What???

I'm upset to-day. My sewingmachine died and a new one is not in the near future.
So I have spent time reading.
I subscribe to a lot of newsletters and normally I don't get particularly upset about what I read.
It is after all mostly crafty stuff, that cannot upset any sane and normal person, right?

To-day I read on Creative Woman's Newsletter about a ginormous amount of trash - called an island - floating in the Pacific. Approximately the size of Texas. Another trash-island floats around the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean and there are also 5 other trash-islands in the Tropics.

We are talking plastic here, guys. Bottles, bags, all kinds of containers.

I did some googling to learn more and found interesting and even more upsetting things.
You can read more on About.com.Geography and here on My Wonderful World, a site I can recommend to all grown ups although it is meant for children.

Who knew that the bottlecaps alone causes huge problems?

I didn't. Take your time and listen to this.


 
 
I have been recycling for YEARS. Paper, glass and plastic. A lot of people do that, I'm no saint.
It doesn't help looking at it large scale. The truth is that my recycling is like a drop in the ocean - garbage pile up faster than anyone can control. According to the experts cleaning the oceans for trash is an impossible task - that will cost an insanely amount of money. So it stays. And grows.
 
This upsets me.
 
Reading more in Creative Woman's Newsletter I can learn to re-use plastic and turn it into beautiful, useful objects. Good ideas. Or?
 
"Some baby food is now sold in cute rectangular plastic containers. These containers are great for storing small embellishments"
 
May I suggest avoid bying these cute(!!) plastic wrapped babyfood containers in the first place?
 
Are these mothers (and fathers) really that busy that they cannot make their own babyfood and store it in ordinary plasticcontainers that go in the dishwasher?
No one can recycle that many containers. No one can fill up the house with cute plasticcontainers full of small embellishments.
Where is the logic in buying babyfood in plasticcontainers that will create serious environmental problems in your childs future - and then spend time crafting and re-using a few of them instead of spending a little more time in the kitchen (for your childrens sake) making the babyfood? It doesn't make sense. At all.
Even I have a blender and I don't own a lot of kitchen equipment. Just a suggestion.
 
This upsets me.
 
Now - I don't want nasty comments from mothers here who feel under attack. You are not the only ones polluting the oceans with the cute containers you cannot re-use. Companies, businesses, people all over the word pollute the oceans.
I pollute too. Yes I do. Although I recycle a lot. But that comment in WCN upset me. A lot.
 
I just threw out an empty youghurt plastic container after reading about this problem. I didn't like to do it.
But next time I buy youghurt I'll buy a cardbord container.
Better. I think. At least I hope so.
 
 

                                                      

                                                                    plastic





  

cardboard

                                                                                                                                
There's still the problem about the plastic caps though.
Both types have them.
 
Sigh...
 
Its upsetting.
 
However - recycling is a good thing. I have to trust and believe that. I want to.