I’ve been a contact lens wearer for over 40 years. I started out wearing contacts that lasted several months and eventually graduated to daily disposable lenses, attracted by their comfort and no fuss maintenance. But looking back, I cringe to think of how many lenses and blister packs I’ve thrown away over the years. Every morning, after inserting my contacts, I put the blister packs in recycling and at night I throw my lenses in the garbage (NOT down the sink or toilet). According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), I am one of 45 million people in the U.S. who wear contact lenses. But after researching this feature, I have to ask myself—is there something more I could be doing when it comes to disposing of those contact lenses, which in a short time turn into hard, breakable bubbles of plastic once they leave my eyes and hit the garbage can. In a word, the answer is yes. According to the AOA, many patients are unaware that there is an environmentally friend way to dispose of their worn contact lenses. The organization cited a 2018 Arizona State University study which found “as many as 1 in 5 contact lens wearers dispose of their lenses down the sink or toilet, contributing an estimated 6 to 10 metric tons of plastic lenses to U.S. wastewater each year. Furthermore, those lenses break down into microplastics at treatment plants, posing a risk to marine organisms and food supply, researchers claimed.” A recent episode on “60 Minutes” titled the Plastic Plague, offered a sobering view of just how much microplastics end up polluting our oceans and killing off marine life. “60 Minutes” reporter Sharyn Alfonsi reported on the problem’s deadly consequences for wildlife and outlined some solutions as to what can be done to stop it. What Are Americans Doing About Microplastics? A survey for Statista by YouGov has revealed that only 52 percent of adults in the U.S. have heard of microplastics. The issue, which has been troubling environmentalists in recent years, has been garnering more attention in the media, with headlines such as “Microplastics are raining down from the sky,” or “There’s no getting away from microplastic contamination” raising awareness. So what are the 52 percent doing to reduce the production of/contact with microplastics? The survey revealed that the most common action is recycling (more) plastic products. Next up, almost 30 percent say they now try to avoid buying food in plastic packaging, while a similar amount of people also try to avoid consuming drinks from plastic bottles. Unfortunately, the survey also revealed that some 21 percent of respondents said they have done nothing and have no plans to do anything about the problem of microplastics. Click here to read the full story from Statista.com. These days, the environment is top of mind for many Americans and the optical industry is no exception. VMail Weekend reached out to several contact lens manufacturers who are leading the way for environmentally-conscious ways to dispose of contact lenses and their packaging. Here’s what they had to say. Bausch + Lomb Bausch + Lomb launched the ONE by ONE Recycling Program in 2016 in partnership with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, to help put an end to this enormous loss of resources in order to help protect communities and preserve the natural environment for current and future generations. The first of its kind in the U.S., the ONE by ONE Recycling program provides contact lens wearers the opportunity to recycle their used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils properly. This is important, because even though the material used to manufacture these contact lens materials are recyclable, the materials typically don’t end up being recycled even if placed in standard “blue bins” due to their small size. Additionally, for every qualifying shipment of waste that weighs 10 pounds or more from a practice, a $1 per pound donation is made to Optometry Giving Sight, the only global fundraising organization that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision by providing eye exams and glasses to those in need. “Before the ONE by ONE Recycling Program launched in 2016, eyecare professionals and their patients did not have an option to ensure that their used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils were properly recycled, and this was becoming of increasing concern with the adoption of daily disposable contact lenses,” said John Ferris, general manager, U.S. Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb. “We learned through our collaboration with TerraCycle that even those who thought they could recycle them in standard ‘blue bins’ were doing so incorrectly—the used materials either contaminate other recyclable materials or are diverted to landfills because of their small size. With the ONE by ONE Recycling program, which has recycled 12 million units of contact lens materials to date, contact lens wearers and eyecare professionals now have a straightforward, simple solution. Together with eyecare professionals and their patients, we are helping to reduce the environmental impact these materials create,” Ferris said. Once TerraCycle receives the used contact lenses, blister packs and top foil, the shipment is checked in and weighed. The collections are then sent for manual separation, where any non-compliant materials are removed. After manual separation, the remaining material is shredded, and the blister pack foil lids are separated from the plastic materials (if they aren’t already). The plastic is then melted and extruded into plastic pellets, and the foil lids and metals from the blister packs are sent for smelting and metals recycling. Any additional metal material is filtered out during the extrusion process. The waste can then be reused, upcycled and recycled into new products. And the good news is that all types and brands of used contact lens materials—contact lenses, top foil and opened plastic blister packs—are accepted as part of the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program. Currently, more than 4,000 offices around the U.S. participate in the ONE by ONE Recycling Program. Through B+L’s sales representatives, educational events, and other touch points such as emails and brochures, the company encourages optometry practices to join the ONE by ONE Recycling program as a registered recycling center. By registering for the program, eyecare professionals are provided in-office promotional materials as well as large custom recycling bins to collect the used contact lenses, blister packs and top foil that are generated from the practice and its patients. Once the recycling bins are full, eyecare professionals can print a free shipping label provided by Bausch + Lomb and mail the materials in to be properly recycled through TerraCycle. All registered optometry practices are also listed on the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE website as an office that is currently involved in the program. Johnson & Johnson Vision A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson Vision said, “The company launched the U.K.’s first free recycling program for contact lenses in January. Known as the Acuvue Contact Lens Recycle Programme, it allows all contact lens wearers to dispose of their lenses, blister packaging and foil regardless of the brand. The company takes the recyclable waste and turns it into products such as outdoor furniture and plastic lumber. Consumers are given the option to dispose of their contact lens material at Boots Opticians and select independent practices or have it collected via courier.” “Seventy-seven percent of British contact lens wearers said they would recycle their contact lenses if they could and we share their interest in reducing the amount of plastics in the environment,” said Sandra Rasche, area vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Vision Care, Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH. “As a business, we are committed to doing our part to combat climate change, protect our planet’s natural resources and reduce waste, and this new U.K. recycling program represents the next step in our company’s sustainability commitment.” Johnson & Johnson Vision is collaborating with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste to run the program. Open for all in the U.K., contact lens wearers are encouraged to check the Acuvue and TerraCycle websites for details on their nearest public drop-off location points or to recycle from home via courier collection. Alcon According to a spokesperson from Alcon, “the company seeks to design packaging that both minimizes environmental impacts and meets all regulatory, quality, functional and design requirements.” Toward that end, Alcon has: • Developed and issued a sustainable packaging guide for their packing design teams. • Utilized best practice packaging case examples that are collected and shared among packaging designers across the company. • Made sure their design and development program ensures products are manufactured and placed on the market in conformance with global product-related legislation, including EU Medical Device Regulation, REACH, RoHS, Packaging Waste and global equivalents. CooperVision Pamela Jackson, senior director of Global Communications, CooperVision said, “We believe that the greatest possible impact today relates to maintaining a sustainable production environment. It offers the greatest direct reduce/reuse/recycling control of the highest volume of materials—for instance, water conservation, responsible energy use, and materials recycling.  “While we’re focused on the less visible but more meaningful production side of the equation, we’re also investigating other consumer-facing programs that may offer meaningful returns, and even piloting them outside of the U.S,” she said.

