Plastic.

[uppityperson]

What will happen to the price of plastic products, of things made from petro? Those cheap sneakers and sandals and even containers food is in? Nylons will cost more also. How much in your house is made of plastic? Looking around mine I see a whole lot.

So, experts, not only will transportation costs add to prices, but how about the petro going into the product itself?

[ensho]

1. I was born before the age of plastic, if I live a little longer it will again

be a time of no new plastic products. note I said new.

plastic barons probably have or will soon have a large and powerful lobby.

who gets the remaining oil? military or plastic barons?

[uppityperson]

5. Plastics have been a good thing in many ways. It just struck me recently.

Looking at plastic freezer bags and freezer wrapping paper. Then I started wondering about sandals and sneakers.

[flamin lib]

2. Can't remember where I saw the stat, but I recall that 15%

of our oil concumption is in plastics. How much of that is in disposables I don't know . . .

[uppityperson]

22. Not just disposables, but I bet a lot of things are going to change in price, makeup.

My long undies are made of plastic origin cloth. So are my shoes. And my glasses.

[SoCalDem]

29. I'm guessing that MOST plastic is "disposable"

It either breaks and gets tossed, or it's designed to be used & tossed..

The underlying problem is that we all just USE too much.. too much of everything..

We value speed and ease, and do not value craftsmanship anymore..

And since our real spending power has dropped, we all seem to need cheap..:(

[Mist]

3. As far as I know, the price of plastic bags, Saran wrap, etc. HASN'T taken off

the way gasoline has, so that just proves it's a cynical raising of gasoline prices. Otherwise,
I'd think everything plastic would indeed be more expensive.

[Buzz Clik]

4. NPR's Day to Day ran a story on this last Friday.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91736277

You are correct. The impact of oil prices on plastic stuff is huge. Some plastic stuff will be more expensive. Some plastic stuff will disappear.

[uppityperson]

Thank you. That is what I was wondering. Plastic margerine tubs may become precious.

from that link:
"Then, Alex Cohen talks to Tom Duffy, CEO of Plastic Components Inc. According to Duffy, the price of oil is driving small and mid-sized plastic molding companies out of business."

[Buzz Clik]

8. It is a fascinating story.

Duffy was saying that if he doesn't aggressively drive up his prices in response (and in anticipation) of increased oil costs, then his business will collapse.

He said that it used to be that the plastic materials he uses to make his plastic parts would increase in price about a penny per pound per year. Now, the material is increasing in price at a rate of 5 to 10 cents per pound per month.

[yardwork]

6. I was wondering why everything is still made of plastic with the price of oil so high.

When I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s (I sound like such a curmudgeon) most of this plastic packaging didn't exist, and somehow we managed to lead happy productive lives.

[uppityperson]

7. Maybe we'll return to milk and other things in glass bottles

Plastic has its uses for sure. It will be interesting.

[ensho]

9. I prefer glass containers, especially for food

and I hate that cheese is wrapped, strangled in plastic.

[uppityperson]

10. I just got 4 boxes (new unopened) quart canning jars/lids off freecycle.

MrUP wanted to know why, I said because. I hate that fruit/veggies are dipped in wax, then put into a plastic produce bag, then put into a bag at checkout. Get a clue! I am going to EAT IT! Glad stores are getting away from disposable bags, but I've had to argue with checkout people before, yes, the apples and the green pepper CAN go into the same bag.

The times, they are a changin'

[Iris]

13. Mmm - I love the tast of milk from a carboard carton.

Makes me think of kindergarten!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

37. shrink wrapping

cheese keeps it free of the bad microbes for far longer. If you ran a grocery store what would you do? Would you put the cheese on a plate on a cold shelf? I am curious as to why shrink wrapping a product like cheese offends you? :shrug:

[ensho]

38. cheese isn't meant to be treated that way

I've never trusted food wrapped in plastic.

growing up pre plastic, believe it or not, grocery stores sold cheese. you purchased it by weight, sliced or unsliced by the butcher. or it came wrapped in wax or burlap kind of stuff.

[yardwork]

25. Let's list things that are currently packaged in plastic that don't need to be:

Cardboard containers instead of plastic work for milk, deli items, butter, eggs, fast food, and many other disposable items.

Paper instead of plastic can be used as it was for decades to package food, candy in vending machines, sandwiches, trash, and many other items.

Glass can be used for many food and toiletry items, too. Glass and paper are easily recycled.

Yes, plastic has many uses, but it's also been pressed into service unnecessarily because it was artificially cheap.

