{"id":15727,"date":"2018-11-05T13:42:40","date_gmt":"2018-11-05T13:42:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greensideup.ie\/?p=15727"},"modified":"2018-11-05T13:42:40","modified_gmt":"2018-11-05T13:42:40","slug":"introducing-the-stojo-collapsible-cup-and-why-its-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greensideup.ie\/introducing-the-stojo-collapsible-cup-and-why-its-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing the Stojo Collapsible Cup (and why it’s important)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"IntroducingDuring the past year I’ve been working with \u00b9VOICE Ireland as a recycling ambassado<\/span>r<\/span><\/a> for County Carlow, visiting community groups and explaining what can and can’t go into their recycling bins. <\/span>We were<\/span> asked to stick to the facts and avoid being pulled into discussions about the rights and wrongs of our country\u2019s waste disposal methods. <\/span><\/p>\n

This proved harder than one might imagine as dismayed people are\u00a0outraged that they aren’t provided with enough choice that allows them to avoid all the rubbish that manufacturers and suppliers present us with. Most feel they are being punished, both financially in terms of refuse charges and environmentally as they haven’t asked for all the single use plastic rubbish that food is covered in, and they aren’t happy that they are contributing to the mountains of waste. <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the fact that we are watching the climate breakdown around us, my observations from these workshops have been that unless people are offered viable alternatives, most won’t or are unable to change their habits as quickly as is needed or recommended by the latest IPCC report (see below). When legislation forced change in \u00b2Kenya, imposing a $38,000 USD plastic bag tax on anyone found using, making or distributing plastic bags, people had to come up with solutions fast to provide alternatives. These included innovations such as making paper products from invasive species. Can we, or will we make changes fast enough across the rest of the world without those kind of tough measures being imposed upon us?<\/span><\/p>\n

The VOICE \u00a0funding is now coming to an end and all the ambassadors have been asked to reflect upon the three to five most surprising things people found out during our presentations. For my groups these included:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Disposable coffee cups aren’t recyclable (use china, glass, or reusable cups).<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. The recycled symbol isn’t necessarily applicable (it’s usually only valid for the country the product was manufactured in).<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. No scrunchable plastics are recyclable (I’ve started making Eco bricks<\/a>).<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Items made up of mixed composites (such as crisps packaged in cardboard covered tins) can’t be recycled (switch to crisps with packets that can go into the Eco bricks).<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. Everything has to be clean and dry (rinse at the end of the washing up session).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Has it made a difference?<\/span><\/h2>\n

    A year on, I\u2019ve noticed positive changes. As the plastic debate gains momentum, we continue to see horrific images of plastic oceans and hear stories about how insidious plastic particles can be on our daily lives,\u00a0<\/span>from affecting sperm counts in men<\/span><\/a> to <\/span>ingesting particles through our tap and bottled water supplies,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0opening our eyes to the problem. As a result,\u00a0products and solutions are beginning to appear to help us make the transition to a life without single use plastics. <\/span><\/p>\n

    \n

    Here you go! BIO bags in action!!!! pic.twitter.com\/as9NuhrGAs<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 Jason Horner (@leenorganics) October 1, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n