How ECPs Can Advise Patients on Recycling Contact Lenses  To help bolster awareness around proper contact lens disposal, the AOA's Contact Lens and Cornea Section (CLCS)  developed a resource to help doctors educate their patients. Here are three tips: 1. Inform patients about recycling programs available for contact lenses and packaging, including terracycle.com, or consider turning your practice into a recycling drop-off site. 2. Although most contact lens packages are stamped No. 5 for recycling, according to Terracycle, the size is what causes them to either contaminate other recyclable materials or be diverted to landfills. In fact, The Association of Plastic Recyclers confirms this fact, stating that the industry standard screen size, which identifies and removes unrecyclable plastics, filters out materials that measure less than three inches in diameter. Meaning standard recycling facilities are unable to process these small items. 3. Remind patients that boxes and cleaning solution bottles may be recyclable, too. Click here to access the AOA CLCS Proper Contact Lens Disposal fact sheet and click here to download an infographic for patient education.

   

These nontoxic biodegradable pencils will sprout when you plant them. From EcoshopGirl.com.   Aug. 22, 2019   Going back to school is a perfect time to share our love of the planet with our kids. Choose earth-friendly school supplies so that the younger generation gets a lesson in green along with their math and geography. Here are some eco-friendly options we found: ECO SCHOOL KIT Start your student off right with this Eco School Kit ($32.99 at Amazon) that includes a Stone Paper Notebook made of real stone, recycled from construction site debris, three retractable pens made from recycled milk cartons, 10 pencils made from recycled newspaper, three erasers made from recycled rubber, plus a double pencil sharpener with casing made from 100 percent bamboo – all packed in a reusable burlap linen bag. The products are created by Onyx and Green, known for their eco-friendly office and school supplies. Other choices include a 12-pack of Colored Pencils made with recycled newspaper ($6.99), and 3-pack of Mechanical Pencils made from recycled water bottles ($6.08). All packages are recycled and printed with soy-based ink. Amazon offers many other eco-friendly school supplies. SPROUTABLE PENCILS These amazing pencils actually grow plants when they become too short to use. Simply insert the nubby pencil into soil and watch it sprout! Pack includes eight biodegradable and non-toxic graphite pencils tipped with seed capsules for growing herbs such as basil, flax and thyme (varieties vary). What a great way to teach your child that nothing should go to waste! $17.99 at EcoGirlShop.com. BENTO BOX MANIA The Japanese art of lunch packing is rising in popularity, partially due to handy compartmentalized kits called bento boxes. Office Depot offers several colorful and fun choices such as this delightful Llama pattern, by Bentology. Two containers inside help keep food fresh and squish-free. Front pocket holds snacks and side pouch can fit most reusable bottles. Includes matching ice pack. Lunchbox is fully insulated and washable. Bento containers are phthalate-free, BPA-free, lead-free and PVC-free. $19.99. Mate up with an Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, made by Ello, $14.99. Keeps drinks cold for up to 24 hours. Both at Office Depot around town or OfficeDepot.com   FREEZABLE BENTO BAG If your kids complain that their “cold” sandwich is warm by the time that they can eat it, grab a Packit Bento Container & Bag and you’ll be the coolest parent in town! Freeze the entire bag and everything inside will stay chilled for up to 10 hours. Features a patented gel liner that stays in place over the entire surface of the bag. PVC and BPA free, it slips easily into backpacks. Other sizes and styles available. Style shown is $19.99 at Bed, Bath & Beyond. REUSABLE AND COMPOSTABLE BAGS Single use plastics have been the bane of this planet’s existence – but now there are choices that minimize negative impact. Check out Full Circle’s Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags in colorful patterns. $6.99-7.99/2 pack at Container Store and Target. You’ll also love Open Nature’s plant-based zippy bags. Offered in snack-sized to quart-sized, they are tough enough to be used multiple times and then composted when they wear out. From $2.99-$3.99 per 20-30 pack at Albertson’s and Tom Thumb. Bright and inexpensive are Lunchskins (pictured), similar to the wax paper bags that we had as kids – only $4.99/50 pack at Target. Simply discard them into your compost heap after use. Great for birthday party goodie bags too with their shark and apple patterns! Lunchskins also makes reusable sandwich bags in fabric similar to food storage used in bakeries and restaurants. Lots of fun patterns and colors. $6.99 at Lunchskins.com. Dolphin Blue offers Eco-Ditty Sandwich Bags in 100 percent organic cotton. Nifty designs for kids and adults, they can be washed and re-used hundreds of times! On sale for $12.37 at DolphinBlue.com.