[uppityperson]

28. That is very true. I bet there will be an outcry about not wrapping things

in plastic. I saw potatoes wrapped in plastic, individually, labeled something along the line of "ready for microwave use". You just unwrapped it and nuked it. Didn't even need to wash it first.

Words failed me, looking at it. Actually they didn't, but I didn't want to run screaming through the store "just wash the damned thing!".

[Javaman]

11. Over the past 2 years my wife and I have been getting rid of everything

in our house (as best we can) that is made of plastic.

Aside from the backsplash on our stove, there is no plastic in our kitchen.

Our bedroom is completely plastic free.

The bathroom, is a little bit more tough, but we are about 90% plastic free in there.

The only real problem is in the office. Computers. sigh. maybe some day someone will design computers like the old TV's, in wooden cabinets. lol

And alas, we have a TV, but probably for not much longer.

over all, I would say we are about 85% plastic free in our home.

[arcadian]

12. Carlin on plastic

The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we're gone, and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself, 'cause that's what it does. It's a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed, and if it's true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new pardigm: the earth plus plastic. The earth doesn't share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the earth. The earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place. It wanted plastic for itself. Didn't know how to make it. Needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old egocentric philosophical question, "Why are we here?" Plastic...asshole.

[NightWatcher]

14. Dow Chemical announced last month a 20% increase in cost

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/industrials/article4193531.ece

Plastic bags' price goes up in chemical reaction

The price of the humble plastic bag is to rise after a bout of hefty price increases by chemicals makers that supply the plastic packaging industry.

Dow Chemical, America's biggest manufacturer, announced price rises of up to 20 per cent last month, complaining of a 42 per cent increase in feedstock and energy costs since the beginning of the year. Dow was followed by BASF, of Germany, and Arkema, of France, while SABIC, the Saudi chemical group, said that it would increase its polyethylene prices by €200 (£157) a tonne from July 1.

[uppityperson]

21. Fridge liners.Cotton/poly bedsheets.Contacts.Traffic lights.Teflon.

Thanks for the info. Indeed.

[Arctic Dave]

15. I guess if the plastic industry would have more agressively

pushed recycling they wouldn't have as much as a headache from rising oil cost. As far as plastic is concerned, it does have its value but the over use of it in the past couple of decades should be have been discouraged to begin with.

[uppityperson]

19. Acrylic.Foam in car seats.CDs.PVC pipes.Toothbrushes.Eyeglasses.

It's not just in bags.

[Arctic Dave]

27. Exactly. Like I said reduce un-necessary use

and then recycle.

[AndyTiedye]

16. Recycle

We will recycle whatever we can, and our goods will come with a lot less packaging.

There is a lot of stuff being made of plastic that shouldn't be. I'm sick of merchandise
that is all nice solid-looking metal on the outside, and cheap plastic inside. Of course,
it breaks as soon as the 90-day warrantee runs out.

[uppityperson]

18. Clothing. Fleece. Polyester. Fake leather shoes. Nylons.

[AndyTiedye]

23. Bring Back the Real Thing

100% Cotton. Real leather. Real silk.

and is there any reason used-up nylons can't be recycled too?

[uppityperson]

24. Braid them and bags into strips, make into bathmat.

Time to heat the solid chunk of flatiron on the woodstove to smooth out the wrinkles in the cotton shirt.

Dang, buttons are still plastic but no plastic bits to my flatiron. Things will change. Cultural fashions will change here also from fast changing to basics with a couple modifications.

Rubber may make a big comeback also.

[noamnety]

31. old nylons

are good for tying veggie plants to stakes.

but better yet is for women to stop wrapping their legs in nylon to begin with.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. we can recycle a lot more but I don't know how much it will help us to save?

[uppityperson]

20. Formica.Insulating foam.Inhaler containers.Plywood.Computer bits.Refrig handles.Bumpers.

Not to mention food containers. Yes, recycling and reusing is good, but plastics are in a whole lot of stuff. It may get interesting.

[Cleita]

26. Back when I was a kid, very little plastic was used. We got along fine

without it. My lunch sandwich was wrapped in wax paper. Packaged food was in cardboard boxes or paper bags. Sneakers were made from rubber and canvas. We didn't even have a refrigerator, but an ice box so there wasn't a freezer. A lot of stuff that is plastic today was made of various metals back then or wood. I was eight before I got my first plastic toy and I didn't like it. I thought it looked cheap.

