At the Wellfleet Transfer Station, there’s a place for hazardous waste.
We can now dispose of old televisions and computers, which contain flame retardants. There's a place for old tires. Plastics, glass, and cardboard are also collected for recycling. What about the BPA in soup cans, which get thrown into the same container as plastics? Do the empty cans still contain BPA in their liners, or has the poor unwitting and hungry Wellfleetian already consumed the chemical along with his soup?There has been a lot of news recently about BPA. As I reported in an earlier post, this chemical is dangerous, despite what the American Chemical Council maintains. Now Governor Deval Patrick is moving forward on banning its use in baby bottles here in Massachusetts. Great news, but Bisphenol-A needs to be banned completely by the Federal government. There’s growing evidence that BPA may cause asthma, as well as disrupting development of the endocrine system. (Hat tip to Paul!) Another reader sent word of a California company, called Life Factory, that makes BPA-free beverage containers, as well as baby bottles. (Thanks, Elise!)
Together lets visualize a BPA-free world. Do not underestimate the value of spreading ideas through the Internet and the power of positive thinking. Fellow blogger Kerri Fivecoat-Campbell blogged about this last week. One of the things her guest, Marcia Layton Turner, said: "It’s really all about focus. Showing your brain an image of what you want triggers a focus that can lead to success if you pay attention. Images are much more powerful than words alone." Check out Kerri's blog, Living Large in Our Little House and visualize a BPA-free world ...
13 comments:
I saw a TV ad for a new potato chip bag that is bio-degradable. Making all packaging like that would go a long long way to helping. Most of what I have to throw out that is not recycled is packaging. And I compost anything edible.
Like @Zuleme, I saw that chip bag, too - so excellent. I just purchased a couple of BPA-free SIGG bottles b/c I want to wean myself from plastic bottles once and for all!
I think products should have to be lablled as to whether or not they contain BPA. There are so many things I wonder about - milk jugs, cardboard milk cartons, ziploc bags, etc.
I think that's the SunChips bags that are now biodegradable. Thanks for keeping us on this issue, Alexandra!
Thank you for this. I'm inspired to rally against BPA after reading this Sandy! We have been trying SO HARD to stop using cans but I have to admit I was at the grocery store at 7 a.m. this morning with the kids, who wanted some canned soup so I bought it for them. I know not all cans have BPA in them but I know the best thing is to REDUCE PACKAGING.
Okay, off to check out Kerri's blog!
It's good to know there are products now that are beginning to be produced without BPA. They're worth searching for in light of all the dangers. Hopefully many more will follow.
Excellent info. Thanks for posting, Alexandra.
MarthaandMe raises a good point about labeling. Do products have to reveal if they contain the chemical?
I feel like I should know the answer to this as a concerned consumer but I don't. Anyone?
Sarah, as far as I know there is absolutely no obligation to mention BPA on products that contain it. Only recently did the presence in can liners come to public attention. In baby bottles, it has been a longer period of time. Seems cash register receipts are coated with BPA, too, and pregnant women who touch them should wash their hands afterwards.
We can only hope that someday this good idea will take hold!
I hear that Walmart has banned BPA-containing products. It's good we're more aware of these things so we can avoid them.
Nancy, I think you may be referring to the plastic baby bottles, which already would be a good thing. BPA is used in the lining of canned goods. I posted a few months ago on this subject and Amy's Organic Foods wrote in to say they were working on the problem, but cannot guarantee no-BPA for the time being.
Manufacturers should be required to label their products--including the container. Thanls for this post, it;s an important topic.
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