As consumers become more conscious of their shopping habits, they’re looking not only for sustainable products but businesses dedicated to being environmentally friendly in all aspects of their operations. Shipping is an essential part of running an online business, with close to 600 million items mailed on a daily basis in the United States alone. The way these purchases are packaged and shipped has a major impact on the planet—and customers are taking note. We spoke to eight merchants about their business journeys and how they’re packaging, shipping, and fulfilling their orders with the environment in mind. Here are some of their tips for sustainable packaging and shipping:

• Offer carbon-neutral shipping by offsetting emissions
• Ship items in bulk
• Use sustainable packaging that can be repurposed
• Offer a returns program for your empty product containers 
• Recycle on behalf of your suppliers and offer shipping-friendly items
• Work with wholesalers to reduce individual shipments and limit return shipping
• Reduce the size of your packaging
• Use compostable mailers

Offer carbon-neutral shipping by offsetting emissions

Eric and Yana Dales met while doing humanitarian aid work in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Being in a garment manufacturing hub, the Dales saw the environmental and social drain from fast fashion’s use of unsustainable raw materials and labor conditions. Instead of complaining about the bigger players, they decided to create the fashion company they wanted to see in the world. The couple started TAMGA Designs to create a sustainable movement within the fashion industry and build a company that is style, people, and planet conscious. Their main objective is to not contribute to the deforestation taking place in ancient Indonesian jungles. They found a production partner that produces fabric from sustainably grown eucalyptus and beechwood trees to create pieces colored with low-impact dyes. As they’ve successfully scaled, Eric notes that their garments are sourced in Asia, travel to their facilities in Canada, then ship out to consumers in more than 25 different countries. With all the miles that their garments are traveling, the Dales set their sights on becoming a carbon-neutral company by offsetting the emissions that came from fulfilling orders. “We looked at the carbon emissions per kilometer per kilogram of garments on different modes of transportation,” says Eric. “We have a big spreadsheet and at the end of the month, we put together a tally and purchase offsets on those emissions.” TAMGA shares its process openly in the hope of creating systems other business will follow. TAMGA Designs packages each of its garments in 100% biodegradable cassava-based mailers that require no air exposure to compost. Eric believes financial costs incurred and the time invested for research are well worth the effort. “It’s really important for small businesses to know this isn’t something that is going to take away from their profitability,” he says. “In the long run, we honestly believe it’s a net-positive impact on our bottom line because customers do see it and they do value it.”

Ship items in bulk

Harriet Simonis, David Fragomeni, and Scott Ferguson first became friends while living in Bali. When surfing the local waves, they were distressed to find that the ocean was overflowing with single-use plastics and discarded fishing nets. That moment served as the catalyst to adopt the zero-waste lifestyles they still practice today. As they searched for plastic-free and environmentally friendly products, they realized something ironic. “A lot of eco-friendly products come affixed in plastic,” Harriet says. “It almost undoes the good.” Determined to create a solution without the same compromise, the trio founded Zero Waste Cartel to offer environmentally friendly bath, body, and kitchen products in packaging that’s either reusable or biodegradable. Their pledge to go plastic-free came with its own set of distinct challenges. For example, Harriet says the company had a hard time finding a warehouse that would actually use the compostable mailers they provided because of the additional time and effort involved. They’ve since found a suitable partner in the United States, where most of their orders are placed, which further reduced their environmental impact by shortening the shipping distance between warehouse and customers. “We prefer to ship in bulk, for the dual reason that it’s a better value for customers and better for the environment too,” Harriet says. Living up to their commitment to stay environmentally conscious has even required a few firm stances. For example, Zero Waste Cartel only sells its bamboo toothbrushes in packs of 10 to encourage customers to plan their purchases or share orders, so that products can ship in a more sustainable manner. What might otherwise seem like an inflexible policy has resonated with Zero Waste Cartel’s customers, who see value in bulk purchases for the planet and their own wallets.

Use sustainable packaging that can be repurposed

Since 2016, Roth Martin and Stephen (Hawthy) Hawthornthwaite have created beautifully designed, durable, machine-washable footwear made from plastic water bottles, under the moniker Rothy’s. With products that place style and sustainability on equal footing, Rothy’s counts Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle and supermodel Karlie Kloss as fans Lauren Taflinger, Rothy’s director of production, says the company has repurposed more than 34 million water bottles to date. Rothy’s production process also knits shoe uppers to shape, which creates virtually zero waste, unlike traditional cutting, where 30% to 40% of material is wasted. Like TAMGA Designs, Rothy’s also offsets its carbon emissions from production and fulfillment by partnering with the Envira Amazonia Project to fund ecosystem services and forest conservation projects.

