Recycling Problems for Coke

This is a perfect opportunity to point out that we're not against the drink--we're against the bottle.  After all, what's better than an ice-cold coke on a hot summer day? There's no problem with drinking Coke at home, in free throw range of the recycling bin! But there are many problems with drinking it on the go out of a plastic bottle, as Mike Esterl describes. 

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Paying Kids to Recycle

What’s the worst kind of SUD? The kind that ends up in a landfill, park, or waterway when it could have been recycled.

Many SUDs have low recycling rates. Americans generate an average of 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day, up from 2.7 in 1960. Much of this growth comes from an increase in single use disposable products as our lives get faster and faster. And Public Enemy # 1 (PET water bottles) only get recycled at a rate of 28%.

So we’re pretty excited for Keep America Beautiful’s Recycle Bowl.

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Flavor-Free Water On The Go and On The Cheap

Problem: Not all tap water tastes like lilies and roses.

Solution: Reusable, individual-size bottles with filters.

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No Medals for Plastic Bags

Ah, the Olympics. The world’s greatest harmonizer. The we’re-really-all-the-same-inside harbinger of international good will.  And one of the few times in any given four-year span when so large a quantity of concessions are consumed, tchotchkes purchased, and single-use packaging strewn about the land.

But London 2012 just might be without one of the most notorious SUDs around. In other words, Go World.

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"1 paper cup = 1,006 ceramic cup uses"

This scientific calculation just in: ceramic cups require more resources to manufacture and must be used 1,006 times before reaching the equivalent level of environmental friendliness as a paper cup. 

And I don't know about you, but using a ceramic mug for two years just seems impossible. [Larry David face emoticon here.]

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Kids' Canvas to clean your face

 Reusable cloth napkins are one of the best ways to kick the SUDs habit. In fact, having your own reusable napkin to tote around with you is the best use of resources according to a life cycle analysis by Pablo Päster over at Treehugger. Of the three possible options for getting out of a plate of buffalo wings without having sauce all over your face, the cloth napkin you bring from home wins out over the paper napkins and the cloth napkin at the restaurant. 

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Takeout SUDs Make Up 50% of California Litter

We want it and we want it now.

Whether its quicky California roll or a pad thai to go, a healthy salad or a greasy burger, we depend on takeout to stay nourished as we go about our busy lives. We depend on it because we’re a fast-moving society and sometimes we’re tired when we get home and can’t pack a lunch. And sometimes pb&j just won’t cut it.

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