7 Consumer Items Being Banned Around the World to Save the Planet

7 CONSUMER ITEMS BEING BANNED AROUND THE WORLD TO SAVE THE PLANET Our modern world provides us Here's 7 products that have been with all the luxuries we need to enjoy banned around the world with day-to-day life, but sometimes these alternatives that are much kinder can damage the environment. for the planet. USA I MICROBEADS Why was it banned? Many cosmetics contain tiny grains of plastic to give a rough feeling when used - but when washed down the sink, these microbeads end up in rivers and lakes, poisoning marine life. What's the Alternative? Salt, sand and sugar are among environmentally-friendly alternatives - whether you buy eco products from the shop or prefer to make your own.? 1 bottle of exfoliator may contain Did you know? as much plastic in microbeads as it does in the packaging. / COFFEE-PODS Hamburg, Germany* Why was it banned? Single-use products are already wasteful - but coffee capsules are made up of different materials, making them extra-difficult to recycle. What's the Alternative? Use a French press to on waste. Scientists are hoping to make recyclable pods widely down available by 2020. * Hamburg banned coffee pods from government offices. Did you know? 6 grams of coffee = 3 grams of packaging 3 WATER BOTTLES SMALLER THAN 1 LITER Concord, Massachusetts, USA Why was it banned? The plastic used for the bottles is not biodegradable, and may take centuries to decompose. What's the Alternative? Encouraging the use of refillable containers or bigger bottles with multiple servings. 1500 water bottles are Did you know? consumed per second in the U.S. with 17 million barrels of oil needed to produce these, per year. E-1 MILLION BARRELS OF OIL 4 PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS Bangladesh Why was it banned? Plastic bags were found to have clogged up the drainage system, worsening the effects of local floods. They also release toxins into the environment when disposed of in landfills, and kill animals and sea life. What's the Alternative? Reusing existing bags reduces the carbon footprint per bag, while textile bags are long-lasting. Did you know? 1 million plastic bags are used every minute, worldwide. New York City, 5 STYROFOAM New York, USA Why was it banned? Styrofoam is known for poisoning or choking aquatic life. What's the Alternative? Paper and polypropylene cups are kinder to the environment. They may be more expensive to produce at the moment, but wider uptake should bring prices down.7 25 billion polystyrene cups Did you know? are thrown away by Americans each year. HIGH-POWERED VACUUM CLEANERS Europe Why was it banned? Power-hungry vacuums can eat through environmentally-costly energy without necessarily guaranteeing cleaner carpet. What's the Alternative? Look for efficiency standard of 'A+' or more on EU goods. Did you know? 3 million cars produce the equivalent CO? emissions of high powered vacuums, per year. France I WILD FROG-LEGS Why was it banned? It might seem a minor tragedy to the rest of the world, but the French have eaten their little green friends into endangered species status. What's the Alternative? The French are condemned to dine on imported or expensive, farm-raised frog-legs." 1bn wild frogs are consumed worldwide Did you know? each year.0 To benefit from a modern lifestyle without polluting the planet, try these easy switches to ensure you're living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. SOURCES: Global Partnership on Marine Litter (2015). Plastic In Cosmetics Report. unep.org 2 Drahl, C. (2016). What You Need To Know About Microbeads, The Banned Bath Product Ingredients. forbes.com3 3 Lewis, D. (2016). Hamburg Is the First City to Ban Single-Use Coffee Pods. smithsonianmag.com 4 Schriever, N. (2013). Plastic Water Bottles Causing Flood of Harm to Our Environment. huffingtonpost.com 5 Jacobsen, S. (2005). Plastic Bag Pollution. lacounty.gov 6 Weiss, K. R. (2006). Altered Oceans Part Four: Plague of Plastic Chokes the Seas. latimes.com 7BBC (2015). Why New York banned polystyrene foam. bbc.com * Canzi, G. (2011). Vacuum cleaners sucking up more electricity. coolproducts.eu * European Commission (2015). Energy Efficient Products. ec.europa.eu 1° Henley, J. (2009). Why we shouldn't eat frogs' legs. guardian.com " Domat, C. (2014). French Chefs Worry About Losing Farm Famous for Its Tasty Frog Legs. wsj.com Timm, J. (2014). San Francisco bans sale of plastic water bottles on city property. msnbc.com BBC (2013). Concord, Massachusetts bans sale of small water bottles. bbc.com Howell, D. (2015). The 5p plastic bag charge: All you need to know. bbc.com Gosden, E. (2014). EU rules against powerful vacuum cleaners ban 'best' models, Which? warns. telegraph.co.uk Ce O O This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License - www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Quid Corner Your Financial Resource Centre ..