Using tote bags at the grocery store. Refusing straws. Taking my reusable coffee mug to a local cafe. But after another Plastic-Free July, I realized that my plastic-free efforts weren’t anything new. And actually, my efforts no longer felt good enough compared to being a zero-waster—that is, fitting a year’s amount of trash in a single mason jar. Ten years ago, I saw the documentary Bag It and started advocating against plastic bags and began using reusable water bottles and carrying tote bags everywhere. That’s when I first learned about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and how plastic waste harms marine life. As the film predicted, things have gotten way worse. Every year, eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean on top of the estimated 150 million metric tons currently circulating in various marine environments. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is twice the size of Texas, and 10 years ago, it was already the size of Texas. The Ocean Cleanup gives me hope, along with local groups like Recology and the Surfrider Foundation, but there’s also the problem of the U.S. running out of landfill space. Australia may be the world leader of Plastic-Free July, but more people in the Bay Area are taking action by joining the zero-waste movement. Inspired by local zero-waste bloggers Bea Johnson at Zero Waste Home and Kathryn Kellogg at Going Zero Waste, I wanted to step up my “saving the world” game. But instead of tallying up what’s in my stinky bins, I thought I’d try being a zero-waster for one day. The rule of thumb is what you would think: throwing zero (or fewer) things away, especially single-use plastics, which end up in landfills or the ocean. Easier said than done. Here’s how my day of trying to be a zero-waste supermom went: 6:45 a.m. I wake up and go to the bathroom. Dang, I just used some toilet paper. Reminder: use a washcloth, or get a bidet attachment to minimize T.P. I spritz my face with White Sage Wellness’ Triple Goddess Anointing Spray. The bottle is made of reusable brown glass, but the top is comprised of two pieces of plastic. I could reuse it or list any used bottles on a freecycle site, like Bunz. Our son, Donovan, likes to pick the plastic stickers off store-bought fruit, and I tell myself we’re reusing them as fine-motor-skill toys. I brush my teeth with a bamboo toothbrush. I realize that when I replace it, I’ll have to pluck out the plastic bristles with pliers and throw them away because the plastic won’t decompose like the bamboo will. But that’s better than throwing away a chunky plastic toothbrush. I throw on some clothes from before my son was born, about two years ago, so they could be considered vintage. They certainly feel used. 6:55 a.m. I enter my son’s room singing “Good Morning, Starshine,” change his diaper, and dress him. We don’t use cloth diapers or a local diaper service, but we use Seventh Generation, which seems like a better sustainable baby product because they use recycled content. If there’s a number-two waiting for me, I flush the poop but death-grip the diaper so I don’t accidentally drop any wipes in the toilet and contribute to a massive fatberg in Bay Area sewers. His wardrobe is a mix of hand-me-downs and gifts from Grandma. We use diaper-pail garbage bags made from 20% recycled materials, but—sigh—we can do better. 7:15 a.m. My husband has already made French-press coffee and cut up some fruit — bonus points when they’re from our fruit trees. Our son, Donovan, likes to pick the plastic stickers off store-bought fruit, and I tell myself we’re reusing them as fine-motor-skill toys. But it could be worse. If given a choice between balloons or stickers, I choose stickers all the way because we all know where balloons can end up. Parental side note: there are compostable Band-Aids! I pack my son’s food in his lunchbox. I cringe when I throw in string cheese. I’m transitioning our family from Tupperware to ECOlunchbox and Stasher Bags, but what am I supposed to do with old Tupperware? My breakfast is homemade granola (gold star for me) and store-bought yogurt (minus a gold star). I have yet to find a grocery store close to me that sells yogurt in glass jars, but I’m keeping my eyes peeled. Food waste goes into our compost bucket, which we empty into our green bin at the end of each day. 7:45 a.m. I drive Donovan to his nanny share. We live in the ’burbs, and it would take 45 minutes for me to bike there. Driving takes 15 minutes. Plus, I can run errands on the way home. Plus, I haven’t ridden my bike since before he was born, so I’m just circling around the fact that I’m being lazy. If his daycare were closer, I would try to get back in the saddle (or have my husband do it). On the drive, I finish my coffee in my reusable to-go cup. If I were in Berkeley and wanted a refill, I could take advantage of their reusable-coffee-cup program. I don’t take public transportation for daycare trips, but my husband and I share one car, so that’s less waste, right? 8:45 a.m. I arrive back home and take a shower. I use a bar of soap (not body wash in a plastic container) and usually shampoo and condition my hair every two to three days—due to equal parts lack of effort and conservation of the plastic bottles they’re in. I haven’t found bar shampoo I love (but please let me know if you have). I should use my husband’s metal razor for shaving, but I still use my girlie plastic razor with a refillable blade. When that razor dies, I’ll get a stainless-steel safety razor, which should last me an eternity. A phaseout was announced for banning single-use plastic food containers by 2030. That’s in 11 years. We need to make changes now, people. Beauty and makeup products are a zero-waste challenge, as I like trying new things. Lush is the original reusable beauty brand, but if you go to Credo in SF, you’ll find modern brands, such as Axiology’s recycled aluminum lipsticks and Kaejr Weis’ refillable mascara. I wear minimal makeup on most days, but I have dry skin, so I need moisturizers. For body products, I support local brands with glass packaging and plant-based ingredients, like Earth Tu Face. Admittedly, $52 for a face wash is crazy, but how many glass containers can you find at Rite Aid? The thrifty option would be making my own products. That’s not high on the list because of a lack of time and energy — maybe for DIY Christmas presents. My husband and I share a natural deodorant, but I’d like to try a reusable-deodorant company, like by Humankind. I get dressed in clothes from my pre-child vintage wardrobe or in a consignment buy from a local shop such as Labels Luxury Consignment, Goodbyes, or Poshmark. 9:30 a.m. I fill up my mason jar with water from our Soma water filter and get to work. When our filter wears out, I decide I’ll get an activated-charcoal stick to use with a glass bottle. As a writer, my job is relatively waste-free; most of my waste is banana peels and Post-its. A protein-bar wrapper often makes its way into my trash too; if it’s a Clif Bar, I could collect and recycle the wrapper through their TerraCycle program. When I go into offices or have appointments in the city, I take BART, bring a reusable water bottle, and pack snacks. Retailers and vendors in San Francisco have recently stopped selling plastic straws, stirrers, and other small plastic pieces with food items, replacing them with paper and reusable materials. Right on. But in February, a phaseout was announced for banning single-use plastic food containers by 2030. That’s in 11 years. We need to make changes now, people. Recycling isn’t enough to make a difference anymore, especially since China is no longer accepting our recycling. But if I haven’t mastered the art of buying a to-go lunch using my containers (versus using the supplied single-use plastics), how will everyone else? I’d need to leave the house with a backpack full of Tupperware and mason jars, with some for lending to others. Or I can assemble a zero-waste travel kit, a kit that I could bring everywhere with a water bottle, cloth napkins, a reusable straw, a food container, and reusable cutlery. 12:30 p.m. Lunch is usually a homemade sando or salad, and I squeeze in a quick trip to the grocery store. I bring my own tote bags — I keep a stockpile in my car — and also try to keep used plastic bags inside those for wet or bulk items. But the grocery store is arguably the biggest zero-waste challenge of all. If I want strawberries, am I supposed to take them out of the plastic container? No, not cool. I can put potatoes in my cart, but what about items in sealed containers, like those plastic-suctioned beets, refrigerated pasta, and Talenti Gelato? Lucky for us, Rainbow Grocery and Berkeley Bowl have refrigerated bulk sections where you can stock up on some of these provisions. The best habits to get into are buying from the bulk sections and shopping at farmers’ markets. (Don’t forget your refillable bags and containers.) 3:45 p.m. I got my period–bleh. I’ve been using a menstrual cup for years, which is better than wasteful tampons. I could take it a zero-waste step further with Thinx period-proof underwear. Are they gross? Not as gross as the chemicals in tampons, which could make my cramps worse. 4:45 p.m. I leave to pick up my son from daycare. Where did that Pellegrino in my drink holder come from?! I grabbed one from the fridge for the drive. Why am I not using my SodaStream and reusable to-go cup? Because it’s the end of the day, and I’m rushing. At least the can is recyclable. But not everything is, and many of us are confused about what we can and can’t recycle. If you’re wondering what to do with those paint cans sitting in your garage or what to do with those empty medication bottles, local recycling resource RecycleWhere has the answer. 5:45 p.m. We arrive home, and it’s straight to my husband and I tag-teaming dinner and playtime. For my sanity, I usually plan meals a day or two ahead, which reduces food waste and saves money. On other days, we rely on heaven-sent Planted Table, an Oakland-based meal provider committed to zero waste. We usually go out for one meal or order in once a week. I wonder how I can make our favorite Chinese-food restaurant halt their use of plastic to-go containers. And I usually forget to bring containers for leftovers. Inspired by California lawmakers who’ve challenged the plastic industry to reduce production, I realize I can set an example in my local community. I could tell the Chinese restaurant to use eco-friendly containers. I could host a “how to live zero-waste” powwow among my mom friends. Then my son makes me laugh, and I temporarily forget about my zero-waste-supermom ideas. 7:30 p.m. After Donovan goes to bed, my husband and I clean up and catch up. Sometimes we talk about home improvements, like how to fashion a custom kitchen island from a place like Urban Ore. I also scour local buy/sell/trade Facebook groups for used toys and furniture. I consider the pros of renting furniture or just throwing more pillows on the floor since we have a toddler. 9:45 p.m. I meditate and replay my day, thinking about what I could have done differently, including 10 things I could do to seriously live zero-waste. Then I’m grateful for another good day and everything I have. I read Stealing Fire, purchased from Amazon. I get library books for my son, but I like buying my books new from Amazon or used from a local bookstore, like Spectator Books. But, as I remember, Amazon really needs to figure out their packaging-waste issues. If the world’s biggest retailer and shipper can’t get their act together — and they’re trying — it must be because it’s more costly. Being a zero-waster when you’re living on a budget is doable in the Bay Area, where there are even zero-waste school supplies, but what about the rest of the country? Where Walmart and Starbucks reign, single-use plastics are still king. This is yet another progressive movement that the Bay Area is at the forefront of. However, it’s cheaper to make your own coffee and prepare your own food at home — those are zero-waste basics anyone can adopt. I open my book. There’s beauty in the crisp feel and paper smell of a new book. There’s also beauty in a book with weathered edges and a past life. New or old—it’s about the mix for me and when it makes sense to conserve or reuse. For now, I’m OK with being a less-waster rather than a zero-waster. But let’s talk in 10 years. If Earth still exists