[dysfunctional press]

30. my neighbor sells plastic resin- the stuff that stuff is made out of.

and his costs have been going through the roof.

he's also getting more and more into the post-consumable(recycled) market as well- as fewer and fewer producers are using/can afford virgin plastic.

[Gabi Hayes]

32. ahem{p}

Shopping results for hemp plastic Hemp plastic grinder $11.00 - Glass-Pipes-Water ...
Promotion Item Active ... $4.61 - Promopeddler
Lotus Light Pure Essential ... $8.25 - Pretty Like Me

Hemp Plastic ::Commercial production for 100% Biodegradable 'plastic' from hemp and other plant fibres opens. www.zelfoaustralia.com. The future is here. ...
www.hempplastic.com/ - 23k - Cached - Similar pages

More results from hempplastic.com »


Hemp Plastic ::This hemp plastic CD/DVD-tray is one of the ways to overcome such problems. By giving the end consumer extra value in the physical product- you can only ...
www.hempplastic.com/newSite/hp_products_cdcases.htm - 26k - Cached - Similar pages

Hemp Plastic: Not Just For Sandals Anymore : TreeHuggerWith oil prices climbing all over the world, plastics manufacturers are looking to alternative sources of raw material that don't rely on synthetics.
www.treehugger.com/files/2005/08/hemp_plastic_no.php - 71k - Cached - Similar pages

Zelfo - HEMP PLASTIC 10 times stronger than steel | Free Speech TV ...Apr 9, 2007 ... Free Speech TV Online Community is a gathering place for sharing information, organizing activities, and collaborating on projects.
community.freespeech.org/zelfo_hemp_plastic_10_times_stronger_than_steel - 18k - Cached - Similar pages

Henry Fords HEMP CAR made from hemp plastic | Free Speech TV ...Apr 8, 2007 ... Henry Fords HEMP CAR made from hemp plastic ... He constructed a car of resin stiffened hemp fiber, and even ran the car on ethanol made ...
community.freespeech.org/henry_fords_hemp_car_made_from_hemp_plastic - 21k - Cached - Similar pages
More results from community.freespeech.org »

Eco Green Living - raw foods, hemp, biodegradable plastic, detox ...Eco Green Living, naturally. Raw living foods, Detox Retreats, Industrial Hemp information and how to live a greener more environmentally friendly lifestyle ...
www.ecogreenliving.com/ - 37k - Cached - Similar pages

Hemp MusicGet in tune with yourself by relaxing to the well-being sounds of Hemp Music on our new album, Fields of Green, and experience hemp-plastic and hemp-paper ...
www.hempmusic.com/ - 10k - Cached - Similar pages

HEMP PLASTICS ROOM - THE USA HEMP MUSEUMHow does the hemp plant fit into the plastic scheme? The white hemp hurds (shown left) or sticks left when the fiber has been removed are 77% cellulose and ...
www.hempmuseum.org/ROOMS/ARM%20PLASTICS.htm - 37k - Cached - Similar pages

Hemphasis.net ~ Hemp Plastics Show Their MettleHenry Ford used hemp-and-sisal cellulose plastic to build car doors and fenders in 1941. ... In 1998, I was asked if I would like to "make a hemp plastic". ...
www.hemphasis.net/Building/plasticmettle.htm - 14k - Cached - Similar pages

hemp plasticFind out why hemp plastic should be a part of eco living.
www.hemp-guide.com/hemp-plastic.html - 19k - Cached - Similar pages

[Contrary1]

33. Everything I get made of plastic is either taken to the recycling center...

or I use it over and over again myself. Bread wrappers, wax bags from cereal are both great to freeze food in. I just toss them into a gallon freezer bag that will be used multiple times also.

The wrap that comes with the multi rolls of paper towels and toilet paper...I open them carefully, and reuse them for the kitchen wastebasket.

Lots of ways to cut the use of plastic and its cost.

[uppityperson]

36. What about fabric that is mixed polyester?Old sunglasses?Toothbrushes?

I did a bit of research on what plastic is in and it is in a whole lot of things. Plywood.

[Catherina]

34. I hope it goes up so high that no one can afford it!

[alfredo]

35. They could go to the Pacific ocean and get all the want. It's floating

out there in the North Pacific Gyre. I'd also say there are other Gyres in other oceans.

[ensho]

39. true, horrible, but true

nt

[alfredo]

40. Better yet, when you go to the grocery, buy from the exterior wall,

and avoid the plastic wrapped crap in the middle aisles.