Letter to Editor by Bruce Bauer, May 10, 2021
Plastics are everywhere: on top of Mount Everest ,in the Antarctic and inside 98% of humans. You might feel fine, but someday you might not, and who knows if plastics cause cancer or heart disease.
I don’t know how doctors test for this pollution problem. Do you want to take the chance?
I moved to Oregon thinking Oregon was environmentally friendly. Recently I wanted to dispose of a microwave, but Rogue Disposal & Recycling told me to just dump it in the garbage. Do you want to live near where they dump the garbage?
I contacted Rogue Disposal & Recycling about recycling plastic; they only take number 1 containers where the neck is smaller than the body (e.g., milk jugs) because other shapes gum up their machine. I’m guessing local high school students could redesign their machine to handle all number 1 containers.
So, what can you do? Recycle everything you can. The Ashland Recovery Center takes all electronic devices. I found two organizations: Break Free from Plastic and Earth Breeze, which produces laundry soap that comes in an envelope — watch the movie “The Plastic Story” or “The Plastic Ocean.” We need to do something about this crisis!
Bruce Bauer