The end of summer is rapidly approaching and so are those Labor Day parties and gatherings.   Solo cups, those red or blue disposable plastic cups you use for parties and barbecues to make cleanup a snap, are not recyclable curbside or at drop-off sites anywhere in Northwest Indiana. Even worse, once thrown in the garbage, it is estimated that each cup will take hundreds of years to break down in a landfill.   On the bottom of the cups, you’ll note the recycling symbol, or “chasing arrows,” with a “6” in the center, which indicates they are made from polystyrene. Many people believe the chasing arrows symbol designates a product is acceptable for the recycle bin; however, this is not the case. That mark with the number is solely to identify the type of plastic from which it is made!   Because the chasing arrows symbol has been widely misinterpreted over the years, there is a movement to replace the chasing arrows with a solid triangle to avoid this confusion. On many items, you’ll already see the change.   The types of materials that are recyclable curbside in Northwest Indiana may be different from the materials accepted for recycling anywhere else in the United States, because what’s accepted depends on the capabilities of the materials recovery facility (MRF) that ultimately sorts, bales and sells them.   • If the MRF cannot process the material or product, then it is not recyclable curbside in your area. • If the MRF cannot sell the resulting baled material because there is no market for it, then the material is not recyclable curbside in your area.   In Northwest Indiana, our recyclables go to sorting facilities in Illinois that have determined there are no markets for #6 plastic; no one wants to purchase it, and it’s not profitable for the MRF to process it and ship it elsewhere.   Solo cups that end up at the MRF ultimately get buried in a landfill. Inappropriate material that goes to sorting facilities can contaminate valuable materials, add time and expense to material processing time and drive up recycling fees.   Because a material isn’t recyclable curbside doesn’t mean it’s not recyclable at all. Many times, there are other places you can take the material where it can be recycled.   In the case of Solo cups, a company called TerraCycle will accept and recycle Solo cups. Participants can even turn Solo cup recycling into a fundraising opportunity. Visit www.terracycle.com for details.   In addition, area Subaru dealerships are working with TerraCycle and are now accepting disposable cups for recycling:   Castle Subaru, 5020 US Highway 6, Portage; 219-764-5020 International Subaru of Merrillville, 1777 West US Route 30; 855-315-4266   If you are looking for an alternative to Solo cups at your event, try offering reusable cups or serve drinks in their original containers: bottles and cans that are recyclable. If you want to split hairs, you can offer plastic disposable cups that aren’t Solo cups or a cup that is not #6 plastic, as that is the material that really isn’t recyclable here in Northwest Indiana.   Events create a lot of waste. If you are concerned about your event’s impact on the planet, remember the slogan “Reduce, reuse, recycle, RETHINK!”   REDUCE: Don’t buy products like Solo cups. Reduce your consumption of disposable products.   REUSE: Will reusable cups, plates and utensils work? What would your guests say if you asked them to bring their own cups (BYOC)?   RECYCLE: If reusable items just aren’t convenient, offer products that can be recycled, like cans and bottles. Be sure to offer recycling bins at your event so your guest can recycle. We can help!   RETHINK: your event; don’t plan, buy or do things just because you’ve done it that way in the past. Change can be good; good for you and the planet!   For more information on Porter County Recycling & Waste Reduction, call 219-465-3819 or visit www.PorterCountyRecycling.org. In the case of Solo cups, a company called TerraCycle will accept and recycle Solo cups. Participants can even turn Solo cup recycling into a fundraising opportunity. Visit www.terracycle.com for details.   In addition, area Subaru dealerships are working with TerraCycle and are now accepting disposable cups for recycling: • Castle Subaru, 5020 US Highway 6, Portage; 219-764-5020 • International Subaru of Merrillville, 1777 West US Route 30; 855-315-4266  

