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Do you ever find yourself at the French Broad River staring at piles of plastic litter wondering what you can do to stop this?  Asheville GreenWorks and our sister page, Going Plastic Free, are here to help you make this happen! Mind Your Plastic May is a month-long campaign to inform you about the grave social and environmental harms that ensue from plastic waste and equip you with the knowledge to reduce plastic in your own life.  

All month long, we will be sharing plastic reduction tips, volunteer opportunities to address plastic waste, educational materials featuring local Asheville businesses, and much more. We aim to foster knowledge and encourage mindfulness around plastic consumption and disposal for individuals and business owners. This month, we hope you will follow us on Facebook and Instagram, where you will gain valuable knowledge about how to refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics, as well as learn about local waste reduction efforts.

Join our 
Race2Reduce and commit to decreasing your plastic usage for the entire month of May. Sign up here to join the challenge and earn points to win a $25/$50/$75 gift card to Ware!

Many thanks to the businesses and restaurants who supported this effort and are working hard to reduce their own plastic waste. #goingplasticfree

Join us in our love for the planet as we
 address and defeat our global plastic addition.
Donate now for a plastic-free future
Mind Your Plastic May is meant to encourage and challenge us in our journey to live plastic free. These posts are created by GreenWorks staff. If you've found these posts helpful and encouraging, please consider making a donation to support this work. If you have any questions, please email [email protected]

Where does single-use plastic end up?

5/4/2019

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I’m guilty of snagging that last minute item in the check out line. That packet of gum or the two-for-one dollar candy bars or that iced vanilla latte. They’re so convenient. These items are made to be easily consumed and obtained by folks on the go. As you probably guessed, the majority of these items are non-recyclable, single-use plastics. There’s no arguing that plastic is an infinitely useful item. From hip replacements, to mobile phones to lifesaving equipment, it’s a pretty cool item but one we’ve taken for granted, or maybe taken too far?

Plastic saw its birth in 1869, due in part to the declining ivory trade. Chemist John Wesley Hyatt created a synthetic polymer from cellulose treated with camphor. This early polymer was able to be crafted into a wondrous array of items that offset the need for animal products. Flash forward to 2019, and we’re wrapping bananas and cucumbers in plastic to extend their shelf life. Definitely not the best use for an item meant for greater aspirations.
So where does all of this non-recyclable, single-use plastic end up? Short answer and the best case scenario would be the local landfill. In the worst case, we see single-use plastics strewn along the roadsides and in our rivers as they’re easily discarded and can blow for miles before finding their final destination. 

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There’s little to no demand for this class of plastic packaging, which includes candy and chewing gum wraps, plastic lined paper cups, plastic lids and plastic straws. Our local material recycling facility (MRF) reports they sort 75 to 80 tons of single-use plastics out of standard recyclables on a weekly basis. This process costs the recycling facility time, freight and landfill fees. Add that to an already declining recycling commodities market and it makes it hard for a MRF to stay in business.
What’s the solution to this problem?
  1. Reuse single-use plastic as much as possible. Every bit helps.
  2. Politely ask your favorite business to consider alternatives to single-use items.
  3. Use your voice and write to large manufacturers requesting biodegradable or recyclable packaged goods.

I know that I’m making this sound easy, but it really is. Just use your dollars to push the market to sustainable solutions. I mean, we kinda have to!

Eric Bradford, GreenWorks Director of Operations
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    Staff from Asheville GreenWorks, volunteers from the Plastic Reduction Task Force, as well as other guest writers who are advocates and friends.

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​Asheville GreenWorks is a 501(c)3 non-profit environmental organization, governed by a Board of Directors. Established in 1973, GreenWorks mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize individuals and communities to take care of the places we love to live.
  • Hard 2 Recycle
  • About
    • Job Openings
    • History
    • Staff/ Contact
  • Get Involved
    • Internships
    • Make a Donation
    • Sponsorship
    • Volunteer
    • Wish List
    • Youth Environmental Leadership Program >
      • YELP Staff & Alumni
      • How to Apply
  • Programs
    • Bee City USA Asheville >
      • 10th Anniversary Yearlong Pollination Celebration
      • Native Pollinator Plants and Nurseries
      • Pollinator Garden Certification
      • Pollinator Gardens & Meadows Project
    • Education
    • Urban Forestry >
      • Cool Green Asheville
      • Food Tree Project
      • RRI
      • Tree Nursery
      • Treasured Trees >
        • Treasured Trees Calendar
    • Rivers & Roads >
      • Adopt-a-Street
      • Clean Streams Day
      • Cleanup Supply Stations
      • Trash Trout
    • Waste Reduction >
      • Asheville Bag Monster
      • Composting Information
      • Flip Your Lid
      • Plastics Reduction Task Force
      • Recycling Information
  • Silent Auction
  • Upcoming Events
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Benefit Concert
  • Blog Roll
    • Latest News
    • Mind Your Plastic May
    • Protect our Pollinators
    • Voice for the Trees