Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Things that need to be invented, part VI
Biodegradable trash bags need to be invented.
Former President Clinton was in Raleigh yesterday talking about his vision of the future of the world. He said that interdependence was the key determinant facing Americans today. What each of us do affects the other. We are all in it together for good and bad.
He said that it was no longer good enough as an American to say, "I have a job. I work hard. I pay my taxes. I vote. Ergo, I am a good citizen." Clinton said that Americans today have more obligations, more demands, a higher level of responsibility asked of them. We must become again a nation of doers and inventors. The Clarion Content could hardly agree more.
The President also as an aside discussed the opening scene of the new movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," apparently a chase scene across a Mumbai landfill. Clinton said landfills should be a thing of the past. No longer should we simply discard the waste of entire urban and suburban areas into massive indistinguishable piles of rot. The metals should be be removed and recycled. The compostable material should be turned into methane (fuel.) The chemicals dangerous to groundwater should be stored and sealed properly. The Clarion Content heartily endorses this kind of disposal and the end of all landfills.
But in the interim one thing that could make the landfills less permanent would be the invention of biodegradable plastic bags. Many, if not most, Americans put their trash into plastic bags before throwing it out. These plastic bags delay the biological breaking down of this garbage by as much as seventy years. The compartmentalizing of each homes garbage into many tiny, impermeable units makes the landfill mess ever so much worse.
Find old "Things that need to be invented" posts here. (This post will show up first, older posts will be below it.)
Labels: ecology, Invent this, Politics, technology
Comments:
These bags already exist, and are in fact available for sale at Whole Foods, and are used in many of the stores' cafes and kitchens for composting. The major problems with the bags are:
1. They are wimpy. The bags tend to tear pretty easily, and are susceptible to heat.(probably not relevant to most home use, but, hey, you never know)
2. They simply mask the problem. You can use all the biodegradable bags you want, but if we keep putting trash in them that won't break down quickly, then it's just putting lipstick on a pig. We first need to cut down on the amount of trash generated by each household, and work our way up to biodegradable waste from there..... but that's the topic for another post.
1. They are wimpy. The bags tend to tear pretty easily, and are susceptible to heat.(probably not relevant to most home use, but, hey, you never know)
2. They simply mask the problem. You can use all the biodegradable bags you want, but if we keep putting trash in them that won't break down quickly, then it's just putting lipstick on a pig. We first need to cut down on the amount of trash generated by each household, and work our way up to biodegradable waste from there..... but that's the topic for another post.
Will-
Brilliant. Glad to hear that these bags are already available. Too bad they are "wimpy", maybe what needs to be invented is a better version.
Still, agreed that they aren't the solution, they are a stopgap measure at best. Would love to see much more sorting of household waste before it is picked up by the municipality or whomever. Of course, generating less waste would be best, and we all have to do our part. I think that both Obama's inaugural address and Clinton's speech in Raleigh emphasized that reality. In the interim, let us make use of the waste that is being created in the best way possible.
Brilliant. Glad to hear that these bags are already available. Too bad they are "wimpy", maybe what needs to be invented is a better version.
Still, agreed that they aren't the solution, they are a stopgap measure at best. Would love to see much more sorting of household waste before it is picked up by the municipality or whomever. Of course, generating less waste would be best, and we all have to do our part. I think that both Obama's inaugural address and Clinton's speech in Raleigh emphasized that reality. In the interim, let us make use of the waste that is being created in the best way possible.
here is a link to biodegradable bags. www.biobagusa.com
Here is some information on the bags and ways to use them in a more environment friendly way. From food waste to pet waste there are some interesting ideas, but the overall problem is the cost of the items right now. 12 bags for six or seven buck. Where as the alternative gives you a hundred bags for that same price. Maybe in a little time these type things will be a little more affordable and the every day person will begin to care what they are throwing away, in what and where they are putting their waste. Composting + recycling = less waste.
Here is some information on the bags and ways to use them in a more environment friendly way. From food waste to pet waste there are some interesting ideas, but the overall problem is the cost of the items right now. 12 bags for six or seven buck. Where as the alternative gives you a hundred bags for that same price. Maybe in a little time these type things will be a little more affordable and the every day person will begin to care what they are throwing away, in what and where they are putting their waste. Composting + recycling = less waste.
Don-
Right there with you, cost is the key. Americans have long shown when it is no more costly to do the environmentally correct thing, they are willing. But when they have to pay more to do it or it is inconvenient, it is much more up in the air...
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Right there with you, cost is the key. Americans have long shown when it is no more costly to do the environmentally correct thing, they are willing. But when they have to pay more to do it or it is inconvenient, it is much more up in the air...