We all want to do our best for the planet, but are our recycling efforts going – forgive the pun – to waste?   Going green is a no-brainer at a time when we are increasingly aware of the need to clean up our world – from plastic pollution to the strain on resources posed by fashion.   But confusion over how to recycle is a significant roadblock when it comes to living in a eco-friendly way, with close to four in ten of us (37%) claiming we don’t always know if products can be recycled.  

Items which can’t be recycled

 

Cotton buds

  Let’s start with an easy one: cotton buds.   You only have to have seen that viral picture of a seahorse to know plastic cotton buds pose a problem to the planet – and thankfully there is a ban coming in next year.   “Some items are just too small to recycle - they might fall out during transit to a recycling plant or drop into the wrong place at a plant where small items that might contaminate a load are extracted,” explains Rachelle Strauss, founder of Zero Waste Week, which runs from 2 to 6 September this year.   In the mean time, make sure you invest in eco-friendly alternatives made from bamboo or paper.  

Ready meal plastic trays

  Do yourself – and the planet – a favour by avoiding microwave and oven-ready meals.   “Black plastic trays that convenience meals are packed in is difficult for lasers to see, so it can cause problems in a recycling plant,” she says.   Our suggestion to give up the ready meal habit? Keep it simple and chuck a baked potato in the microwave then go crazy with toppings – cheaper, more nutritious and almost as speedy.  

