The Four R’s of Environmental Responsibility

by Sofia Peruzzi, CRHS PTSA Environmental Chair

Our actions have an impact on the environment. This year, Americans will drink more than nine billion gallons of bottled water, nearly all of it from polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, plastic bottles. Water bottles are marketed as convenient, pure, healthy, and recyclable.

The recycling of a disposable water bottle is not a given, but we accept that environmental responsibility with its purchase. Many of us believe that we will recycle the bottle later and it will be used to make new ones. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that recycling reduced the country's carbon emissions by 49 million tons in 2005.  However, Americans will throw out more than two million tons of PET bottles this year. In 2006, the recycling rate for PET was just 23.5% with over 75% ending up in landfills or incinerated. Of the 23.5% recycled, only around 14.3% was used to produce food and beverage containers.

In order to make new bottles from scrap PET, the addition of virgin resin is necessary. PET is a petroleum product. The Container Recycling Institute estimates that 18 million barrels of crude-oil equivalent were needed to replace the bottles used in 2005. Producing 1 kilogram of PET plastic requires 17.5 kilograms of water and results in gas emissions into the air of 40 grams of hydrocarbons, 25 grams of sulfur oxides, 18 grams of carbon monoxide, 20 grams of nitrogen oxides, and 2.3 kilograms of carbon dioxide.

Americans only started consuming water in this fashion in the late 70’s. The commonly held misconception, that everyone needs to consume 8-10 glasses a day, has prompted many to hold on to a water bottle all day for fear of dehydration.  Our tap water here in Cinco Ranch, meets the same Food and Drug Administration standards for purity as those set for bottled water. The use of a reusable container, offers the same convenience as that of a disposable bottle with less waste and environmental pollution.

You only need to walk around our community to see that many water bottles end up as litter. In recent months, prices for recycled PET have plummeted while the cost of processing recyclables has stayed the same. Abitibi has felt the need to suspend its plastic and metal recycling in the school district and has even filed for bankruptcy.

Without a way to recycle the drink containers used on campus at the moment, it is more important than ever to reduce their numbers. Cinco Ranch High School allows students to carry clear, reusable, water bottles on campus. I would like to encourage the CRHS community to carry a reusable water bottle, drink from water fountains whenever possible take empty, disposable bottles home for recycling thus reducing the impact the school has on the environment.

Other Sources of Information:

Glossary of terms: http://www.tl-import-export.de/export/glossary.htm

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_acc/sec_news_article.asp?SID=1&DID=4766&CID=206&VID=142&RTID=0&CIDQS=&Taxonomy=False&specialSearch=False

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1593&did=7094

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/06/eco.plastics/index.html#cnnSTCText

http://www.container-recycling.org/assets/pdfs/reports/2006-scorecard.pdf

Plastic Waste Power Point Presentation: http://www.container-recycling.org/assets/ppt/plastic/PlasticBottleRecyclingWasting91-01.PPT#703,20,Slide 20

http://www.container-recycling.org/plasfact/PlasticBottleGrowth_files/frame.htm

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E07E5D6123EF936A25751C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=4

http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

http://www.greatlakesdirectory.org/mn/031604_great_lakes.htm viewed 1/26/09

http://www.sehn.org/tccThetruthaboutrecycling.html

http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/sec_content.asp?CID=1593&did=7094

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/09/28/in_praise_of_plastic/?page=6, viewed 2-5-09.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/magazine/27Bottle-t.html?pagewanted=6&_r=4&hp January 21, 2009.