[greenyes] waste and humanitarian supplies for Iraq

[Sharon_Gates@no.address]

During my morning commute to work today, I heard a story about 
humanitarian supplies starting to be delivered in southern Iraq.  A BBC 
reporter describing the supplies said they were small amounts of food in 
plastic bags, with a small bottle of water.  While I'm sure most people 
hearing this story thought about the contents of the bags and getting this 
stuff to the people who need it, I was struck by the thought of the 
packaging.  Regardless of how one feels about the war, we are creating a 
totally unnecessary garbage mess by shipping all this stuff in 
single-serving packages.  And I doubt the U.S. military will set up 
collection of all those water bottles for recycling. 

Imagine the desert littered with #1 bottles, to be blown who-knows-where 
with the next sandstorm, slowly being broken into bits by wind and sand, 
to be lodged against desert vegetation, eaten by small animals, eaten by 
bigger animals...

Sharon Gates
Recycling Specialist
City of Long Beach, California
562/570-4694