Dumpster dive | May 21, 2024
Image credit: Central Park Conservancy
New York is known for pizza and rats, and where you find one you'll often find the other. To help curb the rat population, the Central Park Conservancy has launched a pilot program that features bins specifically designed for pizza boxes, pictured above. Mangia! (NBC New York)
Look out Shein, Xiemu is the hottest new brand in the world of fast fashion. How so cheap? Don't worry about it! Best factories, happiest workers! Yeah, it's a spoof from Saturday Night Live, based on more than just a modicum of truth.
Not a spoof despite abundant humor, "The Shitthropocene" is a short documentary from Patagonia about the era of crappy products and "why the things we use to cover our naughty bits have all gone to shite." Jokes and self-promotion aside, the message on overconsumption hits home. Follow the link to watch it on YouTube.
While on the topic, here's a list of fast fashion brands and reasons why you should avoid them if you have the means to. Issues include human rights violations, harmful manufacturing processes, and overconsumption that leads to textile waste, pollution, and depletion of natural resources. (SustainablyChic)
"Stitch it, don't ditch it" is the slogan of the army of street stitchers in Edinburgh. Armed with needles and thread, they sit streetside and teach people the basics of clothing repair, from sewing buttons to mending tears. It's an inspired effort to help address the climate impact from textile waste. (BBC)
Now for a swift kick to the nuts: Testicles, both human and canine, have been added to the ever-growing list of where microplastics have been found. A recent study found microplastics in every testis sample, with human samples having three times as many as those from our furry companions. Of the 12 microplastics identified, the most common was polyethylene (PE), which also happens to be the most commonly produced plastic and used primarily for water bottles, plastic bags, and other plastic films. While scientists didn't test sperm counts in the human samples, they did find that higher levels of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in the canine samples lead to lower sperm counts. Is plastic the new contraception? (ScienceAlert)
Ending on a high note, recent bans in Washington state keep PFAS chemicals and expanded polystyrene (aka Styrofoam) out of food packaging and hold producers accountable for environmental protection instead of consumers. About 20% of US states have enacted similar bans, with legislation on the horizon for others. Progress. (King 5 News)
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