Toothpaste tubes

  Yup – your regular dental must-have is a big, fat nuisance when it comes to the recycling planet.   “Toothpaste tubes cannot be recycled as they are heavily contaminated with the product and contain several different materials that can’t be separated within our current recycling facilities,” explains Sophie Hadden, PR officer at Wrap.   In a similar vein, crisp packets and cat food pouches – which are also made up from composite materials – can pose problems for recycling.  

Pyrex dishes

  Broken your favourite Pyrex tupperware? Our commiserations – but make sure you don’t stick it in the regular recycling.   Pyrex products “can't be recycled with glass because Pyrex has been specially treated in the manufacturing process to withstand high temperatures,” says Strauss.  

Sanitary products

  A number of sanitary towels and tampons from leading brands are not recyclable, and they are flagged as “serious contamination” risk if mixed in with other products, according to the WRAP website.   However, there are recyclable alternatives available, or alternatively women could use a reusable silicone menstrual cup.  

Receipts

  You may think that paper receipts are fine to chuck in with the rest of your paper waste, but sadly it’s not the case.   The majority of receipts are non-recyclable. While the paper itself is recyclable, “93% of thermal receipts contain Bisphenol A (BPA), a toxic industrial chemical that’s used to produce specific kinds of plastic,” according the Recycle Coach website.   Opt for digital receipts instead to reduce your impact in a small, yet significant way, advises Strauss.

Perfume bottles

  You might think you can chuck your perfume bottles in with the rest of your glass waste, but sadly that’s not the case.   “Perfume bottles cannot be recycled as part of normal household services as they need cleaning, and the metal elements taking apart and recycled separately,” explains a press release from The Perfume Shop.  

What to do with non-recyclable items?

  The simplest option? Don’t purchase non-recyclable items in the first place. Hunt for alternatives at your local supermarket, or visit the Eco Friendly Shop website for everything from paper straws to bamboo toothbrushes.   It’s worth mentioning that each local authority treats recycling differently – so what’s true for one area might not be the same for another, explains Strauss.   You can check your local council’s policy by calling up their waste department, or typing your postcode into the Recycle Now website to see your local recycling options.   If you have non-recyclable items, contact TerraCycle to arrange a waste collection. You can do this as a household, or as a wider institution (speak to your company’s lead to arrange a regular office collection).   Going forward, supermarkets such as Co-Op and Iceland are looking to remove all hard-to-recycle dark and plastic plastics by 2023.   And for those items – like perfume bottles – that you can’t help but purchase? Try to buy from companies which have their own recycling schemes, like The Perfume Shop’s bottle recycling scheme, launching this month.   “We are delighted to be leading the way in recycling luxury perfume bottles,” says Cathy Newman, marketing & customer experience director at The Perfume Shop.   Read more about supermarkets and shops which offer recycling initiatives here.    

FAIRFIELD, Calif.– Harvest Snaps is bringing back, by popular demand, two limited edition holiday flavors: Salted Caramel Red Lentil Snack Crisps and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Red Lentil Snack Crisps. Baked (never fried!), these indulgently crunchy, veggie-first snack crisps feature Non-GMO red lentils as the first ingredient and are only 130 calories per serving, making them a deliciously better-for-you alternative to traditional holiday treats. They also pack 6 g of plant-based protein and 3 g of fiber in every serving, are certified gluten-free, and completely free of artificial flavors, colors, cholesterol, and the common allergens soy, nuts, wheat and eggs.   Ranking first and third respectively in a recent flavor and TURF* analysis, here’s how the fun and festive flavors break down:  

• Salted Caramel: The decadent sweetness of caramel is paired with a sprinkle of savory salt for an irresistible holiday treat that will satisfy any snack craving.

• Cinnamon Brown Sugar: Warm cinnamon meets sweet brown sugar in this classic combo that’s sure to warm hearts and stomachs.

  As noted by Paul Laubscher, Director of Marketing with Calbee North America, the parent company behind Harvest Snaps, “Salted caramel and cinnamon sugar are two of the most popular holiday flavors, and when paired with our red lentil snack crisps, the result is a can’t-resist snack that delivers seasonal goodness without the guilt. Merry snacking!”   Sold in festive 3 oz. bags, Harvest Snaps’ Holiday Snack Crisps are currently available for retailers to order and planned to be in stores this November. All of Harvest Snaps’ packages are part of the TerraCycle recycling program, an initiative led by Calbee North America to help reduce waste and give back to charity. Also visit www.harvestsnaps.com and follow @harvestsnaps on social media for more information.

