Environment Task Force Newsletter
Ohio State University Extension
Summer, 1997, v1 #2

Shop 'til you drop

Cheryle Jones Syracuse, Lake/Ashtabula County Family and Consumer Science Agent

A trip to the store can be earth-friendly, if you look for the right products. Here are some tips:

• "Pre-cycling" is more important than recycling. How can we keep from generating the waste in the first place? For example, making meals at home from "scratch" takes more time, but it results in a lot less packaging waste.

• Many companies offer refills to reduce waste. An example is a brownie mix refill. The initial purchase includes a microwave-safe plastic pan. Instead of throwing the pan away, reuse it the next time you make brownies by purchasing the refill mix.

• If you have a choice, purchase products made from or packaged in recycled materials. If you are not buying recycled packages and products, you are not closing the recycling loop.

• Paper or plastic? The answer should be "Neither!" Bring your own reusable bags or reuse the shopping bags you've received on previous trips. If just 25 percent of American homes used 10 fewer paper bags each month, we would save 25 billion bags in one year. Considering it takes one 7- to 10-year-old tree to make enough paper to produce only 700 grocery bags, this enviro-shopping choice would save a whole forest of trees. On the other hand, plastic never degrades and takes up space in sanitary landfills.

• Do you try to reuse leftover cottage cheese cartons? Great! Reuse is a form of recycling. The plastic in those cartons is not readily recoverable and is not usually separated and collected by recyclers. These cartons can be reused for short-term refrigerator storage but are not designed for freezer storage. Think about how you can reuse these cartons before throwing them in the trash.

• Try to avoid inappropriately packaged products and do a better job of matching product size to need. For example, you may buy a small-sized product instead of a bigger size with the idea of producing less trash. But, if over time you have to go back to the store and buy 12 small boxes instead of the one larger package, it's not a good environmental or economical decision.

• Many housing materials can be purchased with the environment in mind. Several rather inexpensive carpeting products are made from recycled plastic bottles and are good in informal settings, such as playrooms. And, work is being done to recycle fibers from old carpet. Roofing panels that contain 52 percent resin from recycled computer housings are available. Wood-substitute products made of 50 percent sawdust from old wooden pallets and 50 percent recycled plastic grocery bags can be used for columns, window trim, deck materials, railings, landscape boxes and fencing. And, some ceiling tiles or panels are made with wood fiber containing 22 percent recycled newsprint.