Filed under: Business Practices, Consumer Products | Tags: bags, Consumer Products
There are two kinds of degradable carrier bags on the market today. The first being a biodegradable bag – Note the ‘bio’ part of it. This bag is made from a natural maize, which once manufactured, starts to degrade slowly. These are generally the most expensive, and are not ideal if some of the stock needs to be shelved for a lengthy period of time. The second type is a degradable carrier bag. These are basically a plastic carrier bag which has a special agent added to it during the manufacturing process. This agent slowly breaks down the plastic material over a fairly long period of time, which eventually turns it into a harmless vapour and dust, none of which are toxic in any way. These are the cheaper option and probably the most popular. The quality of this type of bag is the same as a standard plastic carrier bag, the only difference being that they are far more environmentally friendly.
These biodegradable bags are also great to use as a promotional tool. They can be printed and personalised with company logos and wording and are proving extremely popular for use at events and exhibitions. It gives the opportunity for businesses to advertise themselves to hundreds, if not thousands of people attending the event, as well as give the visitors something to carry there freebies and literature in.
Most councils and government organisations have switched to using biodegradable bags due to their eco-friendly nature. With the government actively promoting environmental issues and solutions, they have to be seen to be operating in a greener way themselves. There are many other eco type products on the market today, for both domestic and commercial purposes. These range from recycled products, through to energy saving products. The world is becoming more aware of the damage that we are causing to our planet. If more people, and businesses made a few changes to their daily practices and changed their habits with the products they bought and used, the world would be a greener, safer place to live.
Filed under: Consumer Products | Tags: condoms, Consumer Products, the environment
Firstly, don’t flush your condoms, ever! Flushing condoms is not the way to deal with them. Condoms can clog the plumbing in your house (or the plumbing wherever you happen to be). This can be an expensive and embarrassing situation. If the condom manages to make it through your septic system, it will only end up with the solid waste. This means that somebody has to pull it out of the sewage treatment, which isn’t pleasant for anybody. The condom might even make it past the treatment plant. This is not good because it means that it could end up in the water supply, and the last thing we need is more pollution in our rivers, lakes, and oceans.
Not all condoms are made equally. Most condoms are made of latex, which means that they will biodegrade. Latex, however, does not biodegrade when it is under water, which is why it is not good to flush your used condoms. Condoms are not entirely made of latex, however, and the other things on condoms (spermicide, lubricant) might affect the biodegradability. The best option seems to be to send them to a landfill and see how they pass the test of time.
Some condoms, including all female condoms, are made of polyurethane, a type of plastic. These will not biodegrade. There is no option, however, except to put them in the garbage, because your local recycling depot won’t recycle used condoms. They won’t even recycle new condoms.
Other condoms are made of lambskin. These are completely biodegradable condoms. Don’t run out and get lambskin condoms just yet though! Lambskin condoms do not protect against sexually transmitted diseases. The pores in the lambskin are small enough to stop sperm, and so prevent pregnancy, but the pores are large enough to let sexually transmitted diseases and infections through. This option is only viable for people in monogamous relationships who have been tested for sexually transmitted diseases. If this is the case, you could consider an even more environmentally friendly barrier form of birth control such as a diaphragm, cervical cap, or shield. Ask your doctor what is best for you.
Regardless of what material of condom you use (latex, polyurethane, or lambskin), you are going to have a wrapper to dispose of. These foil wrappers will not biodegrade, nor can they be recycled. This simply has to be put in the garbage.
Even if your latex or lambskin condoms are biodegradable, it is best not to try to compost or bury your condoms. Animals will smell the human scent and try to dig up what you have buried. This means that there will be unsightly used condoms around. Burying your condom is tantamount to littering: and there are better ways to deal with your condoms available.
So, in the end, what is the best way to dispose of your condoms? The best thing is to wrap it in a bit of toilet paper or paper towel (or any other biodegradable material: think paper bases such as paper bags) and then to put it in the garbage. Don’t wrap your condom up in plastic, as then it certainly won’t biodegrade. The good news is that the semen and vaginal fluid on the condom certainly will biodegrade, and might facilitate the condom biodegrading.
And lastly, remember…never reuse a condom. Although reduce, reuse, and recycle is the motto for environmentalism, you need to put your health first on this one. Don’t minimize your condom use, don’t reuse your condoms, and it’s too bad that you can’t yet recycle them. To think on an environmentally broader scale, using condoms is environmentally friendly because it is preventing the spread of communicable diseases. It is also preventing conception, and children have been documented to be hugs consumers of global resources.
Hopefully soon we will be able to figure out an environmentally friendly way to practice safe sex. Until then, we’ll make do with what we can, and we will continue using condoms.
For more information on condoms and condom use, visit http://www.theguideto-birthcontrol.com/barrierbased_birth_control_methods/male_condoms/ The Guide to Birth Control.