This spring I was on a cruise off Bermuda, some 650-plus miles off the mainland United States. The sea was azure—the color of the sky on a clear blue day. The water was crystal clear other than a few golden strands of sargassum seaweed.   I was on the boat with an intrepid group of major plastic producers and users (Dow Chemical, Clorox, Nestlé Waters, Coca-Cola), nonprofit organizations (Greenpeace, WWF), social entrepreneurs, investors, funders and academics like me. We were gathered by SoulBuffalo, our host, to experience the ocean plastics challenge firsthand and to use our time confined together at sea to determine what we might do about it.   And there was horror lurking beneath.   What we encountered, though, weren’t massive shakes or mysterious monsters of the deep. We all took our turn snorkeling and had a macabre competition to see how many pieces of plastic we could find stuck in the sargassum. I think the toilet seat won.   Yet the truly devastating experience was this: Remember those crystal-clear waters 650 miles out in the middle of nowhere? We all took turns in a zodiac pulling a small filter behind us for 30 minutes. Each filter came back with 10 plus microplastic bits pulled from the top layer of those beautiful waters. These plastic fragments had not been visible to the naked eye.     Photo courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration   Every day we are drowning ourselves and unique habitats in plastic waste. Scientists estimate that in coastal countries some 275 million metric tons of waste were generated in 2010, with between 4.8 and 12.7 million metric tons (the equivalent of 8.5 million Toyota Priuses) ending up in the ocean.   Marine life is eating the plastic. I saw a piece of plastic with fish and turtle bites on it.  Whales, seabirds, fish and other sea mammals have been found with intestines full of plastic. So, what to do? Focus first on getting rid of single use plastics. Already the EU, Canada, China and India, among other countries, and some U.S. states and municipalities have announced various single use plastic bans, and more will come.   And we can do our part as consumers. You know you are supposed to bring that silly canvas bag with you to the grocery store—so do it! Build your personal brand with your choice of water bottle so you don’t have to buy plastic. (I have a Swell bottle that looks like wood. Says it all.) You can carry your own collapsible straw, if sipping things is an important part of your daily routine.   There is also fun new stuff to try. Feel nostalgic for the milkman and his glass bottles? Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Clorox, Nestlé, Mars, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are working with Terracycle through a new service called Loop, which delivers your shampoo, ice cream and other food and personal care items in durable and attractive packaging that they take away when empty, clean, refill and deliver to your doorstep.   A similar idea is Truman’s Cleaning Supplies. They not only reduce your jumble of noxious cleaners to four non-toxic options but will deliver refills that you mix with water in the original bottle. Bye-bye to lots of plastic bottles with leftover nasty chemicals in them.   Once you start thinking about it and creating a low plastics tolerance discipline, I am sure you will find many ways to cut down on single use plastics.   The motley crew aboard the Bermuda plastics cruise may still find ways to make it easier for you. My favorite idea from the onboard brainstorming was Zero Hero, wherein brands will band together with retailers to create products with zero packaging waste or 100 percent recycling or reuse and refill in-store, enabling consumers to choose to be “zero heroes.” The ocean could use some Avengers. Personally, I am rooting for Aquaman to step up.  

It’s harder than you might imagine to break away from clamshells and baggies.

You might not expect modern corporations to tackle an urgent problem of the 21st century by looking back to the 1950s. But that’s what one group of companies is doing with a new service called Loop, whose backers refer to its approach as “the milkman model.” As that Leave It to Beaver–era nickname implies, Loop delivers supermarket and drugstore staples—including toothpaste, detergent, mayonnaise, and ice cream—to consumers’ homes in durable, reusable containers. It’s a “zero waste” initiative, an effort to alleviate the planet’s plastic-pollution crisis. Several consumer-goods giants are Loop partners, including Unilever and Nestlé (which are packaging their brands in Loop’s bottles and tubes) and retailers Kroger and Walgreens. The company that conceived Loop, however, and will distribute, clean, and refill all those containers, is tiny TerraCycle, a 302-employee startup in Trenton, N.J., whose CEO, Tom Szaky, founded the business 18 years ago in his Princeton dorm room. TerraCycle holds the No. 10 spot on Fortune’s fifth annual Change the World list. The list honors companies that recognize public health, environmental, economic, and social problems as major challenges—but also as opportunities to initiate a so-called virtuous circle. They understand that doing good for society and the planet can help them bring in more revenue, which can help them do more good, in a self-reinforcing loop. The TerraCycle project embodies another kind of virtuous circle: As the threats posed by pollution become increasingly urgent, more companies are embracing the idea of a “circular economy,” one in which products last longer and are close to 100% recyclable. That idea animates Daisy, Apple’s iPhone-repurposing robot (No. 16); the reusable “smart grid” circuitry manufactured by French giant Schneider Electric (No. 9); and many other innovations featured here. Expanding opportunities for your own employees can create another positive loop. That ideal guides $514 billion retailer Walmart (No. 5), which is paying for higher education for thousands of its employees, and $398 million restaurant chain MOD Pizza (No. 28), which has built its workforce around formerly incarcerated people and others who struggle to get hired elsewhere. We selected the 2019 list in collaboration with our expert partners at Shared Value Initiative, a consultancy that helps companies apply business skills to social problems. As MOD shows, small companies are just as capable as multinationals of fitting that bill. This year’s smaller candidates were particularly potent. Our 52 honorees include at least nine companies with less than $1 billion in annual revenue. “Small” doesn’t mean “money-losing,” however. These companies here have built their do-gooder ideas into real business models, and are either turning a profit with their help or have credible plans for doing so. (Please see more about our methodology here.) The Change the World list doesn’t score companies on their charitable generosity, nor does it rate them on some cosmic scale of good and bad. It celebrates the nexus where daring ideas overlap with the desire to make the world better. Loop, which has signed up 80,000 customers in the U.S. and Europe since its launch in May, sits in that sweet spot. It’s not going to make the Great Pacific Garbage Patch disappear. But be patient: Many world-changing ideas start small.