Reducing the use of plastic, taking the bus, planting more trees, these are some tips we hear on a daily basis to keep the environment clean.
Before you think you are doing everything right, make yourself aware of a list of things that you think are eco-friendly, but they aren’t.
1. Organic Food
Organic food is healthy but it’s usually imported. It takes a lot of air miles and fumes for this food to reach the market. Organic doesn’t mean the food you have on your plate is the greenest option.
2. Recycling Plastic
There are over 50 different types of plastics. Not all can be recycled. It’s best to avoid using plastic altogether. If you use items packaged in plastic, try your best to recycle it. However, you have to be mindful of the best way of recycling it.
3. Tote Bags
Wait, what? Tote bags aren’t eco-friendly? Unfortunately, it takes more resources to make a tote bag than a cheap polyethylene bag. You would have to use a cotton tote 7,100 times to make up for the resources used in creating it.
4. Ride Sharing
If you are planning to give up the ownership of your car because you don’t want to be a part of generating a carbon footprint, here’s another one for you.
Ridesharing has become more popular than ever, which means eventually, there are more cars on the road. People take it as an alternative to public transit. A study showed that ride-sharing has increased average miles driven by 84% per trip. In other words, these extra cars have increased traffic.
5. Bamboo Fabric
A fabric made from plant cellulose sounds environmentally friendly, right? The truth is, the process of converting bamboo into textile requires an extensive amount of energy and chemicals. After chemical treatment, it goes through a complex bleaching process. Most of these clothes are manufactured in China. And there are no labor laws in China.
6. Vegan Diet
Many people have chosen a vegan diet because of the impact of livestock production on the environment. Plant crops are equally responsible for environmental damage. Since more land is required to produce these crops, agricultural pollution is destroying the ecosystem as well.
7. Cloth Diapers
Children also impact the environment’s health. Some parents have switched to cloth diapers because they are better than the disposable ones. Cloth diapers may be reusable but it requires more resources to produce them.
8. Biodegradable Bags for Dog Poop
Did you know that dogs have a fair share of producing waste in the United States? The way we dispose of dog waste is not the best process.
For instance, most of the dog waste bags are biodegradable. They are made from plant cellulose and zero percent polyethylene. The truth is, it will end up in a landfill eventually. However, it will deteriorate quicker than a plastic bag. There’s a catch. A bag that contains poop decomposes by releasing methane which is a strong greenhouse gas.
If you want to be co-friendly, you have an easy way. Dispose of junk responsibly. You can hire junk removal services Austin TX if you can’t do it yourself.
You would be glad to know that all junk trash removal Austin TX service takes recycling and eco-friendliness seriously. So, they handle junk, debris, fabrics, old furniture and appliances very well.
Conclusion
It seems that the eco-friendly items are not 100% eco-friendly. They still generate some level of waste and consume more resources. We need to be vigilant and choose those items that cause comparatively less damage.
