A little soap for thought - i.e. toxins in our "beauty" products....it's time to just say no! (part 2)

So, as a continuation to my previous blog entry, re: one of the two soaps I found in the blue bin.... while rinsing it out, and combating the quick forming headache from inhaling the scent....I decided to peer at the ingredients just for fun! 

Let’s look at the ingredient list – for those who can’t see it well in the photo (i.e. probably everyone as it's incredibly hard to read and there is glare) I will list it out…prepare yourselves….

First, they let me know that I should not put it in my eyes, but they also try to minimize the effect that that statement has by prefacing it with “as with any soap”…However I gotta be real here for a second, if I put my limited ingredient, non-sketchy toxin bar soap in my eye…it doesn’t burn, I mean it feels a little funky but all in all it’s okay…and I've had Dr.Bronners in my eyes before too, accidentally of course, and it’s been fine..so I’m not sure it’s fair to tell the consumer “as with any soap”…that’s a touch misleading don’t you think? I know of many soaps that won't cause such shenanigans. 

I digress…they go on to share with me the chemical concoction they’ve mixed (i.e. ingrediants) to create this headach inducing liquid soap…the flavour? Vanilla and brown sugar….eliciting in my mind, of course, nice vanilla bean, and some traditional brown sugar…well, that was before I knew the truth...now products like this just make me shudder, both metaphorically, and literally...and extra literally because of the weird neuro-toxins in them.....

Aqua, sodium C14-15 olefin sulfonate, lauramide DEA, sodium chloride, cocamidopropyl betaine, parfum, DMDM hydantoin, citric acid, tetrasodium EDTA, polyquaternium-7, glycerin, PEG-7 glyceryl cocoate, benzophenone-4, hydrolyzed silk, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, yellow-5, red 33.

The bolded ones are some of the sketchier ones that are on lists of ingredients to absolutely avoid. Among the bolded ones above, are formeldyhyde releasing preservatives (DMDM hydantoin - which got a rating of 7 on EWG and noted as a *high hazard*, and petroleum based compounds which can cause a number of issues – skin sensitivity, and also the petroleum ones (PEGs) lead to promotion of greater absorption of the product which …which it’s super sketch when we're talking about other toxic ingredients. I don't know about you but I'd rather not have those get into my body/blood stream. 

The only ingredient I feel fully comfortable with and even then I’m questioning its source, and quality (i.e. is it organic?) it is the aloe leaf juice.

First of all, I understand only one of the ingredients,  second of all, numbers in ingredients (e.g. yellow -5) always freaks me out, third I made soap before, and I have news for all…you do not need such ridiculously toxic ingredients to make your soap. Of course not all the ingredients in that soap are notoriously bad, but some are super sketch, and I think that even just one super sketch one is enough for me. Things also change drastically when we consider that we don't just use one product, once a day...we use a number of products, multiple times per day - that's a lot of exposure....and products don't necessarily get tested from an accumulation point of view. Go figure. 

Compare this to Dr. Bronners – my favourite liquid castile soap around, especially since I can re-fill it and not contribute to excessive plastic bottle waste in this world!

Aqua, cocos nucifera (coconut oil), potassium hydroxide (none actually remains after saponifying oils into soap and glycerine but they are required to say it anyway), olea europaea (olive) oil, cannabis sativa (hemp seed) oil, simmondsia chinesis (jojoba) oil, menthe arvensis extract, menthe peperita (peppermint) oil, citric acid, tocopherol **all are certified fair trade, and certified organic except the last two ingrediants. 

Look at all those different oils – ever wonder why your hands are crazy dry? A lot of the toxins in the former soap (Soft soap), are ridiculously drying…hemp, jojoba, olive, coconut...all great oils for the body.

Long story short, read your ingredient list! If it sounds sketchy, it likely is. Here are some resources to use when unsure as I don't deny, it can be quite overwhelming...but definitely worth the research. 

