuse it – Literally. Since a typical plastic bag weighs approximately 4 to 5 grams and can hold up to 17 pounds of product – nearly 2,000 times its own weight – they are perfect for multiple uses as a carrying device. Pack your lunch or use them to bring home groceries a few times before recycling them (see section #4). If you’re concerned about the environmental impact of reusable bags, which are typically non-recyclable, this is a great way to avoid spending extra cash on those measures.