What Disposable Things Do You Buy That Still Help The Ocean?

meningreentights

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I buy ink pens made from recycled water bottles. They even have the ribs design on them like water bottles. I found a company that for every item you buy, it keeps a pound of trash out of the ocean. I buy plastic lawn chairs because they are made from recycled milk cartons. Mine do not stay outside, and last forever. I am looking for whatever I can buy made from recycled materials.
 

Squirrel1

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Excellent topic. We try and buy products not overly packaged...but that is sometimes hard. The government needs to step in and force manufacturers to stop over packaging. We use our recycling bins to their fullest potential. Our area recycles plastic, metal, paper, cardboard, food waste, batteries-they even pick up pet waste with the food waste.
 

meningreentights

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We have always recycled our own plant based waste. Compost is a great soil additive. I buy things in recycled paperboard packaging, and prefer stationary from recycled paper. I do whatever I can. I used to buy garbage bags made from recycled plastic grocery bags. I can't find them right now.
 

meningreentights

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You can make some money recycling metal around here. A man goes around picking up all the metal, appliances, and everything else he can recycle. It gives him something to do, and pays the gas money.
 

halcyondays

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Reduce, reuse, recycle. I stopped buying individual plastic drinks bottles of all kinds over twenty years ago. I still get juices in gallon plastic jugs or glass if I can find them. At least individual glass and aluminum drink containers are still valuable in the recycling market. Straws? Who uses straws outside of childhood? Newsprint, magazines, junk mail, numbered plastics... everything my city takes goes in the recycling bin. Old electronics, batteries and motor oil go to drop off stations.

Since China stopped taking bulk US recyclables last year the recycling market has changed dramatically. Municipal recycling programs have had to send more and more material to the dump which used to be recycled including most of the numbered plastics we take for granted as recycled. If the open market can't recycle we need to subsidize it.

It's what I don't buy which helps the ocean most: I haven't purchased fish or shellfish in thirty years because all those fisheries have been massively over harvested for decades, not to mention all the turtles, dolphins, whales and non-target fish which die in those bastard nets and drift lines.
 

Squirrel1

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I already avoid buying things that go to the landfill as much as possible. This is about what you have to buy that you can use to help the oceans.
Well the no-brainer would be the fabric shopping bags we use, rather than plastic. That would put a huge dent in what goes into the oceans.
 

MickeyLee

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I am of the "it's not the disposable items you buy, it's the ones you don't buy that counts"

Maybe I need to broaden my thoughts on consumption and eviromental protection. Buying products produced from waste or pulled from the ocean definitely supports a holistic earth economy.

I have replaced shopping bags with reusable cloth bags. I have replaced plastic produce bags with mesh bags. I try to limit my purchase of any plastic. Right now my big problem is finding grocery stores with bulk/loose produce. Some time in the last couple of years wrapping veg in plastic has become all the rage :mad: if my garden does well this year I won't have worry about it until late fall.

I like alternative and sustainable materials. There is heaps bamboo in my house. From toothbrushes to cutlery.

My most recent switch was from disposable head razors to a good old fashioned safety razor. It was scary at first, cuz it seems like you could filet yaself. Fewer cuts than my old Gillette.
 
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EllieP

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I haven't bought bottled water in a couple of years, but I was recently faced with a dilemma. I was in New Orleans last weekend, and their water is not what would be considered top of the line much less completely potable. But I stayed true to myself and brought my Platypus with me that I filled at the hotel. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, and I was afraid of becoming dehydrated.

I never like to pull rank, but I finally had to go backstage to explain to hubby that I was dry. An awesome vendor brought his own huge containers of water and allowed to me to refill my Platypus as often as I wanted. Of course, I felt obligated to buy something every time I did, so I was stuffed as well as hydrated!

But I also recycle the original way: every so often we go curb shopping in my truck. I just picked up two adirondack style resin chairs. They were still in reasonable condition so power washing and a coat of paint made them good as new! Now to find someone who needs them!
 

meningreentights

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Seriously people if you want to help the oceans boycott ocean seafood.
We all get that but this is about another aspect of helping it. The top five polluters of mismanaged plastic waste are China 28% of the global total, followed by 10% Indonesia, 6% each Philippines and Vietnam.
It's according to https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-polution.
According to the world economic forum, the 10 rivers that contribute 90% of the oceans plastic are Yangtze; Indus; Hai He; Ganges; Pearl; Amur; Mekong; Nile and Niger.
Eight are in Asia, and two in Africa.
I boycott plastics made in other places, and buy reusable metal and glass made in USA.
For it to be fixed, the people of the most populous nations have to change their ways.