1.  Environmental Work Group - they have a number of consumer guides on what to choose in certain categories – i.e. cleaning products, sunscreens, they even have a mobile app! There is one specifically on cosmetics (skin deep) and you can actually search based on chemical too so that is SUPER helpful!! – a great one to check out.
2. Goodguide  – not all products are up there, and not all information is available, but it can be helpful if the info is available. They rate products on health, environment, and society so that’s pretty cool. It takes a lot of the burden off the consumer as they’ve done a lot of testing already. For example, I looked this particular soap up, it's not the exact one as they don't have it, but in general similar soaps get a rating of  6.2 (note, too, that that would likely be lower if ingredients were included, under health it says “product has insufficient ingredient information”  - so maybe in this example this isn't the best for all products, but it’s generally a pretty good reference for most things, or high level information/comparatives.
3. I also kept in my wallet as I was learning all this new info, super helpful when going into a shop to acquire a new products as a replacement of an old sketchy one, a print-out of Gill Deacons handy wallet size of “best brands” and “toxins to avoid” found here , as well as a few more I wrote down based on other readings – David Suzuki’s Queen of Green came out with a publication as well, to let us know more about what these toxins truly are and their effects The Dirty Dozen,
4.  There is also the book – Slow Death by Rubber Duck which actually started this action in me the summer of 2010 after reading it. I headed straight to my bathroom and started looking at all my products and thought WOW….they ALL have sketchy stuff in them. I saw for a moment, surrounded by my million and one products catered to my perceived “specific” needs…curly, frizzy, de-frizz, gel, mouse, yadda yadda…I decided I’d cut all this out, but one at a time so it wasn’t as overwhelming (and as wasteful - though there are some products that are simply so sketch that I just recommend saying NO, immediately - e.g. air fresheners or all conventional cleaning products).  My transition ended up being a complete success and a really informative journey, making a drastic difference in my life – i.e. quality of my hair, skin, nails, is fair better…I mean it makes perfect sense too – how can we continually apply chemicals to our bodies and expect there to not be negative repercussions?

So, the next time you have a headache (as I still do now from washing out those plastic containers almost an hour later), while it may be dehydration, lack of coffee, or stress....it might just be because you're been around too many chemicals!

I certainly notice a lot more now that I've cut it out - I liken it to people who smoke, and stop and then try again - their lungs are so much more sensitive, they have lost their resistance - we've all built up a pretty big resistance to chemicals, and until you cut them out and give your body a chance to breath ....you might not notice how much harm you're doing your body.

I’d be happy to talk about this with anyone so just ask, and share too what you have transitioned in your life that you find works great! Having a support network to share in tips and tricks is super helpful when undergoing a purge.

When the City Bins just won’t Cut It (you may have to)

Edit: I'm moving the conclusion to the top, I think it's important - so now I suppose it would be more of an "executive summary".....  Long story short – consider what you’re coming into contact with in the first place, to avoid having to deal with it in the end, be creative and, most importantly, have some fun with it!! Show people how much fab you can create with old items that the majority of people wouldn't think twice about. Set a trend, and share with others what you've done! Go on, do it! :)"

Is it weird that I actually enjoy taking apart random items and sorting their parts into their proper “recycling” category? As I clean out my apartment and try to de-clutter and simplify my life, I realize all the random things I unintentionally accumulate – some are still in working order and I just don’t need them so I can give them away, but other things have lived their planned obsolete life and in most homes, would be in the dumpster and on the next train to the landfill. In an attempt to avoid throwing stuff out (while  trying to consider everything that comes into my life that may inevitably end up in the landfill to avoid it in the first place) I get down to business. And, by that I mean – bust out my tool kit. A handy thing to have, I’ve realized, when trying to recycle those impossible-to-recycle-multi- material-glued-fused-je-ne-sais-quoi items. Or, as my new found enviro friend calls them “CHARMing items” which stands for “Crazy Hard to Recycle Materials” and it’s so very appropriate as they do tend to charm their way into each and every household. So, WATCH OUT! 

With that, I decided that on my journey to split apart and dismantle random items in hopes of properly recycling them, I’d take some photos and share what I’ve learned along the way. I’m sure that many of you have these types of items in your home. It’s actually really fun, too, especially because you feel good knowing you tried your best. The series of questions, process or, hierarchy of homes is as follows (I started to make a flow chart as I thought it would be both fun and educational, but it might just be easier to have it like this :))

1.   Is it really time to get “rid” of this item?

2.     Do I really have no other use for this item? Google it and find out what others are doing! You’d be surprised at how many great ideas there are.

3.     Could someone else benefit from this item? i.e. Can it be given away?

4.     Is it just one type of material, or easy to split up? Can it be recycled with city recycling?

5.   Is it toxic or has the potential to be toxic if dismantled? Take it to where facilities exists (Fire  Stations  usually but just Google it and don't risk harming yourself and the environment further)

6.     Is it electronic, or battery powered? If yes dispose at the proper facilities – in Van that would be electronics recycling depot but a lot of other stores now are taking in old appliances and such – both private and city run here’s an example Unplugged, which London Drugs takes part in, but they now have their own take back program, too. Google is your friend in many of these questions! 

