Q. Of all the uses of plastic in our daily lives, what would you say is the most (or one of the most) directly harmful to our bodies?

A. PVC (polyvinyl chloride, aka vinyl, aka #3 plastic).  There are so many things wrong with it.

• It contains chlorine and releases dioxins which can harm workers and communities were PVC plants are located,
• contains plasticizers called phthalates which are endocrine disruptors and expecially harmful to babies and small children,
• often contains lead which is used as a stabilizer and can leach from the PVC and poison children,
• is the most difficult to recycle,
• gives off hydrogen chloride when burned, which can be very harmful to firefighters,
• like all plastics, is not biodegradable and will last in the environment forever.

Here’s my post about PVC.

Q. You recently wrote about plastic in chewing gum. Is that the sneakiest use of plastic you’ve encountered? Is there another situation where people are generally unaware they’re using plastic products?

A. Many people don’t realize that all paper products that can contain liquids are lined with plastic.  Paper cups, paperboard cartons (like milk cartons), Chinese food take-out boxes, paper plates (the ones that are shiny), etc.  But the worst ones are cans and other products lined with BPA, another endocrine-disruptor.

Besides polycarbonate plastic bottles, almost all food cans are lined with it.  Thermal receipt paper is coated with it.  Soda cans are lined with it.  Aluminum SIGG bottles used to be lined with it – SIGG says they are not anymore.  Metal caps and metal jar lids are lined with it.  Even some dental sealants contain BPA.

Here’s a link to an article about BPA.

Q. You’ve mentioned that you don’t recycle your plastic because of the conditions in which it’s processed. What have you found out about those conditions?

Wow.  This article is going to be depressing. 

Very little plastic that is collected in the United States is actually recycled in the United States. Most of it is sold and shipped to China, where there are few environmental restrictions. Whole towns have become polluted with toxic plasticwaste from the United States and Europe, where the fumes are released into the air as the plastic is melted down. Or the plastic meant for recycling may be used for cheap fuel in the countries where it is shipped and where toxic emissions may not be controlled.

And some of our plastic collected for recycling actually ends up in the landfill if there is no market for the material.  Just because we put something in our recycle bin doesn’t mean it actually gets recycled. All we’ve done is sort it.  We don’t know what happens to it when it’s hauled away.

toothbrushes found on an Australian beach - flickr.com/krossbow

Q. What do you think about compostable and biodegradable plastics?

Compostable and biodegradable plastics may have a place, but I don’t believe they are the complete solution.  First, many compostable plastics are made from corn and other monocrops, which may be genetically-modified and which require massive amounts of petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides to grow.  Also, some biodegradable plastics are actually petroleum-based plastics with an additive that causes them to break down.

Furthermore, most compostable plastics can only be composted in areas where commercial facilities exist.  They will not compost in a landfill or in a backyard compost pile. We need to get the composting infrastructure in place to handle this new material.  So you have a chicken/egg problem.  So you first create the infrastructure without the compostable material to put in it?  Or do you start producing compostables and hope that communities will develop composting facilities to handle them?

And finally, all disposable products, whether plastic, compostable plastic, or paper, require materials and energy to produce.  In terms of conservation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we need to cut down our reliance on single-use disposable products in the first place.  Bringing our own reusable bags is preferable to compostable bags.  Bringing our own mug or water bottle is preferable to relying on compostable bottles or cups.  Moving away from a disposable-based mindset will require education and commitment from individuals, municipalities and organizations, but we can do it.  California right now is considering a ban on plastic bags combined with a fee for paper bags, hoping that customers will get in the habit of bringing their own bags.  And that’s just the start!

Q. I noticed you’re on the No ‘Poo method too. Can you say a few words about the awesomeness of baking soda and vinegar?

Finally a fun question!  Baking soda rocks.  It makes the best deodorant ever.  I keep a little tin of it in my underwear drawer and apply with a powder puff after a shower.  It works better than any commercial deodorant I have ever tried, and it’s plastic-free!

I do use the No ‘Poo method to wash my hair.  One tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water to wash and one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar per cup of water to rinse.  I also add a little rosemary essential oil to the ACV mixture.  I mix them up in plastic squeeze bottles (that I already had — I didn’t go out and buy new plastic bottles!) and keep them in the shower.  It works great.  My hair feels very clean.

For people who are not willing to go that route, there are other plastic-free shampoo methods.  Several companies make shampoo bars, which are just like bar soap except they are shampoo.  Lush makes several.  Burt’s Bees makes a rosemary mint shampoo bar.  Another brand is J.R. Liggett.  And there are also quite a few sellers on Etsy.com that make homemade shampoo bars.

While we’re on the topic, can I put in a word for Etsy?  It is a GREAT resource for people trying to go plastic-free.  There are people making all kinds of reusable produce bags, shampoo and cleaning bars, and I even found a woman who make reusable Swiffer pads on Etsy that can be washed and reused.  The great thing about it is that you can email the sellers ahead of time and ask about their products and request no plastic shipping materials.  Many of them are very happy to comply.  I love supporting small businesses.