Me and those who are reading this, and even all those who are not, are the biggest contributors toward the increasing environmental hazards. Some might stress on the fact that we are helpless, as our survival without putting the environment in danger is almost impossible. We foul the water supply, pollute the air and trash our eco system. Okay, forget everything else. Let’s talk only about plastic bottles today.
(Un)Surprisingly, we throw 38 billion plastic bottles in the landfills every year, and each year the figure is going higher and higher. As the trash is piling up, some are trying to wash their green sins by recycling and reusing plastic bottles. For good, or for bad, we really are in oblivion.
MSLK, a New York-based graphic design agency, is making an installation to reflect the amount of water bottles consumed in the United States. It uses 1,500 water bottles and will displayed at the Figment Art Festival from June 12-14. Similar efforts have been made by Reuben Margolin, an Emeryville, California-based artist, for a 20-foot-tall installation using 612 soda bottles.
Trash or artistic illusion
Similar trends are witnessed all over the world. Everyday we come across recycled products in the same line.
All this sounds cool; and of course have a greener side too, no denying the fact. However, is the trash just used to clean the landfills? Is it really having some positive impact on the environment? Are these efforts able to make a considerable dent on our not-so-green psyche?
The answer is no. The things made from recycled plastic bottle have a shorter life span, as the recycled plastic is weaker than the original material. According to a team led by Jim White at the University of Newcastle, the recycled material has a shorter life span because of the environmental stresses put on them. All recycled products will ultimately end up in the landfills very shortly.
So what’s the use of recycling? Certain strategies should be made to properly reuse the trash so that it completely vanishes and does not pollute the environment.
Why can’t you carry water in your small drinking bottle?
People tend to purchase water bottles and most of these are thrown in the landfills, thus polluting the environment. In 2005, 30 billion gallon of water in plastic bottles was purchased in America and 86% of the bottles went into the landfills. Many cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago have banned the purchase of plastic water bottles. New York has started a campaign called “Get your fill” that asks residents to carry their own water bottles.
It has been proved many times that the bottles purchased from the market contain the same water resources as supplied by your kitchen tap, which can be filtered at home easily. So what’s the use in buying the bottle from the market? An igloo was created from 4,000 plastic bottles that were thrown out after the London Marathon. People on one side are saying they are protecting the environment and on the other side they are polluting it. Water bottles should be banned altogether, just like plastic bags.
Via: Inhabitat