7.     If you’ve deemed it OK to disassemble yourself – then have at –er …this is my favourite part!

Things I’ve disassembled (see photos) – electric toothbrush heads (note: only the head, the base is re-used and if it eventually breaks down, I will take it to an electronics recycling place), old pens and highlighters, toothpaste tube, make-up containers/brushes (from o-so-long ago).

This was a sneaky highlighter with many "intricate parts" i.e. metal in obscure places.

This is why it's best to consider what you buy before hand - ideally something that can easily break into its parts and be recycled accordingly. 

Metals grouped on the left (in a container that was part of a circular highlighter...so unnecessary), plastics on the right, and highlighter innards in the middle (which I wasn't entirely sure what to do with - so they were "recycled" to Urban Woodwaste) - anyone have ideas?

Close-up of the infamous metal parts in items you'd think would have, no metal. All I can do is imagine the amount of work and effort that went into mining for those and how so many pens and highlighters are tossed each day in offices - mostly because people just don't know, as well, there is an endless supply of new ones. Re-Think time. 

Miscellaneous, hard/rigid plastics

Taking apart a rasor, and miscellaneous old make-up items (from when I was in jr. high/high school) 

This is one of those eyelash-on-one-side-eyebrow-on the-other-brushes - again metal within plastic that would have likely just been tossed.

A mascara brush - the inside is metal, the bristles could be composted IF they are not a plastic, likely that they are. Again - best to just avoid this stuff because it's tremendously ridiculous to recycle. 

"The Metals"

Ah yes, the infamous toothpaste tubes - has anyone ever seen what they look like inside? This was my first time. 

Metallic laminated plastic in more plactic :(

The two plastic portions on the left was put into rigid plastics for Pacific Mobile Depot, the metally remnants were placed in my Bottle Brick.

You’ll notice that the items I pull apart are typically the following three:

1)     Miscellaneous metals: which when I see them now I have this vivid image of a mine site, and people/machines working at ravaging the earth for metals, blood, sweat and tears of both people and mother nature. Really makes me think – so many individuals worked so hard for this metal to end up in my pen that I barely use. The environment worked even harder at restoring the land and recovering from the mine site's impact.  Now that it’s ended up in my toothbrush,or pen, or whatever else I have lying around, and it’s life is complete with me, it’s taken me even more work to remove it properly.  So much environmental impact and energy used for one teeny tiny piece of metal that really didn’t improve my life. Note: these items if aluminum will go into the blue bin recycling, if they are scrap metal (e.g. steel - can test if it's magnetic, if yes, then steal, if no, aluminum) and they will be taken to Pacific Mobile Depot.

2)     Miscellaneous hard plastic pieces: go into my “hard plastic” recycling bin and will be taken to Pacific Mobile Depot

3)     Neither plastic, nor metal - I really have no clue and need to google what to do with these! Ex: inside of pens, the felt tube inside of pens/highlighters but as mentioned above - Urban Woodwaste was where these specific ones were taken. I'm still not convinced that's the best place since they do end up burning it for fuel, well, that and, I'd rather just avoid it in the first place.

Some cool ideas I found whilst searching online – in my steps before finally disassembling – were for pens – a lamp, or a name-tag holder for your garden.

....and that's just a start!

Dear Plastic: Please Go Away (or: The Plastic – Fiscal Year 2010-2011)

People often wonder how I live zero-waste; the following is likely the highest contributor. So, please read on and enjoy – after all, that’s what it’s all about.

The Good

If you’ve been following this blog, or you know me personally, you’ll know that I made a commitment to move towards living zero-waste after seeing The Clean Bin Project (about a year ago now). I finally got around to sorting my ever-collecting soft and rigid plastics.  Though potentially odd-sounding to some, I must say, it was really fun and induced nostalgic-like feelings – as it reminded me of sorting my Halloween candy after a long night of trick-or-treating, especially with the crisp fall air and the vibrantly coloured leaves, preparing for their yearly transformation.  Oh nature – how you amaze me so.

But honestly? Nothing beats the pleasure of visually experiencing how much waste, in this case, plastic, I prevented from ending up in a landfill, or more often than not, an animal’s home. Moreover, that plastic will be recycled. And, according to what I read on the Return-It Depot website, “recycling plastics uses about 1/3 less energy than manufacturing new plastic.” An additional energy savings - bonus!  Bottom line, it feels good to be part of the solution. Try it out, I dare you :)

Most people would assume that, in storing plastics for that long, my house would just be FULL! And, while you can see form the photos that there is an absolute mess of plastics in my living room, after sorting it, you’ll also see that they sure do clean up well. They compress so much so, that you can store a years’ worth on the top shelf of a tiny laundry closet (I live in a small apartment), and no-one’s the wiser.

You can see from the photos, below, that massive cloud of plastic turns into three small bags when compressed. So, it’s not like you have to hoard loads and loads, all the while fumbling around in a sea of plastic (though perhaps sadly ironic, that so called “figurative” sea, literally does exist, now, in nature) each time you open your closet….or be worried about what your guests might think of you when you open the door to hang their coat up – everyone’s seen that show about hoarders – we don’ t want to be that person.

I’ll let you in on a secret- you’re not! No-one will ever judge you for being conscious of what you consume and put back into the environment. That is, seriously, something to be proud of. You are taking an active role in your existence here on earth, and that to me is nothing but admirable. It’s all about shifting mentalities – and it’s happening, slowly but surely.

Styrofoam and the soft plastics

The rigid plastics

The banana is there for a size reference....

Unbelievable. The height of the coffee table.

Easy to store.

As a some-what aside I’m actually proud of my plastic pile (well, I'm sad at how much plastic I still consume but you know what I mean)– if guests came over, I’d gladly show them how easy it is to  prevent this stuff from ending up in unwanted areas. Keep it till you can reap it i.e. take it to the proper depots. Though I realize that me being proud of such things is perhaps an oddity, it’s an oddity I’m okay with, and an oddity soon to become regularity.

The Not-So-Good

While I prevented a significant amount from simply being thrown away, and saved some much needed energy – it made me realize - I’m just one person – and look how much I accumulated! Moreover, I am one person that consciously tries to avoid plastic – what with specifically choosing my bread from Cobs Bread so I can bring my own cloth or paper bag, bringing my own containers for take-out or meats in the grocery store, using cloth bags for groceries, and mesh produce bags, and ensuring I never leave the house without my “eco-kit” comprised of to-go cup, water bottle, bamboo utensils, multi-purpose container, or if I forget - simply waiting to purchase something until I can consume responsibly….to name a few – so where is it all coming from?!?! And if I’m one person, a conscious consumption person, what the heck are people who don’t care consuming? And more importantly, their tossing it in the landfill, not recycling…. – eek! This needs to be rectified, stat.

I’ll be honest – slash, you can see from the photos – I buy Amy’s burritos that come in plastic wrap, and those Happy Planet (irony?) soups – dang, definitely two things I need to axe, fast (any alternatives? I’m all ears…or eyes) – it’s a convenience thing. Ah convenience, you’ve snuck up on me again. Why does everyone like you so much?

Despite my love for quick dinner options, I look at all the other plastics and their not strictly composed of those items…so it really makes me wonder – how am I accumulating all of this? Why plastic! Why must you plague me so?

I will reason with this fact: this is all the plastic from one year. Over that year I’ve slowly figured out more ways to reduce my plastic consumption –so, of course plastic during the beginning would have been accumulating faster – and in theory, it should be slowly decreasing. As such, I will do this same “plastic audit”, if you will, for the next fiscal year.  I’m very interested to see what the outcome will be! My goal – because having measureable goals is fun– will be ½ the plastic!  

The Food (Plastic?) for Thought

I have been wondering for a while now – why can’t we add a deposit fee on plastics/packaging? So, in addition to going to the bottle depot each month, or whenever one goes, we could also go to the “plastic depot” and get money for our plastic. Plus, this type of monetary incentive would mean that those who are picking up stray bottles around the city to make a few extra bucks, can also pick up stray plastics. Imagine how clean our streets, and consequently our environment, would be! That makes me happy. Can we make this happen? I think so.

I just want to point out one thing – I know someday I will look back at this blog and think “wow look how proud I was to have saved that much plastic, I only have 1/8 of that amount now (if anything at all) and everyone’s doing it! My my how times have changed” – just as it wasn’t too long ago that you’d go grocery shopping and no-one had re-usable bags. Here’s to change, the good kind!

The Action

I encourage everyone to try to save their plastic,s if you live in a place where your city does not accept them, and take them to the proper facilities. Some municipalities are accepting softer plastics in their city-wide recycling (Calgary, Montreal), Vancouver is a bit slow on this one but we’ll forgive them – since we do have alternatives like Pacific Mobile Depot.

Let’s take responsibility for what we produce, put it back into the system so it can be turned into something useful, and feel good about doing it!! I assure you this – nothing beats the feeling of knowing you’re helping preserve our wonderful, biologically diverse, ever-magnificent world.

And now, to end off with a wonderfully composed, inspirational remark, one of my favourite quotes:

“The number one thing – is do one more thing. Let’s do one more thing that isn’t sustainable, and change it to sustainable, and just don’t stop.” (Brian Burke - The Clean Bin Project)